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FAMILY  RECORDS 


WTNCHESTEK,   COOTT., 


Exercises  of  the  Centennial  Celebration, 

On  the  16th  and  17th  Days  of  August, 
1871. 

BY 

JOHI.vBOYD. 
\ 


HARTFORD: 

PRESS  OF  CASE,  LOCKWOOD  &  BRAINARD. 

1873. 


TO    THE    MEMORY 

OP  THE 

PIONEER    SETTLERS   AND    EARLY   RESIDENTS 
OF   WINCHESTER, 

TO    THEIR    WIDELY-SCATTERED     DESCENDANTS, 
AND 
TO   THE  NATIVE   AND   ADOPTED    CITIZENS 
OF  THE  TOWN, 

^lus  ^Memorial 

IS  REVERENTLY  AND   MOST  RESPECTFULLY  INSCRIBED. 


PEEFACE. 


As  early  as  1856,  the  compiler  of  these  Annals  conceived  the  plan  of 
collecting  materials  for  a  history  of  his  native  town,  and  its  early  settlers. 
His  life-long  residence,  reaching  back  to  1799,  and  the  custody  of  its  re- 
cords during  no  inconsiderable  portion  of  the  last  fifty  years,  made  him 
more  familiar  than  most  living  men,  with  its  documentary  history  and  its 
traditions.  Frequent  calls  by  descendants  of  Old  Winchester  families,  and 
by  genealogists,  for  information  derivable  from  the  town  records,  im- 
pressed him  with  the  belief  that  a  compilation  of  historical  events  and 
family  records,  however  imperfect,  would  be  received  with  favor  alike  by 
citizens  of  the  town  and  descendants  of  emigrating  families. 

It  soon  became  apparent  that  the  settlement  and  growth  of  one  of  the 
most  recent  of  the  original  towns  of  the  State,  was  attended  with  no  thril- 
ling incidents  or  romantic  tales,  with  which  to  embellish  its  transition  from 
barbarism  to  civilization.  If  its  territory  had  ever  been  possessed  by  an 
aboriginal  race,  that  race  had  long  ago  disappeared,  leaving  no  trace  be- 
hind. The  dispirited  remnants  of  the  once  warlike  tribes  of  the  Narra- 
ganset  region,  had  only  roamed  through  its  tangled  forests,  and  made 
temporary  halts  along  the  shores  of  its  lakes  and  the  banks  of  its  streams. 
They  claimed  no  right  of  domain,  and  contested  no  settler's  possession  of 
its  soil.  No  fort  nor  block-house  was  ever  needed  for  protection  or  de- 
fence of  its  pioneer  settlers  ;  and  no  hostile  armament  ever  approached 
its  borders. 

Lacking  historical  material  of  this  nature,  in  its  origin,  and  destitute 
of  sensational  events  in  its  slow  and  prosaic  growth,  the  idea  of  a  reada- 
ble town  history  seemed  preposterous.  And  yet  there  are  unrecorded  in- 
cidents and  traditions  in  the  growth  of  every  community,  which,  however 
uninteresting  to  the  outside  world,  may  deeply  interest  residents  and  the 
descendants  of  residents,  of  that  community.  There  are  traits  of  char- 
acter, and  memories  of  worth  or  unworthiness,  customs,  and  habits  of 
thought  and  action,  that  should  not  be  lost  to  posterity  by  want  of  brief 
record.  There  is  also  a  growing  desire  among  the  descendants  of  New 
England  families,  to  trace  their  ancestry  and  family  connections ;  not  so 
much  in  search  of  an  illustrious  origin,  as  with  the  desire  to  establish  a 
connection  with  progenitors  and  kindred  of  solid  worth. 


viii  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

With  the  purpose  of  aiding  in  these  researches,  the  following  circular 
letter  was  printed,  and  largely  distributed  among  the  descendants  of  early 
settlers  and  residents  of  the  town  : 

CIRCULAR. 
Dear  Sir: — 

I  am  making  a  compilation  from  the  Winchester  Records,  of  all  the  facts  ascertain- 
able in  reference  to  the  settlers  and  inhabitants  of  the  town  prior  to  1800  ; — and  am 
desirous  of  incorporating  therein  such  other  facts  as  may  be  furnished  by  the  descend- 
ants of  old  Winchester  families,  in  reference  to  their  origin  and  expansion.  Such  a 
compilation  will  have  a  value  proportioned  to  the  accuracy  and  extent  of  the  informa- 
tion it  will  afford  to  future  inquirers  in  reference  to  their  family  history ;  —  and  this 
must  mainly  depend  on  the  prompt  and  liberal  aid  of  those  taking  an  interest  in  the 
perpetuation  of  family  history. 

The  items  desired  are,  the  births,  marriages,  and  deaths,  of  all  members  of  inhabit- 
ant families  —  the  dates  of  their  settlement  in,  and  their  departure  from  the  town  —  their 
prior  and  subsequent  residence  —  the  names,  residences,  and  other  particulars  before 
enumerated,  of  their  ancestors  as  far  back  as  can  be  ascertained  —  and  the  names  of  all 
descendants;  —  also  the  offices  and  appointments  in  church  and  state,  and  the  profes- 
sions or  occupations  which  any  of  them  held  or  followed,  together  with  peculiarities 
of  character  or  history. 

Family  Bibles  should  be  made  the  basis  of  reports,  and  such  other  facts  added  there- 
to, as  are  attainable.  Communications,  while  they  are  comprehensive,  should  be  brief 
and  well  digested  —  and  must  be  promptly  furnished  to  be  available. 

As  the  labors  of  the  compiler  will  be  arduous,  and  without  remuneration,  he  feels 
assured  that  no  son  or  grandson  of  old  Winchester  will  withhold  the  aid  he  can  fur- 
nish towards  perfecting  the  work  proposed. 

Yours  truly, 

John  Boyd. 

West  Winsted,  Ct.,  June  12,  1857. 

The  responses  to  this  call  were  so  few,  and  the  materials  furnished  so 
scant,  as  to  discourage  any  attempt  in  the  way  of  perfected  genealogies. 
Nevertheless,  a  systematic  digest  of  the  materials  of  family  history  fur- 
nished by  the  public  records,  supplemented  by  reliable  additions  from  other 
sources,  seemed  to  promise  essential  aid  to  genealogists,  and  to  the  widely 
scattered  descendants  of  Winchester  families.  By  adding  personal  no- 
tices of  every  known  early  settler  and  resident  of  the  town,  and  incidents 
of  town  history,  in  the  form  of  Annals,  it  was  hoped  that  a  readable  book 
could  be  compiled,  which  would  prove  interesting  and  instructive  to  citi- 
zens of  the  town  and  their  widely  scattered  descendants. 

The  plan  adopted  was,  to  trace  out  the  land  title  of  the  township,  to 
note  the  action  of  the  proprietary  body,  the  subdivision  of  the  lands  into 
divisions,  tiers,  and  lots,  and  the  assignment  of  these  lots  to  individual 
proprietors  or  purchasers.  The  carrying  out  of  this  plan  required  a  dili- 
gent search  of  the  land  records  and  assessment  lists,  to  ascertain  the  or- 
der and  dates  of  immigration,  the  location  of  immigrants,  by  means  of 
descriptions  and  references  in  recorded  deeds,  and  by  personal  inquiries 
of  cotemporaries  and  descendants,  for  such  items  of  family  history  as  the 
records  do  not  furnish. 


PEEFACE.  ix 

"With "these  data  obtained,  and  with  the  aid  of  town,  society,  and  church 
records,  the  compiler  entered  on  his  task.  How  successfully  he  has  ac- 
complished it,  amid  the  constant  interruption  of  official  duties,  it  is  the 
province  of  others  to  judge;  while  it  is  his  right  to  assume  that  few  crit- 
ics will  discover  more  of  its  demerits  than  he  is  painfully  conscious  of. 

In  his  treatment  of  the  work  his  endeavor  has  been  to  make  it  reada- 
ble and  instructive  to  residents  and  the  descendants  of  residents  of  the 
town,  by  embodying  with  statistical  and  historic  facts,  incidents  and  illus- 
tiations  unappreciable  by  the  outside  world.  If  in  this  he  has  assimilated 
to  the  illustrious  Boswell,  the  work  will  probably  be  not  the  less  accepta- 
ble to  the  readers  for  whom  it  is  specially  designed.  The  home  reader 
will  hardly  object  to  being  conducted  slowly  along  the  path  of  the  first 
settlers,  as  one  of  their  number,  learning  about  the  divisions  of  the  town- 
ship domain  into  tiers  and  lots  and  their  landmarks;  silting  at  the  primi- 
tive fireside  of  Caleb  Beach  ;  partaking  of  Joel's  collation  of  bear's  meat 
or  venison,  supplemented  by  a  wooden  bowl  of  toast  and  cider ;  calling 
of  an  evening  at  landlord  Mott's  hostelry  and  hearing  the  news  of 
the  outer  world,  and  perchance  witnessing  the  descent  down  the  chimney 
of  his  stalwart  boys ;  going  to  meeting  at  the  old  Sab-a-day  house, 
or,  later,  at  the  new  meeting-house,  and  joining  in  the  prayers  and  praises 
of  the  assembled  worshipers  ;  discussing  at  the  store  or  tavern  the  merits 
or  demerits  of  the  half-way  covenant  and  the  impending  Revolutionary 
crisis ;  attending  the  trainings,  school  exhibitions,  and  public  whippings 
at  the  post ;  watching  the  growth  of  the  settlement,  and  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  each  new  settler. 

The  experiences  of  a  town  in  small  things  as  well  as  in  large,  make  up 
its  history.  Its  legendary  anecdotes,  apocryphal  though  they  may  be,  re- 
lieve the  dullness  of  description  or  narrative,  and  illustrate  manners  and 
customs.  Their  absolute  truth  or  falsity  should  not  trouble  the  con- 
science of  the  sober-sided,  unimaginative  reader,  who  eschews  all  levity 
and  humor  as  of  the  evil  one.  All  that  is  demanded  of  such  an  one  is,  to 
receive  them  as  traditions  which,  in  the  nature  of  things,  cannot  be  authen- 
ticated or  belied. 

For  assistance  and  encouragement  in  prosecuting  this  work,  a  grateful 
acknowledgment  is  due  to  D.  Williams  Patterson,  Esq.,  late  of  Winsted 
and  now  of  Newark  Valley,  N.  Y.,  for  essential  aid  in  collecting  and  arrang- 
ing the  family  records,  for  persistent  urgency  in  stimulating  the  jaded, 
not  to  say  indolent  compiler,  to  perseverance  in  prosecuting  his  task. 

To  Deacon  Ira  Hills,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  the  oldest  living  native  of  the 

town,   and  the  most  filial  of  her  sons,  and  to  Mrs.  Nellie  M.  Swift,  of 

Colchester,  Conn.,  both  descendants  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  town,  and 

both  residents  elsewhere  during  most  of  their  lives,  we  are  indebted  for 

7  a 


X  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

many  interesting  reminiscences  of  men  and  customs  of  the  past.  We 
have  copied  liberally  from  the  sprightly  sketches  of  the  latter,  and  from 
the  former  have  obtained  valuable  material.  We  are  also  indebted  to  the 
venerable  Father  Marsh  for  extracts  from  his  manuscript  historical  ser- 
mon, deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society. 
With  these  aged  worthies  it  is  fitting  to  associate  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wet- 
more,  of  the  active  generation  now  on  the  stage,  as  versed  with  traditional 
lore  beyond  any  other  living  native  of  the  town. 

Credit  is  also  due  to  Dr.  Henry  H.  Drake,  Recording  Secretary  of  the 
Centennial  Association,  for  securing  and  arranging  accurate  reports  of 
the  centennial  exercises  herein  published,  and  for  his  efficient  services  in 
obtaining  a  list  of  subscribers  exceeding  in  number  the  most  sanguine  an- 
ticipations of  the  compiler;  also  to  C.  A.  Alvord,  a  native,  and  S.  A. 
Hubbard,  a  former  resident  of  the  town,  both  now  of  Hartford,  and  to 
George  M.  Carrington,  of  Winsted,  for  the  kind  interest  they  have  taken 
in  the  work,  and  the  assistance  they  have  rendered  in  its  preparation  for 
the  piv ps. 

Before  this  work  was  projected,  most  of  the  generation  connecting  the 
present  with  the  primitive  stock  had  passed  away.  Among  those  then 
living  and  now  departed,  a  tribute  of  grateful  remembrance  is  due  to  Rev- 
Abel  McEwen,  D.  D.,  of  New  London,  whose  analysis  of  character  and 
fund  of  anecdote  were  unrivaled.  A  series  of  sketches  of  early  Win- 
chester men  was  commenced  by  him,  but  soon  discontinued  by  reason  of 
infirmities  of  age,  of  which  we  have  availed  ourselves.  To  the  late  Dr. 
Truman  S.  Wetmore,  the  compiler  is  also  specially  obliged  for  valuable 
information  obtainable  from  no  other  living  source.  Also  to  the  family  of 
the  late  Deacon  Lewis  M.  Norton,  for  free  access  to  his  manuscript  vol- 
umes of  Goshen  genealogies,  —  a  work  of  great  interest  and  value,  which 
should  be  made  available  to  the  public,  in  printed  form. 

The  compiler  originally  contemplated  publishing  these  Annals  as  early 
as  1862,  but  on  ascertaining  the  expenses  of  publication  and  the  probable 
patronage  the  work  would  receive,  it  appeared  very  doubtful  whether  the 
actual  pecuniary  outlay  would  be  refunded,  and  therefore  the  project  was 
abandoned. 

The  occurrence  of  the  town  centennial  in  July,  1871,  created  a  new 
interest  in  the  history  of  the  town.  A  publication  of  the  centennial  exer- 
cises was  demanded,  of  which  the  Historical  Address  formed  a  part.  This 
was  an  epitome  of  this  work ;  too  long  to  be  fully  read  to  a  public  audi- 
ence, and  yet  too  brief  to  prove  a  satisfactory  exposition  of  the  town  his- 
tory. Under  these  circumstances  the  compiler  decided  to  bring  his  whole 
work  before  the  public,  and  by  an  arrangement  with  the  town,  engaged  to 
publish  in  connection  with  it  the  other  centennial  exercise-. 


PREFACE.  XI 

The  engraved  portraits  embellishing  this  volume  are,  with  two  excep- 
tions, of  deceased  natives  or  citizens  of  the  town  ;  and  all  of  them  were 
provided  at  the  expense  of  friends  of  the  parties.  Others  would  have 
been  in  like  manner  provided,  had  there  existed  satisfactory  portraits  from 
which  to  engrave  them. 

It  is  hardly  an  excusable  weakness  in  a  writer  to  deprecate  criticism  of 
a  production  which  he  has  deliberately  brought  before  the  public,  but  it  is 
hoped  that  the  limited  public  for  whose  perusal  the  work  was  designed, 
and  to  whom  it  is  dedicated,  will  consider  that  it  was  compiled  in  snatches 
of  time  amid  other  occupations,  then  laid  aside  for  several  years,  and  on 
finally  taking  it  up  for  immediate  publication,  finding  much  to  add,  more 
to  suppress,  and  the  whole  to  correct  and  condense,  and  at  an  age  when 
mental  and  bodily  vigor  is  essentially  impaired,  will  excuse  its  defects  and 
the  seeming  unreasonable  delay  in  carrying  it  through  the  press ;  and  will 
find  in  its  pages  items  of  town  and  family  history,  and  of  tradition,  which 
would  have  been  lost  had  they  waited  for  a  more  able  chronicler  to  era- 
body  them, 


CHAPTER     I . 


PRELIMINARY   HISTORY— LAND  TITLE. 


The  oldest  conveyance  of  land  recorded  in  Winchester  bears  date 
November  28,  1729,  by  which  John  Kilbourn,  of  Hartford,  conveys  to 
Jonathan  and  David  Hills,  of  Hartford,  "all  (his)  right,  title,  share,  and 
interest  in  and  to  a.  large  Tract  of  Land,  commonly  known  as  the  Western 
Lands,  belonging  to  the  Towns  of  Hartford  and  Windsor,  as  it  abuts 
on  the  Towns  of  Woodbury  and  Litchfield,  west  on  the  Colony  Land, 
north  on  the  Colony  line,' and  east  on  Farmington  and  Sirnsbury,  or 
however  butted  and  bounded." 

This  title  was  derived  from  a  hasty  and  ill-advised  grant  of  the  General 
Court,  made  in  January,  1686,  to  the  towns  of  Hartford  and  Windsor,  in 
anticipation  of  the  annulling  of  the  colonial  charter,  and  the  sequestration 
by  Sir  Edmund  Audross  of  the  unoccupied  lands  of  the  colony.  Besides 
several  minor  tracts  undisposed  of  in  Hartford  and  New  Haven  counties, 
the  colony  owned  the  whole  territory  of  Litchfield  county  lying  north  of 
New  Milford  and  Woodbury. 

On  notice  of  the  arrival  of  Audross  at  Boston,  with  authority  from  the 
crown  to  revoke  the  colonial  charter,  and  to  assume  the  government  of 
the  colony,  the  grant  referred  to  was  made  by  the  panic-stricken  General 
Court.  The  series  of  votes,  of  which  this  grant  was  one,  bore  a  resem- 
blance to  an  assignment  in  bankruptcy,  and  had  some  badges  which,  in 
strict  legal  construction,  might  have  been  esteemed  fraudulent  had  the 
usurpation  of  Andross  been  sustained. 

The  first  vote  constituted  Major  John  Talcott  and  Ensign  Nath. 
Standley  trustees  of  all  the  bills  secured  to,  and  all  claims  due  the  colony, 
to  be  improved  by  them  for  paying  the  colonial  debts,  and  to  pay  over 
the  surplus,  if  any,  to  the  several  counties,  for  the  encouragement  of 
Grammar  Schools.  Another  vote  granted  to  Wethersneld,  Middletown, 
and  Farmington,  all  the  vacant  lands  between  Wallingford  bounds  and 
the  bounds  of  those  towns ;  another  vote  granted  to  the  Town  of  Kenil- 
worth,  "  all  those  lands  north  of  their  bounds  and  Guilford,  and  west 
of  Haddam" ;  and  by.  another  vote,  granted  to  Hartford  and  Windsor, 
"  those  lands  on  the  north  of  Woodbury  and  Matatock,  and  on  the  west 
of  Farmington  and  Sirnsbury,  to  the  Massachusetts  line  north,  and  to 
2 


10  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

run  west  to  Housatunnuck  River  (provided  it  be  not,  or  part  of  it,  for- 
merly granted  to  any  particular  persons)  to  make  a  plantation  or  villages 
thereon." 

Andross,  after  repeated  but  fruitless  efforts  to  induce  the  General  Court 
to  make  a  voluntary  surrender  of  the  charter,  came  to  Hartford  in 
October,  1 687,  dissolved  the  charter  government,  and  assumed  supreme 
control.  The  charter,  however,  was  never  surrendered  to  him,  nor  was 
it  ever  set  aside  by  the  English  Courts,  on  the  writ  of  quo  warranto  then 
pending.  His  usurped  government,  after  a  period  of  about  sixteen  months, 
came  to  an  end  on  news  of  the  deposition  of  James  II.,  and  the  accession 
of  William  and  Mary  to  the  British  throne. 

On  the  flight  of  Andross  early  in  1689,  the  charter  government  was 
resumed,  and  the  old  magistrates,  and  civil  and  military  officers,  were 
reinstated,  until  a  new  election  under  the  charter  coidd  be  held.  The  land 
grants  referred  to  had  not  been  perfected  by  the  issue  of  charters,  which 
by  law  were  indispensable  to  their  validity,  nor  was  any  action  taken  in 
reference  to  them  for  nearly  twenty  years.  It  is  probable  that  the  General 
Court,  while  composed  mainly  of  those  who  voted  the  grant,  were 
unwilling,  by  a  revocation,  to  incur  the  imputation  of  having  made  a 
fictitious  disposal  of  the  lands,  and  that  the  grantees,  while  the  well-known 
intent  of  the  grants  was  fresh  in  their  remembrance,  were  slow  to  repu- 
diate the  implied  trust  by  any  overt  acts  of  ownership. 

By  the  town  records  of  Hartford  it  appears  that  nearly  twenty-two 
years  after  the  grant,  and  after  most  of  those  then  on  the  stage  had 
passed  away,  it  was  voted  in  town  meeting,  "  that  whereas,  a  grant  was 
made  to  the  plantations  of  Hartford  and  Windsor,  on  the  26th  of  January, 
1686,  of  those  lands  on  the  north  of  Woodbury  and  Matatuck,  west  of 
Symsbury  and  Farmington,  to  the  Massachusetts  Line  North,  and  to 
run  west  to  Housatonuck  or  Stratford  River ;  that  two  or  three  persons 
be  appointed  to  join  with  two  or  more  from  Windsor,  to  survey,  or  view, 
the  said  tract  of  land,  and  make  return  of  the  quantity  and  quality  thereof, 
and  to  bring  in  a  map  of  the  same."  In  January,  1708,  another  com- 
mittee was  appointed  by  Hartford  to  compound  with  claimants  of  any 
part  of  the  lands,  to  settle  the  boundaries,  and,  if  need  be,  to  sue,  defend, 
eject,  and  recover,  in  course  of  law,  all  disputants  of  their  title  or  trespassers 
on  their  lands.  In  1710,  a  committee  was  raised  to  devise  measures  to 
secure  the  propriety  of  the  lands,  and  to  move  the  assembly  "  to  grant 
them  such  deed  in  writing,  or  other  thing  "  as  might  be  deemed  necessary. 

Other  votes,  of  a  similar  nature,  were  passed  from  time  to  time,  with  a 
view  to  establish  a  possessory  right,  and  in  1715  it  was  decided  to  lay  out 
one  or  two  townships,  probably  with  a  view  to  fortify  their  right  of 
ownership  by  compliance  with  the  only  expressed  condition  of  the  original 
grant.     Pursuant  to  this  policy,  the  township  of  Litchfield  —  originally 


PRELIMINARY  HISTORY.  H 

named  New  Bantam  —  was  surveyed  and' laid  out  about  1717;  and  it 
being  found  that  parties  in  Farmington  had  secured  Indian  titles  to  por- 
tions of  this  territory,  they  were  compromised  with,  by  allotting  to  them 
one-sixth  part  of  the  township,  in  consideration  of  their  release  of  all 
claim  to  any  other  portion  of  the  granted  territory,  and  of  procuring  a 
confirmation  to  Hartford  and  Windsor  of  all  the  lands  in  the  township 
claimed  by  Farmington  Indians. 

Litchfield  having  been  surveyed  and  its  lands  disposed  of  to  settlers 
who  had  entered  on  the  same,  the  location  and  survey  of  a  new  township, 
north  of  Litchfield,  was  resolved  on,  and  a  committee  appointed  for  that 
purpose.  This  committee  reported  their  laying  out  of  a  township  of  about 
the  dimensions  of  Litchfield,  embracing  a  gore  from  the  east  side  of  Corn- 
wall, the  whole  of  Goshen,  the  west  half  of  Torrington,  and  the  south- 
west corner  of  Winchester.  The  report  was  accepted  in  1723,  and  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  dispose  of  the  lands,  admit  settlers,  and  con- 
vey the  lands  to  jmrchasers. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  the  General  Assembly  seems  for  the 
first  time  to  have  interposed  to  check  the  fillibustering  operations  of  these 
powerful  and  arrogant  towns  ;  and  the  state  of  things  imperiously  demanded 
prompt  and  energetic  action.  Not  Hartford  and  Windsor  alone  were 
interested  in  establishing  the  defective  grant  of  1686,  but  also  the  towns 
of  Wethersfield,  Middletown,  and  Killingworth  —  the  grantees  of  smaller 
tracts.  Farmington  had  become  specially  interested  by  its  compact  secur- 
ing to  it  a  sixth  part  of  the  township  of  Litchfield.  Prominent  men  in 
other  towns  had  purchased  fractional  shares  of  the  territory  from  Hartford 
and  Windsor  proprietors,  and  were  thereby  brought  into  the  combination, 
which  became  so  strong  that  civil  process  against  the  trespassers  could  not 
be  executed  in  Hartford  county,  which  then  comprehended  the  disputed 
territory.  In  this  emergency,  the  Assembly,  at  the  Spring  session  of 
1723,  directed  the  King's  Attorney  for  New  Haven  county  to  prosecute 
the  trespassers  in  the  name  of  the  Governor  and  Company.  John  Sey- 
mour, Samuel  Catlin,  William  Baker,  Thomas  Moore,  and  Job  Ellsworth, 
of  the  committee  appointed  by  Hartford  and  Windsor  to  dispose  of  the 
allotments  in  the  Goshen  township,  appear  to  have  been  the  first  parties 
prosecuted  and  arrested.* 

*  Doctor  Trumbull,  in  his  History  of  Connecticut,  assigns  an  earlier  period  for  the 
arrest  and  imprisonment  of  trespassers  on  the  western  lands,  and  ascribes  to  the  men 
of  Hartford  and  Windsor  the  famous  uprising  and  jail-delivery  in  1722,  with  the  pur- 
pose of  rescuing  those  trespassers.  Recent  investigations  of  the  Colonial  and  Court 
Records  of  that  period,  by  Hon.  J.  Hammond  Trumbull,  go  to  show  that  this  high- 
handed outrage  was  perpetrated  by  men  of  Windham  and  Tolland  counties,  in  no  way 
concerned  in  the  Hartford  and  Windsor  controversy,  but  neighbors  and  friends  of 
Captain  Jeremiah  Fitch,  a  popular  and  influential  man  in  eastern  Connecticut,  who, 
after  a  protracted  suit  at  law  in  defence  of  a  land  title,  and,  as  he  and  his  neighbors 


12  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

The  apprehension  of  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  these  and  other  offenders, 
may  have  induced  the  following  whimpering  vote,  passed  in  Hartford 
town  meeting,  in  April,  1773: 

"  Voted,  That  Joseph  Talcott,  Esq.,  Lieut.  Thomas  Seymour,  and  James 
Ensign  be  a  committee,  in  conjunction  with  a  committee  of  Windsor,  to 
represent  to  the  General  Assembly,  in  May  next,  the  true  state  of  our 
western  lands  by  grant  and  purchase,  and  pray  their  favorable  construc- 
tion of  our  right  thereto,  and  pray  them  for  a  further  confirmation  thereof 
by  patent,  or  otherwise  enquire  of  them  their  further  intentions  with  us, 
as  their  children,  who  freely  pay  all  obedience  to  them  as  our  father." 
This  language  indicates  a  change  of  tone  and  policy.  The  asking  of  a 
confirmation  of  title  shows  a  growing  doubt  of  the  validity  of  their  action 
in  appropriating  Litchfield  and  attempting  further  appropriations  of  terri- 
tory.'  Another  vote  of  Hartford,  October  7th,  1 723,  reciting  the  original 
grant,  and  the  great  expenses  and  charges  of  the  towns  in  buying  out  the 
native  claimants,  and  assigning  as  the  reason  why  the  Assembly  refused 
their  grant,  that  many  members  of  the  Assembly  apprehended  the  quan- 
tity of  land  embraced  in  their  grant  of  1686  was  far  greater  than  was 
understood  or  intended  at  the  time ;  therefore  they  appointed  a  committee 
to  act  with  a  Windsor  committee  in  applying  to  the  coming  October 
session  of  Assembly  "  for  a  confirmation  of  said  lands ;  or,  if  the  General 
Assembly  shall  remain  unwilling,  for  the  reasons  aforesaid,  to  grant  a 
patent  of  the  whole  of  said  lands,  the  said  agents  are  empowered  to  con- 
cert with  the  Assembly  for  obtaining  a  patent  for  a  part  of  said  lands, 
releasing  the  rest  as  said  agents  shall  judge  most  conducive  to  the  benefit 
of  said  towns  and  the  quiet  settlement  of  said  lands."  The  vote  then 
goes  on  to  limit  the  agents  to  a  proposed  division,  by  a  compromise  line 
from  the  northwest  corner  of  Litchfield,  north,  to  the  Massachusetts 
line,  the  eastern  division  to  be  confirmed  to  Hartford  and  Windsor,  and 
the  western  to  be  relinquished  to  .the  colony.     This  division  would  have 

conceived,  a  wrongful  judgment  rendered  against  him,  was  committed  to  Hartford 
jail,  on  an  execution  for  costs.  His  neighbors,  against  some  of  whom  similar  actions 
were  pending  or  threatened,  —  there  being  scarcely  a  farm  in  that  region  over  which 
there  were  not  two  or  three  conflicting  titles, — were  indignant  at  his  committal,  and 
determined  to  liberate  him.  On  the  22d  of  October,  1722,  these,  neighbors  and  some 
East  Windsor  men  —  about  fifty  in  all  —  in  open  day  crossed  the  Hartford  ferry,  marched 
up  to  the  jail,  and  demanded  the  release  of  Captain  Fitch.  The  jailor  refusing,  a 
battering-ram  was  improvised  out  of  a  timber  near  at  hand,  the  door  was  broken  in, 
and  Cap'.  Fitch  and  the  other  prisoners  were  set.  free.  The  party  then  retreated  to 
the  ferry,  which  they  seized,  in  spite  of  the  sheriff's  posse  hastily  assembled,  and  made 
good  their  retreat  without  further  interruption.  Capt.  Fitch  was  afterwards  tried  as  a 
participator  in  the  riot,  and  acquitted  of  any  knowledge,  act,  or  part  in  the  matter. 
He  subsequently  obtained  a  reversal  of  the  judgment  against  him,  the  costs  of  which 
were  the  basis  of  his  arrest  and  imprisonment. 


LAND  TITLE.  13 

given  to  the  towns  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  territory,  and  to  the 
colony  less  than  one-fourth. 

Though  not  acceeded  to,  and  probably  not  expected  to  he,  the  propo- 
sition became  a  basis  of  negotiation. 

At  the  October  Session,  in  1724,  the  Assembly  appointed  a  committee 
to  examine  the  claims  of  the  towns,  to  receive  propositions,  and  to  report. 
"  The  Committee,"  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Trumbull,  "  found  it  an  affair  of 
great  labor  and  difficulty  to  examine  the  claims,  and  obtain  such  conces- 
sions and  propositions  as  they  judged  reasonable,  or  as  the  Assembly 
would  accept.  After  laboring  in  the  business  nearly  two  years  they 
made  their  report.  The  Legislature,  wishing  to  preserve  the  peace  of 
the  colony,  and  to  settle  the  lands  as  expeditiously  as  might  be,  on  the 
report  of  their  committee  resolved,  (May  Session,  1726),  "  that  the 
lands  in  controversy  should  be  divided  between  the  colony  and  the  towns 
—  that  the  colony  should  have  the  western,  and  Hartford  and  Windsor 
the  eastern  division." 

The  line  of  division  coincided  with  the  dividing  line  between  Cole- 
brook,  Winchester,  and  Torrington,  on  the  east,  and  Goshen  and  Norfolk 
on  the  west. 

The  township  of  Litchfield  was  conceded  to  the  two  toAvns,  and  their 
grants  to  New  Milford  and  to  Benjamin  Fairweather  were  confirmed. 
The  survey  of  the  new  township  north  of  Litchfield  was  abandoned,  and 
the  area  absorbed  in  other  townships  afterward  laid  out. 

The  territory  conceded  to  Hartford  and  Windsor  embraces  the  towns 
of  Colebrook,  Hartland,  Winchester,  Barkhamsted,  Torrington,  New 
Hartford,  and  Harwinton,  making  an  area  of  291,806  acres,  to  which  is 
to  be  added  the  township  of  Litchfield,  with  an  area  of  not  less  than 
35,000  acres. 

The  territory  reserved  to  the  colony  embraced  the  towns  of  Canaan, 
Norfolk,  Cornwall,  Goshen,  Warren,  and  about  two-thirds  of  Kent, 
making  not  far  from  120,000  acres. 

To  the  excess  of  area  conceded  to  the  two  towns  is  to  be  added  the 
advantage  of  location  in  considering  the  concession  made  to  them  by  the 
Assembly,  in  order  to  quiet  their  tumultuous  spirit,  and  secure  a  speedy 
settlement  of  the  only  remaining  unoccupied  territory  of  the  Colony. 
Yet,  the  concession  of  this  splendid  domain  was  so  unsatisfactory  to  the 
two  towns  that  the  ratification  of  the  compact,  was  not  perfected  until 
August  30,  1729,  when  a  patent  of  one  moiety  of  the  145,303  acres  was 
duly  issued  to  Hartford,  and  of  the  other  moiety  to  Windsor. 

The  lands  being  surveyed  and  divided  into  townships,  Hartford  and 
Windsor  proceeded  to  a  dissolution  of  partnership  by  deeds  of  partition 
dated  February  11,  1732,  by  which  the  inhabitants  of  Hartford  became 
the  sole  owners  of  Hartland,  Winchester,  New  Hartford,  and  the  eastern 


14  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

half  of  Harwinton,  and  the  inhabitants  of  Windsor  of  Colebrook,  Bark- 
hamsted,  Torrington,  and  the  western  half  of  Harwinton.  A  law  of  the 
Assembly  was  enacted,  providing  for  a  subdivision  by  each  of  the  towns 
among  its  taxable  inhabitants,  of  their  individual  rights,  by  assigning  to 
each  his  whole  interest  in  one  or  other  of  the  townships.  The  law  also 
provided  that  the  land-owners  of  each  township  should  have  a  corporate 
existence  as  "  proprietors  "  of  the  respective  towns,  with  powers  to  survey 
and  allot  to  each  individual  his  pro  rata  share,  according  to  the  lists  of 
1720,  of  the  land  in  the  township  to  which  he  was  assigned. 

Under  this  enactment  the  seven  proprietary  townships  were  so  organ- 
ized as  to  constitute  each  tax-payer  of  Hartford  and  Windsor  on  their 
lists  of  1720,  or  their  heirs  or  assigns,  a  proprietor  of  an  undivided  share, 
in  proportion  to  his  list  in  some  one  of  the  townships  ;  and  the  quantity  of 
land  to  which  each  was  entitled  on  subdivision  was  at  the  rate  of  more 
than  three  acres  to  the  pound  of  his  list. 


CHAPTER   II. 

"PROPRIETORS  OF  WINCHESTER." 

In  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  briefly  detailed  the  events  which 
resulted  in  settling  the  title  of  the  western  lands  and  vesting  the  township 
of  Winchester  in  a  proprietary  body.  It  would  seem  as  if,  on  this  con- 
summation, after  a  controversy  of  more  than  forty  years,  our  proprietors 
would  at  once  have  organized  and  opened  their  lands  for  sale  or  settle- 
ment; but  it  appears  they  were  in  no  haste  to  do  so.  In  1744,  May  14, 
eight  years  after  Hartford  and  Windsor  had  made  a  division  of  their  ill- 
gotten  territory,  the  proprietors  of  Winchester  were  called  together,  and 
were  organized  by  choosing  William  Pitkin  as  moderator,  and  Thomas 
Seymour  as  clerk  and  register  of  deeds. 

The  names  of  individual  proprietors,  and  the  amounts  set  to  them,  was 
made  out  in  these  words  : 

Here  follows  a  list  of  the  names  of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  township  of 
Winchester,  in  the  count}'  of  Hartford,  with  the  severall  sums  annexed  to  their  names 
by  which  the  respective  rights  and  shares  of  ed.  proprietors  of  the  township  of 
Winchester  afores'd  are  to  be  apportioned  and  holden  or  divided  to  and  amongst  them, 
their  heirs  and  assigns,  according  as  the  same  is  sett  and  apportioned  in  the  deed  of 
partition  made  of  that  part  of  those  lands  called  the  Western  Lands,  which  was  sett  out 
to  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  Hartford,  viz.: 

£.      s.  d.  £.       s.  d. 

Wm.  Pitkin,  Esq.,  Heirs, 251  :    0:0    Joseph  Keeney, 44  :    0:0 

Mr.  Richard  Lord's  Heirs, 161:    0:0     John  Porter, 33:    0:0 

Eev.  Mr.  Thos.  Buckingham,.  100:    0:0     William  Cole, 52:    0:0 

Wm.  Whiting,  Jan., 21:    0:0     Capt.  Thos.  Seymour, 206  :    0:0 

Peter  Pratt, 41:    0:0    Joseph  Wells' Heirs, 20:10:0 

Nath'l  Jones, 39:10:0     Sam'l  Church's  Heirs, 31:    0:0 

Dan'l  Smith, 23:    0:0     Stephen  Andruss, 35:    0:0 

Sam'l  Burnham, 24  :    0:0     Henry  &  John  Arnold,! 93  :    0:0 

Thos.  Hopkins, 97:    0:0     Wilterton  Merrill, 134:    0:0 

Jacob  Merrill's  Heirs, :  64:    0:0     Thos.  Burr, 91:    0:0 

Aaron  Cook's  Heirs 171:    0:0     Col.  Wm.  Whiting, 35:    0:0 

John  Pratt,  Jun., 55  :  10  :  0     Capt.  Jos.  Wadsworth, •    44  : 1 0  :  0 

John  Ensign, 38:10:0     Mr.  John  Whiting, 125:    0:0 

Win.  Roberts,  Jun.,  Heirs,. ..  29:    0:0     John  Pellett, 21:    0:0 

Joseph  Easton, 40:10:0     Wm.  Williams, 105  :  10  :  o 

Tim.  Phelps' Heirs, 71:    0:0    John  Cole, 40:    0:0 


16 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


£.     s.  d. 

Thos.  Wells, 79  :  10  :  0 

Jona.  Barrett, 49  :    0:0 

Thos.  Pellett, 46  :    0  :  0 

Jos.  Keeney,  Jun., 49  :    0:0 

Isaac  Kellogg', 48:    0:0 

Richard  Olmsted, 73  :    0:0 

John  Shepard, 64  :  10  :  0 

Jona.  Olcott, 41:    0:0 

Ensign  Nath'l  Goodwin, 124  :  10  :  0 

James  Ensign, 121  :  10  :  0 

Edw'd  Dodd's  Heirs, 22  :    0:0 

Thos.  Judd's  Heirs,   61:10:0 

Eben'r  Webster, 38  :  10  :  0 

Thos.  Day's  Heirs, 38  :    0:0 

Jas.  Bidwell's  Heirs, 18  :    0:0 

John  Skinner, 138  :    0:0 

Josep  Root, 1  :    0:0 

Thos.  Meekin's  Heirs, 24  :    0:0 

Jos.  Sedgwick, 2S  :    0:0 

Jona.  Burnham, 21  :    0:0 

Richard  Goodman, 77  :    0:0 

Caleb  Watson, 21  :    0:0 

Lem'l  Deming's  Heirs, 15:    0:0 

Obadiah  Spencer, 161  :    0:0 

Thos.  Dickinson's  Heirs, 51  :    0  :  0 

Aaron  Cook's  Heirs, 51:10:0 

John  Kellogg's  Heirs, 54  :    0:0 

Thos.  Burnham,  Jr.,  Heirs,. . .  29  :    0  :  0 

James  Porter 27  :    0:0 

Richard  Gilman, 58:    0:0 

Caleb  Benton 41:10:0 

John  Camp's  Heirs, 2:    0:0 

Rev.  Mr.  Benj.  Colton, 100  :    0:0 

Thos.  Burr,  Jun., 51  :  10  :  0 

Joseph  Gilbert, 53  :    0  :  0 

Sam'l  Hubbard, 25:    0:0 

Thos.  Hosmer, 193:    0:0 

Richard  Burnham,  Jr., 56  :    0  :  0 


Thos.  Whaples, 

Ephraim  Tucker, 

John  Hazletine, 

Richard  Seymour, 

William  Day, 

John  Goodwin, 

John  Williams'  Heirs, 

William  Pratt, 

Jacob  Webster's  Heirs, 

Mr.  John  Haynes'  Heirs, 

John  Benjamin,  Jun., 

Thos.  Bnraham's  Heirs,. 

Jona.  Bull, 

Jona.  Ashley, 

John  Pantry, 

Caleb  B.  &  Thos.  Bunce's  H'rs, 

Joseph  Cook, 

David  Forbes, 

James  Williams,  Jun., 

John  Burnham,  Jr., 

Sam'l  Burr, 

Jos.  Farnsworth, 

John  Butler, 

John  Easton's  Heirs, 

Charles  Kelsey, 

Samuel  Spencer, 

Joseph  Butler, 

John  Abby, 

Phebee  Russell, 

Ozias  Goodwin, 

Ichabod  Wadsworth, 

Tim.  Porter, 

John  Kilborn, 

James  Poisson, 

Jonathan  Taylor, 

Thos.  Day,  Jr.,  Heirs, 


£.  s.  d. 
26:  10:0 
32  :  0:0 
21  :  0:0 
61  :  10:0 
23:  0:0 
52:  10:0 
46  :  0:0 
31  :  0:0 
38:    0:0 


121 
18 
51 


0:0 
0:0 
0:0 


44  :  10  :  0 

52  :  0:0 
109  :  0 : 0 
115:  0:0 
77  :  0:0 
75  :  0:0 
43  :  0:0 
30:  0:0 
45 :10:0 
25  :  0:0 
29  :  0:0 
90  :  0:0 
38  :  0:0 
60 : 10:  0 
66 : 10:0 
27  .0:0 
8:0:0 
78:  0:0 
10:0 
0:0 
0:0 
0:0 
10  :0 
0:0 


62  : 

52 

51 

18 

27 

18 


After  an  interval  of  more  than  six  years,  another  meeting  was  called 
and  held  at  Hartford,  October  8,  1750,  which  appointed  a  committee  "to 
proceed  to  and  view  the  lands,  and  make  report  to  the  next  meeting;  and 
to  warn  the  Indians  not  to  set  fire  on  any  of  the  lands,  upon  peril  of  suf- 
fering the  penalties  of  the  law  in  case  they  so  do." 

The  next  meeting,  held  in  January,  1751,  voted,  "That  whenever 
twenty  proprietors  should  signify  their  wish  to  proceed  to  the  settlement 
of  the  township,  the  clerk  should  call  another  meeting."  The  next  meet- 
ing, held  in  October,  1753,  appointed  a  committee  to  form  a  plan  for 
dividing  and  settling  the  township,  but  without  result.     More  than  two 


"PROPRIETORS  OF  WINCHESTER."  17 

years  later,  January  22,  1756,  another  committee  was  raised,  to  view  the 
lands,  survey  and  renew  the  bounds  and  corners  thereof,  and  to  report  to 
the  next  meeting  a  plan  of  laying  out  and  settling  the  same.  The  plan 
reported  and  adopted  at  the  next  meeting,  Novenibei*,  1757,  was  to  lay 
out  two  acres  on  the  pound  to  each  of  the  proprietors,  in  two  divisions  ; 
'  and  that  Col.  Samuel  Talcott,  Capt.  Thomas  Seymour,  William  Pitkin, 
Jr.,  and  Mr.  John  Robins,  Jr.,  be  a  committee,  before  the  next  meeting, 
to  adjust  and  make  up  the  interests  of  each  of  the  proprietors,  for  the 
more  speedy  settling  and  laying  out  of  said  two  divisions  ;  and  in  January, 
1758,  a  committee  was  appointed  "  to  make  and  draw  a  lott  for  the 
proprietors,  for  their  precedence  and  succession  in  laying  out  the  two  divi- 
sions in  manner  and  form  following,  viz. :  By  making  so  many  uniform 
papers  as  there  are  to  be  allotments,  and  on  each  of  said  papers  write  the 
name  of  the  proprietor  to  have  his  share  or  allotment  governed  or  laid 
out  by  said  draft,  and  in  a  just  and  proper  manner  cause  said  papers  to  be 
drafted  out  of  some  covered  instrument,  as  Providence  shall  direct  the 
lotts,  No.  one,  two,  three,  &c,  in  order  as  they  come  out,  and  make  a 
return  thereof  to  the  proprietors  under  their  hands ;"  and  any  proprietor 
owning  by  purchase  or  otherwise,  to  have  all  his  rights  added  together  in 
one  allotment. 

The  committee  was  instructed  to  divide  the  township  into  six  tiers, 
running  northerly  and  southerly,  parallel  with  the  eastern  line  of  the 
township :  the  first  five  to  be  one  mile  and  six  rods  wide  (including  a 
reservation  for  a  six-rod  highway,  northerly  and  southerly,  where  it  will 
best  accommodate),  and  the  sixth,  or  westernmost  tier,  so  broad  as  to  take 
up  the  rest  of  the  land.  They  were  then  to  begin  at  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  township,  and  lay  out  the  lot  first  drawn  by  lines  at  right  angles  to 
the  tier  lines,  and  so  proceed  northward,  in  course,  as  the  lots  were  drawn 
(each  lot  containing  one  acre  to  the  pound  of  the  proprietor's  interest)  not 
less  than  three  and  a-half  miles,  unless  the  next  lot  will  extend  more  than 
three  and  three-quarters  miles  northward  ;  and  then  begin  at  the  south  end 
of  the  next  tier  east,  and  then  to  proceed  northward,  as  in  the  first  tier  ; 
and  then  to  proceed  with  the  third  tier  east  in  the  same  manner. 

In  laying  out  the  second  division,  the  committee  were  to  begin  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  township,  and  lay  out  the  first  lot  to  the  same 
proprietor  who  had  the  first  allotment  in  the  first  division ;  and  then  to 
proceed  southerly,  laying  out  lots  to  the  proprietors  of  the  corresponding 
lots  in  the  first  division,  in  successive  tiers,  of  the  same  extent  southward 
as  those  in  the  first  division  were  to  extend  northward. 

In  the  first  division  the  committee  were  instructed  to  locate  the  rights 

of  Caleb  Beach,  Landlord  Mott  and  his  son  Mott,  and  of  Ebenezer  and 

Joseph  Preston,  so  as  to  take  into  their  allotments  the  lands  and  buildings 

then  occupied  and  improved  by  them.     They  were  also  to  reserve,  in  the 

3 


18  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

second  division,  two  mill  lots  of  six  acres  each  —  one  on  the  Still  river, 
embracing  the  Gilbert  Clock  Company's  works,  and  the  other  "  The  Old 
Forge  Privilege,"  on  the  lake  outlet,  now  owned  by  the  Winsted  Manu- 
facturing Company. 

On  the  fourth  Monday  of  May,  1758,  the  committee  reported  their 
action,  and  exhibited  a  plan  of  their  survey  and  allotments  of  the  two 
divisions  to  a  meeting  of  the  proprietors,  which  was  accejited  and  ordered 
to  be  recorded. 

The  third  and  final  division  of  lands  in  the  township  was  ordered  in 
November,  1763,  and  the  committee  reported  their  laying  out  of  the 
same  December  1st  following;  which  report  was  accepted  and  ordered  to 
be  recorded.  The  undivided  land  in  the  northwest,  or  Dan  bury  quarter, 
was  laid  out  in  three  half-mile  tiers,  and  one  tier  of  one  hundred  rods, 
running  northerly,  from  the  first  division  lands  to  Colebrook  line,  parallel 
with  the  west  line  of  the  town  and  reaching  easterly  to  the  third  or  west- 
ernmost tier  of  the  second  division,  and  allotments  of  one  acre  to  the 
pound  were  made  on  a  new  drawing  of  lots,  beginning  at  the  southerly 
end  of  the  westernmost  tier  and  proceeding  northerly  to  Tolebrook  line ; 
then  beginning  at  the  north  end  of  the  second  tier  End  proceeding  to 
the  south  end,  then  proceeding  northerly  on  the  third  tier,  and  returning 
southerly  on  the  one  hundred-rod  tier  to  its  southerly  end.  The  remain- 
ing allotments  were  made  on  the  west,  south,  and  east  shores  of  Long 
Lake,  so  as  to  appropriate  all  the  undivided  lands  of  the  township,  except 
a  section  about  a  mile  square  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  township, 
afterwards  taken  on  execution  by  parties  who  had  made  the  "  Old  North 
Road,"  by  order  of  the  General  Assembly,  —  and  known  as  the  "  Henshaw 
Tract." 

Reservations  of  six-rod  highways  were  made,  running  northerly  and 
southerly,  "  where  they  would  best  accommodate,"  in  all  the  tiers ;  and 
located  reservations,  four  rods  wide,  were  made  easterly  and  westerly,  at 
irregular  intervals,  across  the  tiers ;  but  the  reservations  in  the  aggregate 
fell  far  short  of  the  requirements  of  the  town. 

So  far  as  the  general  plan  and  mechanical  execution  of  this  survey  is 
concerned,  it  seems  excellent.  The  tier  lines  —  except  a  blunder  in  their 
bearings  in  the  first  division  —  were  accurately  laid  out  and  well  defined. 
The  lines  of  marked  trees  between  the  lots  and  on  the  tier  lines,  are  still 
readily  found  and  traced,  wherever  the  primitive  forest  remains.  The 
center  bounds,  with  stones  containing  the  initials  of  the  original  owners, 
are  generally  still  to  be  found  in  sections  outside  of  the  villages.  But 
the  system  of  triple  division  of  owners'  rights  operated  very  unfairly  on 
the  small  proprietors,  and  this  injustice  was  aggravated  by  the  width  of 
the  tiers  on  which  the  rights  were  laid.  This  operation  may  be  illustrated 
by  examples. 


"PROPRIETORS    OF   WINCHESTER."  19 

Joseph  Root  had  a  proprietary  right  of  one  pound  on  the  list  of  1720 
It  entitled  him  to  three  acres  of  land.  One  of  these  was  set  to  him 
unless  he  had  sold  his  right  to  some  larger  proprietor,  in  a  strip  of  land 
in  the  first  division,  one  mile  long  and  half  a  rod  wide  ;  another  acre  in 
the  second  division,  of  the  same  dimensions,  and  the  third  acre  in  a  strip 
half  a  mile  long  and  one  rod  wide.  John  Camp's  heirs  had  a  two-pound 
interest,  which  in  like  manner  was  allotted  to  them  in  two  detached  strips 
of  one  rod  wide  and  a  mile  long,  and  a  third  of  two  rods  wide  and  half  a 
mile  long.  In  this  way  all  the  small  proprietors  found  their  allotments 
made  in  three  detached  driblets,  instead  of  in  one  saleable  plot ;  and  only 
eighteen  out  of  one  hundred  and  six  proprietors  had  allotments  in  parcels 
of  one  hundred  acres  or  more. 

The  reservations  for  northerly  and  southerly  highways  could  be  located 
within  each  tier,  where  the  road  would  best  accommodate,  but  the  located 
reservations  for  easterly  and  westerly  highways  could  not  be  used  unless 
the  nature  of  the  ground  was  adapted  to  a  traveled  road.  As  a  conse- 
quence of  this,  so  hilly  and  precipitous  is  the  territory  of  the  town  that 
scarcely  one  of  these  reservations  has  been  opened  for  public  travel,  and 
not  one  in  its  whole  extent.  The  result  is  that  probably  no  town  in  the 
State  has  afforded  as  little  encouragement  to  its  settlers  in  the  matter  of 
highways. 

In  another  respect  there  was  a  meanness  in  the  allotment  of  the  land 
which  it  is  to  be  hoped  is  unparalleled.  It  had  been  the  uniform  custom 
of  township  proprietors  to  make  a  liberal  reservation  of  lands  to  aid  the 
settlers  in  the  support  of  the  gospel  and  of  common  schools.  Our  step- 
fathers gave  not  a  rood  of  land  for  support  of  schools,  at  home  or  abroad, 
and  as  to  religious  endowments,  they  allotted  three  hundred  acres  each  to 
two  of  their  own  resident  clergymen,  who,  not  being  subject  to  taxation 
could  not  regularly  come  in  for  their  shares  of  the  ill-gotten  spoil. 


CHAPTER    III 


PHYSICAL  CONFORMATION. 


The  physical  conformation  of  the  township  was  so  forbidding  as  to  offer 
few  inducements  to  settlers,  especially  to  the  dwellers  on  the  rich  mead- 
ows and  uplands  of  the  Connecticut  Valley.  At  all  events,  not  one  of 
the  original  proprietors  ever  came  to  occupy  his  new  domain.  The 
intervale  lands  of  the  township  along  the  streams  were  narrow  and  lean, 
hemmed  in  by  abrupt  hills,  mainly  abounding  with  rocks  of  all  sizes, 
projecting  above  the  soil.  Mountain  ridges,  with  precipitous  cliffs,  ran 
through  the  town  in  northerly  and  southerly  directions.  The  forests 
made  up  the  deficient  size  of  their  trees  by  their  number  and  variety. 
The  lordly  pine  was  rare.  The  hemlock  predominated  in  the  eastern 
section,  and  the  sugar-maple  and  beech  in  the  western.  The  chestnut, 
though  in  few  parts  of  the  town  so  frequent  as  others,  was  the  patriarchial 
tree,  majestic  in  size,  and  venerable  in  age.  Many  of  them  are  still  to  be 
found  from  four  to  five  feet  in  diameter  at  the  butt,  while  the  stumps  of 
others  show  a  still  larger  size.  The  birch,  ash,  bass,  white  wood  and 
black  oak  everywhere  abounded.  The  hickory  and  white  oak  were  rare. 
The  elm  grew  to  some  extent  on  the  intervale  lands.  Beneath  the  hem- 
lock forests,  thick  and  almost  impenetrable  growths  of  laurel,  or  calmia, 
were  often  found  covering  many  acres.  The  shores  of  ponds  and  marshes 
were  lined  with  thorny  vines,  as  impenetrable  as  the  chaparral  of  more 
southern  latitudes. 

The  mountain  ridges  are  low  continuations  of  the  Green  Mountain 
ranges,  generally  precipitous  on  the  eastern  side,  and  sloping  westward. 
The  first  of  these  forms  nearly  a  continuous  range  through  the  town, 
parallel  with  its  eastern  boundary,  and  a  mile  distant  therefrom,  with 
only  one  opening  of  less  than  a  half  mile,  where  east  and  west  roads  are 
practicable.  A  second  range,  more  irregular  in  its  direction  and  less 
continuous,  borders  .the  west  side  of  the  two  lakes,  and  extends  north- 
ward to  Colebrook.  Spurs  of  this  range  occupy  a  considerable  portion 
of  the  northwest  or  "  Danbury  Quarter "  of  the  town.  Picturesque 
views,  some  of  them  of  great  beauty,  are  obtained  from  every  mountain 
summit.  The  highest  elevation  in  the  town,  west  of  Long  Lake,  in  the 
old  Winchester   parish,  commands  a    view  of  the  Talcott  and    Bolton 


PHYSICAL  CONFORMATION.  21 

Mountains  in  the  east,  and  the  mountains  of  Berkshire  in  Massachusetts, 
and  the  Taconic  range  in  New  York. 

The  geological  formation  is  wholly  primitive,  and  mainly  of  Gneiss 
rock  in  contorted  strata,  generally  dipping  westward,  at  a  considerable 
angle.  Pure  granite  occurs  in  veins  and  boulders  in  the  western  portion 
of  the  town.  Veins  and  boulders  of  fine-grained  gneiss,  colored  by  an 
intermixture  of  epidote,  and  well  adapted  to  building  purposes,  are  found 
in  the  eastern  section.  Ill-defined  veins  of  limestone  are  found  on  the 
extreme  eastern  border,  but  not  in  quantity  or  quality  to  make  them 
available.     Metallic  veins  are  unfrequent. 

A  vein  of  specular  magnetic  oxide  of  iron,  near  the  top  of  Street  Hill 
in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  was  partially  worked  late  in  the  last 
century,  and  abandoned. 

The  ore  was  bloomed  at  a  forge  in  Colebrook,  and  found  to  produce  a 
good  quantity  of  bar  iron.  Other  veins,  or  beds,  of  larger  size,  in  the 
same  vicinity,  are  so  impregnated  with  sulphur  as  to  be  worthless.  These 
veins  were  traced  by  Doctor  Percival,  in  a  southwestern  direction,  to 
the  highlands  in  Putnam  County,  N.  Y.,  where  they  have  been  exten- 
sively worked  for  smelting  in  the  blast  furnaces  at  Cold  Spring  on  the 
Hudson. 

Recently  a  very  rich  specular  ore  has  been  found  in  the  Danbury 
section  of  the  town,  bordering  on  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad. 
The  location  has  been  explored  by  Professor  Hall,  of  Albany,  who 
describes  it  as  an  imperfect  vein  or  bed  in  the  contorted  Gneiss  Rock, 
which  promises  to  grow  wider  as  the  shaft  is  carried  downward.  It  is 
between  three  and  four  feet  thick  at  the  surface,  descending  into  the 
hill  nearly  perpendicularly,  and  trending  easterly  and  westerly.  The  ore 
is  free  from  admixture  of  sulphur  or  other  deleterious  substances,  and  a 
large  portion  of  it  will  yield  from  eighty  to  ninety  per  cent,  of  metal. 
It  is  held  by  joint-stock  owners,  whose  explorations  have,  as  yet,  been 
very  imperfect.  Its  location  at  a  high  point  of  hill,  sloping  rapidly  down 
to  Mad  River  and  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad,  gives  it  a  high 
prospective  value.  Indications  of  this,  or  other  veins  of  similar  quality  of 
ore,  are  frequent  in  the  adjacent  region. 

Minerals  are  rare  in  this  formation.  Garnets  and  schorl  are  occasion- 
ally found.  Quartz  crystals,  of  considerable  size,  but  imperfect  forma- 
tion, are  found  in  a  decomposed  vein,  near  the  Dugway  School  House 
and  elsewhere.  Rose  quartz,  in  beautiful  specimens,  but  not  in  situ,  have 
been  found  in  the  borough  of  Winsted.  Large  and  beautiful  specimens 
of  flesh-colored  feldspar,  with  crystalline  faces  well  defined,  have  been 
thrown  out  from  the  rock  cuttings  of  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad.* 

*  For  description  of  the  geology  of  this  region,  see  "  Percival's  Survey,"  page  119, 
and  onward. 


22  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

The  soil  of  the  township  is  mainly  a  reddish,  gravelly  loam,  adapted  to 
grasses,  corn,  oats,  and  potatoes,  but  not  to  other  cereals.  Clay  lands  are 
found  occasionally  on  the  higher  ridges.  The  alluvial  along  the  water 
courses  is  generally  sandy  loam  of  little  fertility.  Nearly  all  of  the  lands 
are  devoted  to  dairy  and  stock-raising  purposes.  The  smoother  dry  lands, 
where  not  choked  with  stones,  are  occasionally  broken  up  and  subjected 
to  a  rotation  of  potato,  corn,  and  oat  crops,  perhaps  more  to  improve  their 
grass-growing  capacity  than  for  direct  profit.  Milk  for  the  New  York 
market  is  the  staple  product,  save  in  the  vicinity  of  the  villages,  where 
market  products  are  in  demand. 

Springs  of  the  purest  water  everywhere  abound,  and  rarely  is  a  dwell- 
ing to  be  found,  out  of  the  borough  limits,  which  has  not  its  aqueduct. 

Long  Lake,  extends  from  near  the  Torrington  line  northerly,  a  distance 
of  three  and  a  half  miles,  and  forms  the  dividing  line  of  the  two  parishes 
for  that  distance.  It  is  surrounded  by  mountainous  ridges  on  the  eastern 
and  western  shores,  and  at  the  northeasterly  end  pours  its  waters  over 
eleven  factory  wheels,  down  a  ravine,  into  Mad  River,  distant  half  a 
mile  from  its  outlet,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  its  surface,  in 
the  center  of  West  Wins  ted  village.  It  is  alike  the  pride  and  the  source 
of  the  prosperity  of  the  town. 

In  June,  1771,  the  proprietors  of  Winchester  granted  to  Richard 
Smith,  the  proprietor  of  the  "  Old  Forge,"  at  Robertsville,  a  right  "  to 
draw  off  or  lower  the  Long  Pond  in  Winchester  one  and  a  half  feet, 
for  the  benefit  of  his  iron  works,  during  the  pleasure  of  proprietors." 
During  the  same  year,  David  Austin  became  the  owner  of  the  land  at  the 
outlet  of  the  lake,  and  soon  after  built  a  grist-mill  and  saw-mill  on  the 
premises  now  owned  by  the  Heury  Spring  Company,  and  with  the  con- 
currence of  Mr.  Smith  lowered  the  channel  of  the  outlet,  and  erected  a 
dam  and  bulkhead,  so  as  to  raise  the  surface  of  the  lake  some  four  feet, 
and  to  draw  the  water  through  a  gate  at  the  bottom  of  the  channel,  thus 
securing  a  reservoir  six  feet  in  depth  over  the  whole  lake  surface,  and 
controlling  the  drawing  and  closing  of  the  bulkhead  gate  at  his  own 
pleasure.  The  uncontested  exercise  of  this  right  for  a  long  series  of 
years  secured  to  him  a  good  title  to  control  the  water  of  the  lake.  This 
individual  control,  and  a  prudent  drawing  of  the  water  during  working 
days,  and  working  hours  only,  almost  threefolds  the  working  power  of 
the  stream  running  night  and  day  through  the  week.  The  seasons  when 
a  regular  supply  of  water,  during  the  whole  year,  has  failed,  have  been 
very  rare  indeed.  It  is  this  certainty  of  a  regular  supply,  alike  in  flood 
time  and  drought,  which  has  attracted  manufacturing  enterprises,  and 
sustained  them  in  successful  operation. 

In  1806,  or  1807,  the  frail  wooden  dam  which  raised  the  water  above 
its  original  level,  gave  way  on  the  east  side  of  the  bulkhead,  during  a 


PHYSICAL  CONFORMATION.  23 

spring  freshet.  The  danger  of  an  outflow,  most  disastrous  to  the  works 
on  the  stream,  and  the  village  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  was  imminent,  but 
the  disaster  had  been  apprehended,  and  a  good  working  force  of  men  and 
teams  was  on  the  ground  when  the  break  occurred.  Hardly  had  the 
rush  of  water  through  the  breach  begun,  when  a  tree  trunk  was  floated 
to  the  breach,  and  securely  fastened  at  each  end.  Spars  and  plank  from 
the  neighboring  mill  were  at  hand,  and  a  temporary  dam  was  forthwith 
improvised  by  the  use  of  swingling  tow,  straw,  and  gravel.  During  the 
following  summer  and  fall,  a  solid  causeway,  between  two  substantial 
stone  walls,  and  wide  enough  for  a  roadway,  was  laid  down  and  raised  to 
a  safe  height,  some  three  rods  outside  of  the  original  dam,  and  a  new  bulk- 
head of  a  permanent  character  was  erected  on  the  line  of  the  causeway. 
This  raised  the  high-water  line  about  one  foot  higher  than  before. 

In  1860,  the  borough  of  Winsted  was  authorized  by  the  Legislature  to 
raise  the  high-water  level  of  the  lake  four  feet  above  the  previous  high- 
water  mark,  and  to  take  water  therefrom  by  aqueduct,  and  convey  and 
distribute  the  same  into  and  through  the  borough,  in  such  quantities  as 
the  conveniences  of  the  borough  should  require.  The  same  season,  an 
imperfect  embankment  was  raised  to  the  required  height,  which  during 
the  following  year  was  perfected  by  raising  the  former  causeway  to  the 
same  elevation,  and  protecting  it  by  a  thoroughly-built  outer  wall  and  two 
wide  waste-weirs.  This  raises  the  surface,  and  expands  the  shores  of  the 
lake,  so  as  to  make  a  reservoir  of  about  twelve  feet  in  depth  from  high- 
wrater  mark  to  the  bottom  of  the  bulkhead  gates. 

The  Little  Pond  is  a  smaller  body  of  pure  and  limpid  water,  covering 
a  surface  of  about  fifty  acres,  lying  about  a  third  of  a  mile  northwesterly 
of  Long  Lake,  at  an  elevation  of  ninety  feet  above,  and  discharging  its 
waters  into  it  by  "  Sucker  Brook,"  running  southerly  between  the  two 
bodies  of  water,  a  distance  of  one  mile.  Neither  of  these  lakes  are  fed  by 
large  streams  of  water,  but  both  are  mainly  supplied  by  springs.  Both  of 
them,  in  early  times,  abounded  with  trout  of  large  size,  some  of  them 
reaching  a  weight  of  six  to  seven  pounds.  Perch,  roach,  bull-heads,  and 
eels  were  abundant.  About  1815,  pickerel  were  introduced  from  the 
Southwick  Ponds,  by  Colonel  Samuel  Hoadley.  The  Farmington  river 
"  Dace;"  as  they  are  called,  were  introduced  several  years  since  as  live 
bait,  by  pickerel  fishermen,  and  escaping  from  their  hooks,  grew  and  mul- 
tiplied, reaching  the  size  and  shape  of  a  shad.  Like  the  pickerel,  it  is  a 
gamy  fish,  and  these  two  intruders  had  exterminated  the  trout,  and  largely 
thinned  out  the  smaller  fish,  when,  about  1860,  the  black  bass  was  trans- 
ferred by  E.  S.  Woodford,  Esq.  "and  has  become  the  gamiest  champion  of 
our  lakes. 

Mad  River,  which  rises  in  Norfolk,  runs  its  rapid  course  southeasterly, 
receiving  the  lake  stream,  and  emptying  into  Still  River,  in  the  borough 


24  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

of  Winsted,  has  until  recent  years  been  little  used  above  the  junction  of 
the  lake  stream,  except  for  saw  mills.  It  now  furnishes  water  for  a 
cutlery  establishment,  and  for  two  of  the  largest  tanneries  in  the  state, 
and  will,  when  proper  reservoirs  are  built  near  its  sources,  furnish  an 
important  addition  to  our  water  power.  The  Connecticut  Western  Rail- 
road, by  an  average  grade  of  about  eighty  feet  ascent  to  the  mile,  finds  its 
way  through  the  town,  along  the  banks  of  this  stream,  to  its  summit  level 
in  Norfolk. 

Still  River,  rising  in  Torringford,  runs  with  little  fall  along  the  border 
of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  to  its  junction  with  Mad  River,  and  thence 
still  northerly  through  the  borough,  furnishing  near  the  borough  line  the 
power  of  two  of  the  best  water  privileges  of  the  town.  The  fall  of  water 
from  the  lake  surface  to  the  northern  limit  of  the  borough,  exceeds  225 
feet,  all  of  which  is  profitably  employed  for  manufacturing  purposes. 

The  other  streams  in  the  Winsted  section  of  the  town  are  small,  and 
unfitted  for  manufacturing  purposes.  In  the  west  section,  the  two  head 
branches  of  the  Naugatuck  River  have  their  source.  The  eastern  branch 
proceeds  from  a  small  pond  near  Norfolk  line,  and  runs  southerly  to 
Wolcottville.  and  affords  good  water  power  as  it  approaches  Torrington 
line.  The  other  runs  along  Hall  Meadow,  and  passes  through  the  south- 
east corner  of  the  town  to  its  junction  with  the  east  branch  at  Wolcott- 
ville, where  the  united  streams  take  the  name  of  Naugatuck  River. 


CHAPTER     IV. 


INDIANS— GAME— THOROUGHFARES . 


The  Green  Woods  section  of  Litchfield  County,  though  abounding 
with  game,  seems  not  to  have  been  a  permanent  abiding  place  of  the 
Indian,  save  along  the  Tunxis  or  Farmington  River  on  the  east,  and  the 
Housatonic  on  the  western  border.  The  Scaticoke  Indians  dwelt  along 
the  Housatonic,  their  chief  residence  in  Kent.  The  Weatogues,  of  Sims- 
bury,  crowded  out  from  the  Tunxis  valley  by  the  white  settlers,  took 
refuge  on  the  meadows  of  the  Housatonic  in  Canaan. 

On  the  east,  a  small  tribe,  or  fragment  of  a  tribe,  probably  crowded  out 
of  Farmington,  took  up  their  abode  in  New  Hartford,  near  the  gorge 
where  the  Farmington  River  breaks  through  a  mountain  ridge,  which 
spot  was  designated  by  the  early  settlers  as  "  the  Kingdom,"  and  even- 
tually by  the  specific  name  of  "  Satan's  Kingdom." 

A  portion  of  this  tribe  moved  up  the  Farmington,  to  the  foot  of  Ragged 
Mountain  in  Barkhamsted.  Modern  wiseacres  assert  that  their  council 
fire  was  the  mythical  "  Barkhamsted  Light  House,"  of  which  so  much 
has  been  said  and  so  little  known.  The  head  man,  or  the  last  man  of 
this  tribe,  named  Chaugum,  lived  and  reigned  to  near  the  close  of  the 
last  century.  His  descendants  in  the  female  line,  a  race  of  bleachcd-out, 
basket-making,  root-gathering  vagabonds,  with  high  cheek  bones  and 
bow-and-arrow  eyes,  have  continued  to  dwell  on  the  Ragged  Mountain 
domain,  and  kept  up  the  council  fires  until  a  very  recent  period.  A 
daughter  of  Chaugum  married  a  runaway  servant  of  Secretary  Wyllys  of 
Hartford.  They  settled  in  the  Danbury  quarter  of  Winchester,  and  their 
descendants  are  the  only  known  representatives  of  the  aboriginal  race  in 
this  town. 

Not  a  single  mountain,  lake,  or  river,  bears  an  Indian  name.  The 
flint  arrow-head  is  occasionally  found  on  the  intervale  lands,  and  in  con- 
siderable numbers  along  the  south  shores  of  Long  Lake,  together  with 
some  other  stone  implements,  indicating  a  resort  there  for  fishing  and 
hunting.  There  was  also  a  cleared  spot  around  a  copious  spring  of  water 
on  the  east  shore  of  the  lake,  on  land  of  Deacon  Joseph  W.  Hurlbut, 
where  numerous  arrow-heads  have  been  found. 
4 


26  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

Game  was  abundant  at  the  early  settlement  of  the  town.  A  hunting 
lodge  was  erected  on  the  bridle-path  from  New  Hartford  to  Norfolk, 
near  the  south  line  of  the  town,  before  any  settlement  was  made,  and  a 
deer  park  was  enclosed  near  the  reservoir  pond,  on  the  west  branch  of 
the  Naugatuck,  at  a  very  early  period. 

Bear's  meat  was  by  no  means  a  rare  dish  among  our  early  settlers.  It 
was  in  some  famdies  almost  then-  ordinary  fare.  The  records  of  Justice 
Alvord  show  frequent  prosecutions  for  killing  deer,  out  of  season,  up  to 
1790.  Wolves  abounded  as  late,  or  later,  than  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Mr.  Levi  Norton,  while  living  in  the  red  house  between  the  two  ponds, 
after  1783,  returning  from  a  neighbor's  after  nightfall,  encountered  a 
drove  of  these  border  ruffians  on  his  own  clearing,  and  was  saved  from  an 
attack  by  the  timely  help  of  his  powerful  mastiff,  which,  on  hearing  his 
cry  of  alarm,  rushed  from  his  house  and  put  them  to  flight. 

Panthers,  or  "  painters "  as  they  were  called  in  olden  times,  wrere 
not  uufrequently  shot  by  early  settlers.  Wild  cats  are  still  indigenous  to 
the  mountain  range  east  of  the  lake,  and  running  southerly  into  Torring- 
ton,  as  well  as  the  Danbury  quarter,  where  one  was  killed  in  November, 
1871.  Foxes  and  raccoons  are  still  sufficiently  numerous  to  afford  good 
sport  to  huntsmen.  Wild  turkeys  were  brought  in  by  our  hunters  as 
late  as  1810,  and  probably  later.  A  full-grown  female  hedgehog,  or 
porcupine,  the  mirsing  mother  of  a  living  brood,  was  killed  as  late  as 
1860,  on  the  Colebrook  border. 

Speckled  trout,  of  large  size  and  rare  beauty,  abounded  in  all  our 
lakes  and  streams.  In  the  boyhood  of  the  writer,  almost  every  ripple  of 
Mad  River,  within  the  borough  limits,  had  its  trout  ready  to  seize  the 
bait  or  fly  of  the  fisherman.  In  the  lake  some  of  them  have  been  taken 
weighing  five  to  six  pounds.  Perch,  roach,  and  bull-heads  of  large  size, 
and  in  great  numbers,  formerly  occupied  our  lakes,  but  since  the  intro- 
duction of  pickerel  they  have  essentially  fallen  off  in  size  and  numbers. 
Fresh  water  eels  may  be  caught  in  large  numbers,  in  weirs  along  the 
lake  stream,  when  descending  at  the  fall  equinox  to  deposit  their  spawn 
in  some  lower  region,  and  in  the  following  August  their  offspring,  from 
three  to  six  inches  long,  return  in  immense  numbers.  The  basin  of  the 
Still  River  Falls,  near  Colebrook  line,  is  for  several  days  alive  with  them. 
They  may  be  seen  laboriously  crawling  up  every  rock  which  is  moistened 
by  the  spray  of  the  fall,  and  endeavoring  to  reach  their  ancestral  lake  or 
dam.  At  the  foot  of  the  Niagara  Falls  this  phenomenon  may  be  wit- 
nessed on  a  large  scale  at  the  same  season  of  the  year,  or  later,  and 
probably  in  other  places  where  the  fall  is  too  high  and  the  current  too 
swift  for  the  young  eels  to  stem  it  without  contact  with  the  rocks. 

From  these  slippery  reptiles  the  transition  is  natural  to  their  finless 
congeners.     Of  these  the  rattle  snake  is  the  only  one  of  a  venomous 


GAME— THOROUGHFARES.  27 

character.  They  were  numerous  when  the  country  was  new,  and  are  not 
yet  extinct.  One  or  more  of  them  has,  within  twenty-five  years,  been 
killed  in  the  wood-house  of  a  residence  on  Main  Street,  in  the  borough  of 
Winsted,  and  others  in  the  contiguous  region.  The  milk  snake  still,  on 
occasions,  robs  the  birds'  nests  in  the  shrubbery  around  our  houses,  and  is 
sometimes  suspected  of  milking  our  cows  in  the  fields.  The  peaceful 
striped  snake  is  not  unfrequently  caught  in  a  disabled  state  for  running 
away  by  reason  of  his  gormandizing  propensity  for  swallowing  toads  and 
frogs,  and,  when  caught  in  the  act,  incurs  the  penalty  of  a  bruised  head, 
though  in  other  circumstances  he  may,  in  these  lax  times,  be  carefully  let 
alone,  notwithstanding  the  scriptural  malediction. 

Before  the  survey  and  allotment  of  the  Winchester  lands,  settlements 
in  Goshen,  Norfolk,  and  Canaan  had  begun,  rendering  it  necessary  for 
settlers  from  the  eastern  towns  to  pass  through  our  township  to  their  new 
homes.  The  Lawrences,  and  other  settlers  of  Canaan,  about  1738  to 
1740,  came  from  Windsor  and  Simsbury,  first  entered  the  wilderness  by 
way  of  New  Hartford,  the  northeast  part  of  Winchester  and  southwest 
part  of  Colebrook,  to  the  center  of  Norfolk.  They  left  their  families  and 
stock  at  points  along  the  way,  where  openings  in  the  forests  could  be 
found  for  grazing,  and  went  forward  with  their  axes  and  cut  down  the 
trees  and  cleared  a  trail  from  one  such  opening  to  another,  and  then 
moved  their  caravan.  Tradition  says  they  made  one  of  their  halts  on  the 
Hoyt  Farm  in  Colebrook,  and  went  forward  with  their  trail  to  a  natural 
meadow  at  the  northerly  border  of  the  small  pond,  a  mile  east  of  Norfolk 
Center,  where  they  found  a  dead  loon,  and  hence  the  name  by  which  the 
location  is  still  known.  They  returned,  and  brought  forward  their  fami- 
lies and  fiocks  to  this  oasis.  From  Loon  Meadow  they  cleared  their  way 
to  the  foot  of  Hay  Stack  Mountain,  and  thence  along  the  Blackberry 
River,  to  the  land  of  Canaan,  which  to  them  must  have  been  a  happy 
land  indeed  after  the  toils  and  privations  of  their  journey. 

Where  this  trail  passed  through  Winchester  is  not  definitely  known. 
It  was,  doubtless,  the  first  that  penetrated  the  town,  and  continued  to  be 
the  traveled  path  in  the  direction  of  Albany  for  more  than  twenty 
years. 

The  General  Assembly,  at  its  May  Session  in  1758,  "being  advised 
that  the  road  or  way  now  often  traveled  through  the  towns  of  Simsbury, 
New  Hartford,  and  Norfolk,  to  and  through  the  northwestern  parts  of 
Canaan,  towards  Albany,  is  in  many  respects  ill-chosen  and  unfit  for  use, 
and  that  some  new  and  better  road  through  said  towns,  or  some  of  them, 
or  the  towns  adjacent,  may  probably  be  discovered  more  direct  and  con- 
venient, as  well  for  carriages  as  traveling,  to  the  great  accommodation 


28  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

and  benefit  of  his  Majesty's  subjects,  and  especially  in  time  of  war, 
occasionally  traveling  or  marching,  either  from  the  eastern  or  central 
parts  of  the  colony,"  therefore  —  u  Resolved,  that  Colonel  John  Pitkin  of 
Hartford,  Seth  Wetmore  of  Middletown,  Mr.  Wells  of  Glassenbury,  and 
Colonel  David  Whitney  of  Canaan,  be  appointed  a  committee,  as  soon 
as.  conveniently  may  be,  to  repair  to  and  through  said  towns  (and  towns 
adjacent  if  need  be),  and  with  all  care  and  diligence  to  view  and  observe 
said  roads  now  used ;  and  also,  with  the  utmost  care  to  explore  and  find 
out  how  and  where  any  other  shorter  and  better  way,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  may  be  practicable,  and  their  full  description  thereof,  with  their 
opinion  thereon,  to  make  report  to  the  Assembly  at  their  session  in 
October  (then)  next."* 

This  committee,  at  the  May  Session  in  1 759,  reported  a  new  line  of 
road,  not  departing  in  any  instance  more  than  two  miles  from  a  straight 
line,  extending  from  the  Court  House  in  Hartford,  to  Colonel  Whitney's 
in  Canaan,  and  a  plan  of  the  intervening  towns,  with  the  line  pricked 
thereon. 

The  Assembly  accepted  this  report,  and  directed  the  committee  "  to  lay 
out  and  make  plain  and  certain,  the  said  new  country  road  from  the 
mansion  house  of  Samuel  Humphrey  in  Simsbury,  to  Colonel  David 
Whitney's  in  Canaan."  In  May,  1760,  the  committee  having  discharged 
their  duty,  the  Assembly  ordered  the  way  to  be  cleared  and  made  passable 
for  traveling  before  November  20,  1761,  by  the  towns  and  proprietors  of 
townships  through  which  it  ran,  and  in  case  of  non-compliance  by  any 
such  towns  and  proprietors,  the  committee  was  to  take  such  other 
measures  to  that  end,  at  the  expense  of  the  delinquents,  as  would  without 
fail  accomplish  the  service,  before  May  1,  1762. 

This  thoroughfare,  known  to  a  former  generation  as  "  The  North 
Road,"  and  now  almost  a  myth,  had  in  its  day  an  importance  and  renown 
which  justifies  our  detailed  history  of  its  origin  and  progress.  According 
to  tradition,  it  was  a  wonder  of  the  age  that  a  direct  and  practicable  route 
could  be  found  and  opened  through  the  jungles  and  over  the  succession 
of  steep  rocky  hills  and  mountains  of  the  Green  Woods  for  travel,  and 
the  movement  of  troops  and  munitions  between  Hartford  and  Albany.  Jt 
soon  became,  and  continued  until  1800,  the  great  and  almost  the  sole 
thoroughfare  of  the  colony  in  the  direction  of  Albany.  Continental  troops 
passed  over  it  for  frontier  service.  Detachments  of  Burgoyne's  army,  as 
prisoners  of  war,  marched  over  it  to  the  quarters  assigned  them. 


*  Colonial  Records,  vol.  9,  pp.  94-5. 


THOROUGHFARES.  29 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Col.  Ethan  Allen,  while  on  military  service 
in  the  Revolutionary  War,  presumed  to  desecrate  the  Sabbath  by  traveling 
over  this  road,  instead  of  spending  the  day  in  sacred  meditations  at  the 
hostelry  of  Landlord  Phelps,  or  Roberts,  on  Wallen's  hill,  or  of  Land- 
lord Freedom  Wright,  further  westward,  when  a  little  bushy-headed 
Grand  Juror,  of  our  town,  emerged  from  his  log  cabin  on  the  road-side, 
siezed  the  bridle-rein  of  the  Colonel's  charger  and  attempted  to  arrest 
him  as  a  Sabbath-breaker.  The  Colonel,  sternly  eying  the  legal  digni- 
tary, drew  his  sword,  and  flourishing  it  aloft,  irreverently  exclaimed, 
"You  d — d  woodchuck !  get  back  into  your  burrow,  or  I'll  cut  your  head 
off! "  Grand  Juror  Balcomb,  finding  what  a  Tartar  he  had  caught, 
prudently  abandoned  his  captive  and  retired  to  his  cabin. 

It  should  not  be  inferred  from  the  amount  of  travel  that  this  road  was 
an  Appian  Way.  On  the  contrary,  direct  as  it  was,  it  went  up  and  down 
the  highest  hills,  on  uneven  beds  of  rocks  and  stones,  and  passed  marshy  val- 
leys on  corduroy  of  the  coarsest  hemlock  log  textiu-e,  commencing  at  the 
Northend  village  in  New  Hartford,  it  ran  westerly  up  a  steep  hill,  then 
turned  northwesterly  through  the  Bourbon  region,  crossing  the  Green 
Woods  turnpike,  a  little  west  of  the  toll-gate,  then  northerly  by  zigzags 
to  the  top  of  a  lofty  hill,  then  over  Wallen's  Hill  by  the  northeast  school 
house,  down  to  Still  River  near  Daniel  Wilson's,  then  up  Dishmill  Hill 
and  onward  by  the  Rowley  Pond,  to  Colebrook,  and  onward  through  Cole- 
brook  center  to  Pond  Hill,  in  Norfolk,  and  thence  by  Norfolk  center  and 
Canaan  toward  Albany. 

Another  bridle-path  entered  the  township  from  the  vicinity  of  Burr- 
ville  and  passed  northwesterly  by  Landlord  Mott's  Tavern  to  the  south 
part  of  Norfolk  before  any  settlement  Avas  made.  In  1762,  a  committee 
of  the  Assembly,  previously  appointed,  reported  a  highway  along  this 
route,  "  beginning  at  a  rock  about  three  rods  west  of  the  fore  door  of  the 
house  belonging  to  Rev.  Mr.  Gold  in  Torringfbrd,  and  running  in  a  north- 
westerly direction  a  little  more  than  a  mile  to  Still  River,  about  a  hund- 
red rods  south  of  Yale's  Mill,  (at  Burrville,)  thence  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  by  Spectacle  Pond  and  Mott's  house,  to  a  stake  and  stones  in 
Norfolk  line." 

This  was  the  South  Road,  by  which  emigrants  from  the  southeastern 
towns  wended  their  toilsome  way  to  the  western  townships,  in  process  of 
settlement.  It  was  so  "hard  a  road  to  travel"  that  good  Landlord  Burr, 
living  near  the  Hayden  brick  yard,  used,  as  it  was  said,  to  detain  his 
traveling  guests  until  after  morning  worship  that  they  might  have  the 
benefit  of  his  prayers  in  aid  of  their  arduous  efforts  to  get  up  the  old 
dug-way  road,  west  of  Burrville,  an  aid  greatly  needed. 

The  first  of  these  roads  was  for  many  years  the  only  way  of  access  from 


30  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

the  east  to  the  Winsted  section  of  the  town.  By  the  second,  many,  but  not 
all  of  the  immigrants,  came  into  the  "  Old  Society."  Several  of  the  earli- 
est pioneers  came  in  from  Torrington  and  Goshen,  at  the  extreme  south- 
west corner  of  the  township,  and  located  in  Hall  Meadow  and  the  Blue 
Street  region.  The  later  roads  will  he  adverted  to  as  the  settlement  of 
the  town  progresses. 


CHAPTER    V. 


RESUME— PIONEER   SETTLERS. 


We  have,  in  the  preceding  chapters,  opened  the  way  for  the  long-de- 
layed settlement  of  our  town.  It  seemed  necessary  to  show,  first,  why 
the  large  domain  of  our  western  lands  —  the  only  unoccupied  territory  of 
the  colony,  Litchfield  excepted  —  remained  unsurveyed  and  unavailable 
for  settlement  from  1686  to  1729,  a  period  of  forty-three  years.  Second, 
if  possible  to  learn  why,  after  the  two  giant  towns  had  secured  and  di- 
vided between  them  what  may  be  aptly  called  their  conquered  territory, 
our  Hartford  step-fathers  should  still  have  held  their  assigned  portion  of 
the  spoil  from  sub-division  and  settlement,  twenty-nine  years  longer  ;  and 
third,  to  solve,  if  possible,  the  wisdom  of  the  sub-divisions  finally  made. 
If  the  wisdom  consisted  in  working  out  the  problem  —  given,  the  settle- 
ment of  a  new  town  ;  required,  how  not  to  do  it  ?  —  we  have  nearly 
reached  a  solution. 

The  triple  division  gave  to  each  rich  proprietor,  at  the  rate  of  one  acre 
to  the  pound,  three  detached  farms  of  large  size  and  compact  forms ;  to 
each  forehanded  owner,  three  small  farms,  two  of  them  with  average 
length  and  width  as  one  to  six,  and  one  of  half  the  same  length  and  twice 
the  width  ;  to  the  poorest  men,  two  driblets  a  mile  long,  and  from  half  a 
rod  to  five  or  ten  rods  wide,  and  one  of  half  the  length  and  twice  the  width. 

There  was  not  sufficient  variation  in  the  quality  of  lands  to  render  the 
triple  division  expedient,  for  the  wdiole  area  of  the  township  was  hilly  and 
mountainous,  except  narrow  intervales  of  gravelly  or  marshy  lands  along 
the  streams. 

The  rich  owners,  with  hardly  an  exception,  held  their  lands,  awaiting 
a  rise  in  their  value,  to  grow  out  of  the  life-and-death  struggle  of  poor 
settlers  on  adjoining  lands.  None  of  the  forehanded  or  rich  owners  ever 
personally  occupied  their  land,  and  the  poor  owners  could  not  if  they 
would ;  they  could  only  sell  out  for  mere  songs  their  driblets  to  owners 
of  larger  tracts  of  adjacent  lands.  Not  one  of  the  one  hundred  and  six 
original  proprietors  to  whom  allotments  were  made,  ever  occupied  his 
lands  or  dwelt  in  the  town,  and  only  one  son*   of  a  proprietor   ever  had 

*  Thomas  Hosuier,  Jr.,  was  an  early  settler  on  a  portion  of  his  father's  land.  He 
removed  to  Canaan  after  about  ten  years,  and  left  no  descendant  behind  him. 


32  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER. 

a  permanent  residence  among  us  ;  and  only  three  known  descendants*  of  a 
proprietor  now  reside  in  the  town. 

We  have  already  adverted  to  the  scant  and,  to  a  great  extent,  unavail- 
able reservations  of  land  for  highways,  and  to  the  endowment  of  two 
Hartford  ministers  by  grants  of  three  hundred  acres  of  land  to  each ;  and 
the  want  of  any  endowment  to  aid  the  poor  and  almost  starving  settlers 
in  supporting  the  gospel  and  common  schools  among  themselves.  A  show 
of  liberality,  on  a  small  scale,  is  made  in  the  reservation  of  two  mill  lots, 
apparently  designed  to  encourage  the  erection  of  mills  to  grind  the  corn 
and  rye  of  the  early  settlers.  If  they  were  reserved  for  this  purpose, 
they  were  not  so  appropriated.  Both  of  them  were  disposed  of  by  leases 
of  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years,  without  conditions,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  proprietary  body. 

During  the  twenty-nine  years  that  the  Hartford  proprietors  were  matur- 
ing a  plan  of  division  of  their  joint  lands,  many  individual  owners  sold 
and  conveyed  away  their  undivided  rights,  by  deeds,  which  were  recorded 
in  the  proprietors'  records.  Caleb  Beach,  named  of  Goshen,  became  the 
owner  of  one  of  these  undivided  rights,  by  a,  deed  dated  May  21,  1750. 
Either  despairing  of  a  division  ever  being  made,  or  hoping  against  hope 
for  such  consummation  in  the  future,  he  at  once,  or  in  a  very  short  time 
after  his  purchase,  appropriated  a  small  tract  of  land  and  erected  thereon 
the  first  dwelling  house  in  the  township.  It  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Hall  Meadow  road,  about  half  a  mile  north  of  Torrington  line,  and  about 
forty  rods  east  of  the  line  of  Goshen,  and  some  thirty  rods  south  of  the 
new  house  of  Rufus  Drake.  This  house  or  shanty  disappeared  more  than 
a  hundred  years  ago,  and  was  replaced  by  a  one-story  frame  house  with 
stone  chimney,  erected  on  the  same  site,  which  is  still  standing  —  venerable 
in  its  marks  of  age,  and  still  more  venerable  from  its  associations  with  the 
first  human  habitation  in  the  town. 

In  the  proprietors'  vote  of  January,  1758,  ordering  the  survey  and 
allotment  of  the  first  and  second  divisions  of  land,  the  committee  were 
instructed  "  to  lay  out  to  Mr.  Caleb  Beach  or  his  assignees,  his  share  or 
allotment  in  the  Division  where  his  house  now  is,  so  as  to  take  in  his 
house,  barn,  and  orchard,  if  his  allotment  shall  be  wide  enough  to  take 
[them]  in."  The  lot  set  out  to  him  or  his  assignees  under  these  instruc- 
tions, is  a  lot  of  sixteen  and  two  thirds  acres,  within  lot  No.  6,  in  the  first 
division.  He  conveyed  away  his  right  to  this  allotment,  March  18,  1756, 
and  probably  soon  after  moved  back  to  Goshen,  where  he  died  January 
13,  1760,  aged  sixty-one  years.  His  will  was  probated  and  recorded  in 
the  Litchfield  Probate  Court,  and  contained  the  following  bequests  of  his 
earthly  possessions : 

*  Solomon  R.  Hinsdale  and  his  child,  and  Mary  P.  Hinsdale,  descended  from  Wil- 
liam Pitkin. 


PIONEER  SETTLERS.  33 

"  Imprimis,  to  my  present  beloved  wife,  Hannah,  I  give  and  bequeath 
one  chest  and  one  bed,  and  one  great  spinning-wheel,  and  one  double 
spinning-wheel,  to  be  her  own  and  at  her  dispose. 

Item,  To  my  eldest  daughter,  Sarah  Andros,  the  wife  of  Elon  Andros, 
of  Wallingford,  I  give  and  bequeath  to  her,  out  of  my  estate,  but  five 
shillings ;   she  having  received  her  portion  of  my  estate  before. 

Item,  To  my  sons  Caleb  and  Hezekiah  Beach,  of  Goshen,  I  give  and 
bequeath  my  plough  irons,  and  drag  teeth,  and  plow  chains,  viz :  to  my 
eldest  son,  Caleb,  two  third  parts;  and  to  Hezekiah,  one  third  part,  to  be 
their  own  and  at  their  dispose. 

Item,  To  my  son,  Joel  Beach,  of  Torrington,  I  give  and  bequeath  three 
steel  traps,  with  the  chains  belonging  to  them,  and  my  shaving  knife,  to 
be  his  own  and  at  his  dispose. 

Item,  To  my  daughter,  Margit  Beach,  I  give  and  bequeath  three  chests, 
one  table,  six  puter  platters  and  plates,  three  puier  basins,  four  pater  por- 
ringers, one  pair  of  tongs,  one  fire  shovel,  and  one  tramel,  one  pair  of 
andirons,  one  brass  warming  pan,  one  brass  skillet,  a  brass  kettle,  one 
iron  kettle  and  three  iron  pots,  to  be  her  own  and  at  her  dispose." 

Mr.  Beach  was  grandson  of  Thomas  Beach,  an  early  planter  of  Mil- 
ford,  son  and  youngest  child  of  Deacon  John,  of  Wallingford,  and  brother  of 
Deacon  John,  of  Goshen,  from  whom  Beach  street  took  its  name.  He 
was  born  at  Wallingford,  in  1 699,  where  he  married  the  first  of  his  three 
wives.     Thence  he  first  removed  to  Goshen,  and  afterward  to  Winchester. 

Caleb  Beach,  born  at  Wallingford,  in  1699;  died  January  13,  1761. 
He  married  first,  May  26,  1726,  Eunice  Tyler.  She  died  January  10, 
1733.  He  married,  second,  October  4,  1733,  Margaret  Thompson.  He 
had  a  third  wife,  named  Hannah. 

CHILDREN    BY    THE    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  at  Wallingford,  Oct.  26,  1728  ;  m.  Elon  Andrews,  of  Wallingford. 

II.  Caleb,  b.  "  May  10,1732;  m.  Lois  Preston. 

CHILDREN    BY    THE    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Hezekiah,  was  in  Goshen  in  1760,  and  moved  to  New  Ashford,  Mass. 

IV.  Joel. 

V.  Margaret. 

Joel  Beach,  third  son  of  Caleb,  and  inheritor  of  his  traps  and  shav- 
ing knife,  came  into  the  town  with  his  father,  at  about  fifteen  years  old, 
and  is  named  as  of  Winchester  in  the  record  of  his  first  marriage,  in  1 757. 
He  afterwards  lived  in  Torrington  until  1761,  when  he  purchased  his  life- 
long residence  on  Blue  street,  a  little  south  of  the  stone  school-house. 

He  is  described  by  a  cotemporary*  as  "  a  conservative  of  the  first 
water,  —  conservative  in  his  dress,  in  his  food,  and  in  all  his  habits — six 


*  Rev.  Abel  McEwen,  D.  D.,  of  New  London. 
5 


34  ANNALS    OF   WINCHESTER. 

feet  four  or  five  inches  high,  gaunt  and  erect,  with  a  pock-marked, 
weather-beaten  face,  large  hands  and  feet,  clothed  in  butternut  colored 
coat,  vest,  and  small  clothes,  garnished  with  long  pewter  buttons,  stock- 
ings of  black  and  white  sheep's  wool,  cow-hide  shoes  of  enormous  size ; 
crowned  with  a  broad-brimmed,  round-topped  hat  of  dubious  color ;  his 
costume  on  week  days,  Sundays,  and  training  days,  always  the  same, 
from  early  manhood  to  extreme  old  age.  His  fare  was  simple,  consisting 
of  bears'  meat,  venison,  and  wild  turkey,  when  game  abounded,  and  beef, 
pork,  and  mutton  in  after  years,  with  toast  and  cider,  mush  and  milk,  and 
bean  porridge,  as  his  only  luxuries." 

He  was,  withal,  a  mighty  hunter,  never  failing  to  bring  down  the  deer, 
fox,  or  wild  turkey  with  his  six  foot  shooting-iron. 

He  was  also  a  fish-fancier,  and  had  stoned  up  a  tank  around  a  copious 
spring  on  the  side  of  the  road  in  front  of  his  house,  in  which  he  kept  a 
speckled  trout  of  great  size.  There  is  another  legend  that  a  neighbor, 
with  a  long  hooked  nose,  tinged  at  the  end  with  deep  red,  coming  along  the 
road  one  day,  stooped  down  to  drink  from  the  tank.  The  trout  seeing  the 
red  protuberance,  as  it  touched  the  water,  and  fancying  it  a  gaudy  insect, 
sprang  upward  and  seized  it.  The  nose  recoiled,  but  too  late.  The  fish 
was  drawn  out  of  the  water,  and  dropped  on  dry  land.  Great  was  the 
rage  of  the  man  of  the  nose  for  a  few  moments,  but  as  he  surveyed  the 
poor  floundering  fish,  and  reflected  that  he  had  got  the  worst  of  it,  pity 
superseded  wrath.  Looking  around  and  seeing  no  witness  of  his  success- 
ful angling,  he  kindly  restored  the  fish  to  the  water  and  went  on  his  way 
a  happier  man  for  his  magnanimous  act. 

Mr.  Beach's  wife  was  also  a  dead  shot.  One  day,  near  sunset,  she 
discovered  a  panther*  in  a  tree  near  the  house.  Her  husband  was  away 
but  his  loaded  gun  was  at  hand.  She  seized  and  primed  it,  took  deliberate 
aim,  and  lodged  a  bullet  in  its  brain. 

Mr.  Beach  was  always  a  hard-working,  temperate,  and  inoffensive 
man,  who,  in  the  words  of  the  cotemporary  before  referred  to,  "  had  but 
little  of  religious  theory,  but  in  old  age  he  became  pious  ;  and  thence, 
down  to  the  grave,  his  zeal  for  duty  and  worship  glowed  noiselessly  but 
unquestioned.  He  died  November  28,  1820,  aged  eighty -four ;  leaving 
his  original  farm,  neither  increased  nor  diminished  by  a  single  acre." 

He  married,  at  Torrington,  October  18,  1757,  widow  Abiah  Filley,  of 
Torrington.  He  married,  second,  October  15,  1767,  Amy  Johnson,  of 
Torrington. 


*  The  Felis  Concator,  vernacularly  named  the  "  painter,"  was  indigenous  to  this 
region,  and  is  said  to  have  been  killed  in  Guilford  or  its  vicinity,  within  the  past 
fifteen  years. 


PIONEER   SETTLERS. 


35 


CHILDREN    BT    SECOND    WIFE. 

I.  Hezekiah,     b.  July  19,  1768;  bap.  at  Tor.,  Oct.  16,  1768. 
II.  Joel,  b.  Oct.  3,  1769;  bap.  at  Norfolk,  Nov.  26,  1769.     Killed  by 

discharge  of  a  gun,  Oct.  19,  177k 

III.  Benjamin,     b.  Dec.  7,  1770. 

IV.  Jeremiah,      b.  April  19,  1772;  d.  Sept.  25,  1776. 
V.  Joshua,  b.  March  23,  1774. 

VI.  Seba,  b.  Sept.  24,  1776. 

VII.  Caleb,  b.  Nov.  27,  1777. 

VIII.  Phebe,  b.  May  15,  1779;  d.  June  2,  1780. 

IX.  Susanna,  b.  Jan.  18,  1783. 

Caleb  Beach,  seventh  son  of  Joel,  lived  in  the  town  landless,  until 
his  death,  March  10,  1851.  He  married,  June  25,  1797,  Sarah 
Blakeslee. 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Elizabeth,  b.  July  3,  1798;  d.  December  2,  1804. 


II.  Jonathan, 

III.  William, 

IV.  Seba, 
V.  Caleb, 


b.  November  19,  1799. 
b.  January  25,  1802. 
b.  January  8,  1804. 
b.  January  6,  1806. 


VI.  Susan  Serepta,  b.  December  10,  1807;  m.  July  18,  1837,  Friend  Holcomb. 

VII.  Hezekiah,  b.  July  13,  1810. 

VIII.  Sarah,    •  b.  July  31,  1812. 

,LX.  Julia,  b.  April  25,  1815. 

X.  Phebe,  b.  May  26,  1817. 

XI.  Clarissa,  b.  June  2,  1819;  m.  December  31,  1837,   Major  Thorp,  of 
Barkhamsted. 

Samuel  Gilbert,  from  Coventry,  became  a  landowner  and  resident 
of  the  town  in  1752,  and  is  named  of  Winchester,  in  a  deed  of  1754, 
when  he  probably  moved  into  Torrington,  where  his  son,  Samuel,  was 
baptized  August  25,  1754. 


Ebenezer  Preston,  from  Wallingford,  and  Joseph  Preston,  from 
Farmington,  became  owners  of  an  undivided  right  of  land  in  1754,  under 
which  they  entered  upon,  and  improved,  a  small  tract  of  land  adjoining 
Torrington  line,  extending  from  Blue  Street  Road  eastward  to  the  north, 
and  South  Road  in  the  second  tier,  which,  under  a  vote  of  the  proprietors, 
was  allotted  to  them  in  the  division  of  1758.  Here  was  their  first 
dwelling  place.  They  afterward  lived,  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  to  a 
good  old  age,  leaving  sons  and  daughters,  none  of  whom  —  nor  any  of 
their  descendants  bearing  the  name  —  now  reside  among  us.  The  race 
was  not  a  thrifty  or  vigorous  one,  physically  or  intellectually. 


:)(;  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

From  the  scant  records  of  the  family  it  is  not  possible  to  determine  the 
relationships  to  each  other  of  those  of  the  name  who  were  early 
residents. 

Martha,  wife  of  Ebenezer  Preston,  d.  May  16,  1770,  and  he  m. 
February  20,  1771,  Martha  Catling  and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Phebe,      b.  July  20,  1773. 
II.  Rebecca,  b.  August  27,  1774;  bap.  Tor.,  Sept.  18,  1774. 

Joseph  Preston  (senior),  died  in  1774. 

Joseph  Preston  d.  in  Winsted  in  1824,  aged  85.  He  is  believed  to 
have  been  son  to  Joseph,  the  pioneer.  He  and  his  wife,  known  as 
"  Uncle  Joe  and  Aunt  Keziah,"  lived  early  in  this  century,  in  a  log 
shanty  on  Sucker  Brook.  They  were  a  simple-minded  couple,  who  lived 
by  basket-making  and  renovating  splint-bottomed  chairs.  They  once  lost 
the  day  of  the  week,  and  made  Sunday  a  day  of  labor.  They  started  for 
meeting  on  their  old  pillioned  horse  on  Monday,  and  learning  on  the 
way  their  unintended  desecration  of  the  Sabbath,  returned  home  and 
spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  penitential  and  devotional  exercises. 

Jonathan  and  John  Preston,  father  and  son,  from  Waterbury, 
named  of  "Winchester  in  1767,  lived  on  a  lot  41  first  division,  until  1769, 
after  which  their  names  disappear. 

Samuel  Preston,  son  of  Ebenezer,  owned  and  occupied  a  part  of  his 
father's  land  in  1768,  and  afterwards,  until  1790,  lived  in  the  extreme 
south-west  corner  of  the  town.  He  was  bap.  Tor.,  Sept.  17,  1769;  m. 
Jan.  4,  1770,  Elizabeth  Gleason. 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Martha,        b.  Oct.  7,  1770. 
II.  Salman,        b.  Oct.  25,  1772. 

III.  Samuel,        b.  Dec.  20,  1776. 

IV.  Milla,  b.  Aug.  22,  1779. 
V.  Elizabeth,  b.  Feb.  16,  1785. 


Landlord  Adam  Mott,  originally  from  Windsor,  erected  his  hostelry 
on  the  bridle-path  that  preceded  the  Old  South  Road,  as  early  as  1754. 
It  stood  opposite  the  Hurlbut  Cemetery,  and  on  or  near  the  site  of  the 
house  of  John  Neth.  The  building  was  neither  imposing  nor  spacious. 
Its  walls  were  of  unhewn  logs,  its  roof  of  hemlock  bark,  with  an  opening 


PIONEER  SETTLERS.  37 

in  the  ridge  for  the  escape  of  smoke  from  the  capacious  stone  chimney 
which  ascended  to  the  level  of  the  garret  floor.  The  landlord  had  two 
strapping  boys,  who  slept  under  the  roof,  and  occasionally  worked  off 
their  superfluous  animal  force  by  a  wrestling  match  before  getting  into 
bed.  One  cold  winter  night,  when  the  hearth  was  all  aglow  with  coals 
and  embers  of  the  consumed  firewood,  the  boys,  in  their  shirt  tails, 
grappled  for  a  trial  of  strength.  They  struggled  long  and  vigorously. 
At  length  one  of  them  got  the  dead  lock  of  the  other,  at  the  edge  of  the 
yawning  chimney.  Both  of  them  went  headlong  down  the  crater,  into 
the  coals  and  embers  in  the  fireplace.  Whether  the  tavern  fare  of  the 
next  day  was  called  pork  or  bear's  meat  tradition  does  not  say.  It  is 
presumable,  however,  if  it  was  of  the  last  night's  roast,  that  it  loas  done 
brown. 

How  a  tavern  could  be  sustained  in  this  uninhabited  region  is  hard  to 
conceive.  Landlord  Mott,  however,  took  courage  and  made  the  best  of 
his  business.  To  an  inquiry  as  to  how  he  succeeded  in  retailing  his  first 
keg  of  rum,  he  replied  that  he  was  doing  remarkably  well :  that  hunters, 
when  they  came  along  would  fill  their  bottles,  and  that  nearly  every  day 
he  bought  a  glass  of  tanzy  bitters  of  his  wife,  and  that  she  would  then 
buy  one  of  him,  with  the  same  fourpence-halfpenny. 

The  bark-roofed  tavern,  in  the  course  of  years,  gave  way  to  a  red 
lean-to  mansion  of  the  old  Windsor  order  of  architecture,  and  this  in  its 
turn  to  a  pleasant  modern  cottage,  drawing  its  water  from  the  original 
well. 

Landlord  Mott  became  poor,  and  died  in  his  native  Windsor.  He  had 
children  (as  appears  by  deeds  on  record),  Jonathan,  Adam,  junior,  Lent, 
and  Eunice,  wife  of  Aaron  Neal  of  Farmington,  and  may  have  had 
others. 

Jonathan  Mott.  son  of  Adam,  senior,  came  into  the  town  with  his 
father,  and  lived  in  a  house  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  southeast  of  the 
tavern,  which  has  long  since  disappeared.  He  died  in  1818,  aged  103, 
and  was  buried  at  the  town's  charge.     His  wife  died  in  1820.* 

They  had  a  son,  Simeon,  baptized  at  Torrington,  Dec.  23,  1653. 


*  On  the  anniversary  of  his  100th  birthday  the  old  man  proposed  to  have  some 
kind  of  a  celebration,  and  requested  that  Uncle  Reuben,  Aunt  Eunice,  and  Br.  Daniel 
iCoe  be  invited  to  come  around,  which  was  done.  Having  been  a  "Singing  Master" 
n  his  young  manhood  he  thought  nothing  could  be  more  appropriate  to  the  occasion 
than  the  singing  of  "  Old  Hundred,"  during  the  performance  of  which  he  wielded  the 
wand,  which  was  his  witch-hazel  staff".  He  got  through  with  that  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme quite  satisfactorily,  Br.  Coe  joining  most  vehemently,  but  when  he  came  to 
try  the  minuet  (and  try  it  he  would)  he  thought  he  could  have  gone  through  it  much 
better  if  he  had  not  been  so  long  out  of  practice. 


38 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


Adam  Mott,  Jr.,  succeeded  his  father  in  the  homestead  until  1767, 
and  afterward  lived  west  of  the  old  Everitt  Tavern.  He  went  to  Ticon- 
deroga  in  1775,  in  Captain  Sedgwick's  Company;  served  in  Captain 
Beebe's  Company  in  1776,  at  Long  Island,  and  was  in  other  service 
during  the  Revolution.  He  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  in  his  old  age, 
where  he  was  frozen  to  death  at  the  age  of  about  one  hundred  years. 

He  married  Jan.  3,  1760,  Abiah  Filley.  She  died  Oct.  19,  1784,  and 
he  married  (second),  February  14,  1786,  Anna  Cyrena  Filley.  She  died 
June  5,  1806. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 
I.  Elizabeth,  b.  Nov   12,  1760;  bap.  in  Tor.,  March  30,  1761. 


II.  Ira, 


b.  Feb.  13,  1764;  bap.  Tor.,  March  20,  1764. 


III.  Diantha,  b.  June  12,  1766. 

IV.  Lodema,  b.  Sept.  9,  1768  ;  bap.  Tor.,  June  18,  1769. 
V.  Sabra,  b.  Nov.  1,  1770. 

VI.  Orange,  b.  Oct.  17,  1772. 

VII.  Loammi,  b.  May  5,  1775  ;  in.  Ap.  18,  1795,  Polly  Clark. 

VIII.  Abiah,  b.  July  18,  1780. 


IX.  Anna, 
X.  Elihu, 
XI.  Wakeman  Ira, 

XII.  Sophia, 

XIII.  Alva  Gleason,    b.  Ap.  18,  1798. 


CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

b.  Sept.  14,  1786. 

b.  Ap.  13,  1789. 

b.  Dec.  1,  1791. 

b.  June  15,  1794  ;  d.  Jan.  6,  1808. 


Lent  Mott,  son  of  Adam,  senior,  had  land  from  his  father  near  the 
old  Everitt  Tavern,  on  which  he  early  resided.  He  served  in  the 
Northern  Campaign,  in  1775,  and  probably  did  other  service.  The  name 
of  his  first  wife,  the  mother  of  two  of  his  children,  does  not  appear.  He 
married  (second),  January  1,  1766,  Mary  Filley. 

CHILDREN. 


I.  Samuel,  b.  Goshen,  Feb.  21,  1762  ;  bap.  Tor.,  Dec.  31,  1769. 

II.  Mart,  bap.  Tor.,  Dec.  31,  1769  ;  d.  W.,  July  15,  1783. 

III.  Josiah,  b.  Dec.  11,  1767  ;  bap.  Tor.,  Dec.  31,  1769. 

IV.  Jerusha,  bap*Norfolk,  June  2,  1770. 
V  Jemima,  b.  Ap.  19,  1771. 

VI.  Lent,  b.  May  12,  1773  ;  m.  Nov.  16,  1798,  Lucy  Ives. 

VII.  Jerusha,  b.  Feb.  7,  1776. 
VIII.  Stlvanus,  b.  JulyS,  1778  ;  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

IX.  Ithamar,  b.  Feb.  26,  1781. 


PIONEER  SETTLERS.  39 

Loammi  Mott,  son  of  Adam,  junior,  married,  April  18,  1795,  Polly, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Clark,  of  Winchester,  and  moved  with  his  father-in- 
law,  about  1800,  to  Stockbridge,  Mass. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Merritt,  b.  Jan.  3,  1796. 
II.  Willard,  b.  June  28, 1800. 
III.  Lodema,     b.  Feb.  3,  1803,  at  Stockbridge,  Mass. 

Ira  Mott,  son  of  Adam,  junior,  owned  land  on  the  Brooks  Street 
Road  in  1784,  and  on  Blue  Street  in  1788. 


The  foregoing  list  comprises  all  the  pioneers  and  their  families  who 
settled  in  the  township  before  the  survey  and  allotment  in  1758,  of  whom 
we  have  any  record  or  tradition,  except  Moses  Miller  and  Joshua 
Merrills,  who  for  a  short  period  owned  land  on  Hall  Meadow,  and  in 
their  deed  conveying  away  the  same,  are  named  of  Winchester. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PIONEER  SETTLERS. 

The  Motts  and  Prestons  seem  to  have  been  the  only  continuous  resi- 
dents of  the  town  up  to  the  division  of  lands  in  1 758,  and  for  nearly  three 
years  afterwards. 

William  Filley,  the  next  settler,  called  in  the  deed  "late  of  Tor- 
rington,  now  of  Winchester,"  bought  in  1761,  seventy  acres  of  land  on 
Hall  Meadow,  south  of  Rufus  Drake's,  which  included  the  land  and  house 
previously  occupied  by  Caleb  Beach,  the  first  settler.  He  married  in 
Torrington,  June  11,  or  13,  1759,  Dinah  Preston,  of  Winchester.  He 
was  drowned  in  a  deep  pool,  called  the  tub,  in  the  west  branch,  August 
3,  1774,  aged  39. 

He  was  son  of  William  Filley,  of  Torrington,  whose  widow,  Abia, 
married  Joel  Beach.  His  brothers  and  sisters,  who  inherited  his  estate, 
were  Abraham,  Remembrance,  Abia,  wife  of  Adam  Mott,  Jr.,  Mary, 
wife  of  John  Curtis,  of  Torrington  and  Marcy. 

Deacon  Abraham  Filley,  inherited  a  portion  of  his  brother  Wil- 
liam's estate  and  resided  in  the  town  most  of  his  life.  In  1772  his  home- 
stead was  a  part  of  the  Col.  Ozias  Bronson  farm.  In  1774  he  was  of 
New  Hartford,  whence  he  removed  to  Winsted  and  had  charge  of  Doolit- 
tle's  mill ;  and  afterwards- lived  and  died  in  Old  Winchester.  He  is  said  to 
have  made  a  wooden  clock  with  a  pen-knife.  In  his  later  years  he  be- 
came a  maniac,  and  was  confined  in  a  detached  building.  He  and  his 
wife  Mary  owned  the  conveuant  in  Torrington  church,  June  6,  1762, 
and  were  admitted  to  full  communion  November  27,  1768.  His  children 
were : 

I.  Isaac,  baptized  in  Torrington  June  6,  1762. 
II.  Jesse,        "  '  "  Sept.  9,  1764. 

III.  Levi,  "  "  May  31,  1767;    was  taxed  from  1789  to  1802; 

residence  not  known. 

IV.  Rhoda,  baptized  in  Torrington,  April  9,  1769. 
V.Roger,      "         in  Winchester,  May  25,  1771. 


AND  FAMILY   RECORDS.  41 

Remembrance  Fillky,  baptized,  Torrington,  August  11,  1754  ;*  in- 
herited in  1774  a  portion  of  his  brother  William's  estate,  which  he  ex- 
changed for  other  lands.  Before  1787  he  lived  on  Blue  Street,  nearly 
one  and  a  half  miles  north  of  Torrington  line ;  and  afterwards  in  Hall 
Meadow,  near  Rums  Drake's.  He  served  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and 
in  his  old  age  became  a  pauper. 

He  married,  August  20,  1774,  Anna  Cyrena  Gleason,  who  was  proba- 
bly divorced  from  him,  and  afterward  became  second  wife  of  Adam  Mott, 
Jr.     He  married  (Al),  December  28,  1783,  Hannah  Hubbard. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE  : 

I.  William,  b.  May  2,  1775. 
II.  Ardnah,  b.  February  23,  1777. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE  : 

III.  Charlotte,  b.  February  28,  1786. 

IV.  Abigail,        b  April  24,  1788, 
V.  Hannah,         b.  June  25,  1790. 

Thomas  Hosjviek,  Jr.,  son  of  Thomas  Hosmer,  Esq.,  of  Hartford,  one 
of  the  original  proprietors,  came  into  the  town  soon  after  1761,  and  set- 
tled on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  which,  after  improving 
until  1771,  he  sold  to  Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,  of  Middletown.  His  dwel- 
ling is  supposed  to  have  been  on  the  Old  South  Coventry  road,  near  the 
house  named  to  widow  Blake  on  the  engraved  map  of  the  town.  He 
was  a  ieading  man  in  the  township  and  identified  with  all  measures  for 
its  improvement  during  his  residence.  He  sold  out  and  removed  to 
Canaan,  in  1771,  the  year  of  the  incorporation  of  the  town. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  he  was  the  only  known  descendant  of  an  origi- 
nal proprietor  who  ever  settled  on  an  ancestral  lot ;  and  that  not  one  of 
the  original  proprietors  ever  occupied  his  land. 

No  record  of  Mr.  Hosmer's  family  is  found,  except  his  (probable) 
second  marriage  (March  2,  1774)  to  Hannah  Averet. 

Cornelius  Merry,  of  Hartford,  is  grantee  in  a  deed  of  January  14, 
1762,  conveying  to  him  the  John  Pantry  lot,  first  division,  the  western 
half  of  which  became  the  Robert  McEwen  farm,  now  owned  by  Marcus 
Munsill ;  and  the  eastern  half,  on  which  his  dwelling  stood,  on  the  Old 
South  Coventry  road,  near  Hurlbut  Cemetery,  became  the  property  of 
John  Hills.     In  a  deed  of  1770  he  is  named  of  Hartland. 

John  Smith,  Jr.,  of  Derby,  is  grantee  in  a  deed  of  1763,  aud  John 
Smith,  of  Winchester,  in  another  of  1754.     He  lived  adjoining  the  Ebe- 

*  Son  of  William  Filley,  who,  with  his  wife  Abiah,  joined  the  church  in  Torrington, 
July  17,  1754. 

6 


42  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

nezer  and  Joseph  Preston  lot,  near  the  Torrington  line,  until  1771,  when 
his  name  disappears. 

David  Austin's  name  first  appears  as  grantee  in  a  deed  from  Cor- 
nelius Merry,  of  17 64,  in  which  he  is  described  as  of  Winchester.  He 
probably  came  from  Suffield.  For  thirty  years  or  more  he  was  perhaps 
the  most  prominent  and  enterprising  citizen  of  the  town.  His  first  resi- 
dence was  on  the  Pantry  lot  above  mentioned.  In  1769  he  purchased 
I  he  Ensign  lot,  extending  east  and  south  from  the  outlet  of  the  Long 
Pond  so  far  as  to  embrace  the  pond  stream  and  all  the  village  of  Winsted 
between  Lake  Street  Bridge  and  Clifton  Mill,  a  region  then  literally  a 
howling  wilderness,  unapproached  by  roads  and  nearly  unapproachable 
by  reason  of  its  jagged  mountain  ridges  and  heavy  growth  of  timber, 
shrubs,  and  brambles.  In  1771,  he  opened  a  cart-path  through  the  forest, 
down  to  Sucker  brook,  and  thence  over  the  hills  west  of  the  Pond  to  its 
outlet,  by  which  he  conveyed  the  materials  for  the  first  grist  mill  in  the 
town.  This  mill,  and  a  saw-mill  contiguous,  were  erected  at  the  turn  of 
Lake  Street  near  the  summit  of  the  hill.  The  mill  stood  where  the 
road  now  runs,  a  little  northeastward  of  the  Henry  Spring  Company's 
;  hop ;  the  road  as  first  opened  running  down  the  hill  close  to  the  old 
white  dwelling  now  known  as  the  Factory  House.  The  water  of  the 
lake  was  raised  some  three  feet  above  its  natural  level,  by  a  frail  dam  of 
hemlock  logs  and  plank,  about  three  rods  south  of  the  present  causeway, 
and  let  out  by  a  new  channel  through  a  bulk  head  —  the  decayed  parts  of 
which  are  still  to  be  seen  in  their  place  —  and  conveyed  across  the  road 
nearly  opposite  the  old  stone-chimney  mill-house  and  thence  on  the  east 
side  to  the  junction  of  Rockwell  and  Lake  streets,  and  then  again  turned 
across  Lake  street  and  poured  on  the  wheel  of  the  mill. 

This  mill  was,  for  about  twenty  years,  the  eastern  terminus  of  civilized 
habitation  towards  Mad  River  valley.  Mr.  Austin's  first  residence  in 
Winsted  was  in  a  log  house  nearest  to  the  pond  outlet.  He  subsequently 
built  the  stone-chimneyed  lean-to  house  now  known  as  the  mill-house 
already  mentioned.  In  one  of  the  rooms  he  kept  a  small  store  of  goods, 
at  the  same  time  personally  attending  his  mill  and  saw-mill  and  his  other 
concerns.  A  contemporary  says  of  him :  "  The  Deacon*  commonly 
tended  his  own  mill.  In  times  of  drought,  when  other  mills  failed,  he 
ran  his  day  and  night,  and  had  so  disciplined  himself  that  he  would  turn  a 
grist  into  the  hopper,  lie  down  to  sleep  on  a  bench,  with  his  old  turnip 
watch  ticking  at  his  head  and  wake  at  the  precise  moment  when  the  last 
kernel  was  running  out." 

*He  was  chosen  first  deacon  of  the  Congregational  Church,  on  Wallen's  Hill  (An- 
cient Winsted)  in  1785. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  43 

It  seems  passing  strange  that  with  such  results  attained  and  with  a  sure 
prospect  of  increasing  wealth  and  ease,  a  man  of  his  advanced  age  should 
desire  to  renew  his  pioneer  life  on  another  field.  He  was  induced  by 
crafty  misrepresentations  to  exchange  his  Winsted  property,  now  worth 
hundreds  of  thousands,  for  wild  lands  in  the  State  of  Vermont  which  he 
had  never  seen,  and  which  proved  to  be  nearly  worthless.  He  closed  the 
bargain  in  1796  and  removed  with  all  his  family  to  Watertovvn,  Vermont, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  days  in  straightened  circumstances.  His 
name  appears  in  the  records  of  the  town  as  one  of  its  prominent  officers 
and  efficient  agents  during  the  revolutionary  period  and  his  subsequent 
residence.  His  wife  was  a  help-meet  for  such  a  man  —  industrious,  thrifty, 
and  prudent.  Their  hospitality  was  characteristic  of  the  hard  times  in  which 
they  lived.  The  apples  handed  round  to  visitors  were  divided  into  halves 
or  quarters,  according  to  their  size.  A  venerable  citizen  who,  were  he 
living,  would  be  a  hundred  years  old,  once  told  me  of  his  working  the 
Deacon's  saw-mill  and  living  in  his  family  when  a  young  man  and  about 
to  be  married.  On  leaving,  Madam  Austin  presented  him  with  a  com- 
plete assortment  of  garden  seeds  of  her  own  raising,  with  the  injunction 
thereafter  to  save  his  own  seeds,  and  never  to  come  to  her  for  more,  as  she 
never  gave  to  any  person  a  second  time. 

CHILDREN    OF    DAVID    AND    MART    AUSTIN. 

I.  David,  b.  Aug.  5,  1761. 

II.  Daniel,  b.  Mch.  25,  1764  ;  d.  Oct.  13,  1775. 

III.  Mart,  b.  July  8,  1766. 

IV.  Ruth,  b.  Mch.  16,  1769. 

V.  Asa,  b.  May  24,  1772  ;  d.  Feb.  12,  1776. 

VI.  Danikl  Harmon,  b.  Feb.  2,  1778. 
VII.  Asa,  b.  May  7,  1781  ;  d.  Jan.  23,  1785. 

VIII.  Phebb,  b.  Oct.  4,  1783. 

David  Austin,  junior,  built  and  resided  in  the  house  adjoining  the 
pond  outlet.  He  married,  September  30,  1782,  Sarah  Adkins.  He 
moved  to  Vermont  with  his  father. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  Feb.  22,  1785. 

II.  Betsey,  b.  Dec.  7,  1786. 

III.  Asa,  b.  Aug.  12,  1788. 

IV.  David,  b.  July  16,  1791. 

V.  Orin,  b.  May  1,  1793. 
VI.  Patty,  b.  May  13,  1795. 

Benoni  Hills,1  born   in   Suffield  in  1701  ;  removed   to  Durham   in 


44  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1724-5  ;  to  Goshen  about  1740  ;  afterwards  to  Torrington,  and  finally 
to  Winchester,  where  he  died,  "ripe  for  heaven,"  June  24,  1793,  in  his 
ninety-second  year.  Several  years  before  his  death  he  selected  two 
rough  stones  of  Mica  Slate,  and  shaping  them  to  his  liking,  engraved  in 
rude  letters  on  one  of  them  "  Benoni  Hills,  this  is  my  house,"  and  on  the 
other,  "O  eternity,  death  is  come,"  to  which  is  added,  "June  24,  1793, 
B.  II.  aet.  93."  Working  at  these  stones  was  the  special  enjoyment  of  his 
leisure  hours.  He  brought  them  with  him  from  Torrington,  and  gave 
special  directions  to  have  them  placed  over  bis  grave,  where  they  now 
stand,  in  the  old  Winchester  burying  ground.  He  married,  December 
19,  1723.     His  wife,  b.  June  3,  1700;  died  October  21,  1776. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hannah,  b.  Suffield,  Oct.   5,   1724;  m.  —   Wilson;  died  Tor.,  March  29, 
1812. 
II.  Zimhi,        b.  Durham,  Dec.  16,  1725;  d.  Goshen,  June  4,  1760. 

III.  Beriah,     b.  D.,  Aug.  31,  1727. 

IV.  Medad,     b.  D.,  Ap.  27,  1729 ;  d.  Ap.  9,  1808. 
V.  Mary,        b.  D.,  Jan.  1,  1731 ;  d.  Jan.  28,  1732. 

VI.  John,  b.  D.,  Dec.  13,  1732;  d.  Charlotte,  Vt.,  March  15,  1808. 

VII.  Mart,         b.  D.,  Sept.  25,  1734;  m.  Epaphras  Loomis. 
VIII.  Seth,         b.  D.,  Sept.  13,  1736. 
IX.  Rachel,     b.  D.,  July  8,  1739  ;  m.  Dr.  Joel  Soper;  d.  Augusta,  N.  Y.,  Jan. 

7,  1832. 
X.  Bela,  b.  Goshen,  Aug.  24,  1741  ;  d.  May  29,  1756. 

XI.  Ann,  b.  G.,  June  11,  1743;  m.  Lunian  Beach;  d.  Norfolk,   Jan.   22 

1777. 

Seth  Hills  "  of  Winchester,"  is  grantee  in  a  deed  of  October  9, 
1765,  conveying  to  him  fifty  acres  bordering  on  Torrington,  in  the  third 
tier,  first  division,  which  he  had  probably  occupied  earlier. 

Mr.  Hills  was  first  deacon  of  the  church,  and  first  representative  of  the 
town ;  a  man  of  hardy  constitution,  indomitable  energy,  sound,  good 
sense,  and  sincere  piety  ;  his  integrity  without  a  stain.  He  served  as 
Wagon  Master  in  the  Saratoga  campaign  ;  was  present  at  Burgoyne's 
surrender,  and  assisted  in  clearing  the  field  of  the  dead  and  wounded 
when  the  battle  was  ended. 

He  sold  out  his  homestead  in  1798,  and  in  the  winter  of  1798  went  to 
Vernon,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  then  without  a  white  inhabitant,  save  two  or 
three  who  went  with  him,  where  he  cut  down  four  acres  of  the  heavy 
forest,  on  which  to  build  his  future  home,  and  in  the  following  autumn, 
with  the  assistance  of  his  son  Ira,  then  a  lad  of  sixteen,  burned,  cleared, 
and  fitted  it  for  seed.  He  removed  his  family  in  the  winter  of  1799,  and 
with  the  beginning  of  a  new  century,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  began  the 
settlement  of  a  new  puritan  town.     His  former  neighbors,  to  the  number 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


45 


of  nearly  forty  families,  rallied  around  him,  and  laid  the  foundation  deep 
and  strong.  A  church  was  soon  organized,  made  up  mainly  of  Win- 
chester members,  of  which  Mr.  Hills,  Levi  Bronson,  and  Samuel 
McEwen,  all  Winchester  men,  were  the  first  deacons. 

He  married,  November  — ,  1760,  Abigail  Soper.  He  died,  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  dune  3,  1826,  aged  nearly  ninety  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Statira,3     b.  July  6,  1762;  m.  Mch.  30,  1780— first,  John  Marshall  of  Tor- 

rington  ;  second,  Andrew  Everitt,  1799. 
II.  Jesse,3  b.  May  17,  1764  ;  m.  Jan.  9,  1790,  Mary  Wheeler. 

III.  Elisha,3       b.  May  8,  1766;  d.  June  11,  1766. 

IV.  Elisha,3        b.  Dec.  9,  1769. 
V.  Candace,3    b.  June  1,  1772. 

VI.  Hannah,3      b.  May  19,  1776. 
VII.  Seth,3  b.  Ap.  20,  1779. 

•VIII.  Ira,3  b.  June  22,  1788. 

Captain  John  Hills  is  named  of  Winchester,  December  6, 1776,  and 
doubtless  came  in  earlier.  He  lived  in  a  house  that  stood  in  or  adjoining 
the  Hurlbut  Cemetery.  He  was  a  gunsmith  by  trade,  and  his  shop  stood 
near  his  house.  He  sold  his  homestead  to  James  Atkins  in  1781,  and 
afterwards  removed  to  Charlotte,  Vt.,  where  he  died  March  15,  1808, 
aged  seventy-six.  He  was  great  grandfather  of  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wet- 
more,  now  a  resident  of  this  town.     He  and  his  wife  Jerusha,  had 


I.  Jerusha,3 
II.  Lorrain  Lewis,3 

III.  ZlMRf,3 

IV.  Esther3  (twin), 
V.  John3  (twin), 

VI.  Lorrain,3 
VII.  Claraman  (dau.), 
VIII.  Olive,3 
IX.  Lewis,3 
X.  Roger,3 


CHILDREN. 

b.  Nov.  26,  1755  ;  m.  May  12,  1774,  Abel  Wetmore; 

d.  May  1,  1780. 
b.  Feb.  6,  1758;  d.  Oct.  14,  1763. 
b.  Oct.  2,  1762;  m.  Mille  Catlin,  Jan.  17,  1782. 
b.  June  1,  1766. 

b.  June  1,  1766;  d.  July  21, 1766. 
b.  May  30,  1768;  d.  Mch.  7,  1772. 
b.  Oct.  5,  1770. 
b.  July  23,  1773. 
b.  Sept.  8,  1775. 
b.  Jan.  9,  1779;  d.  Oct.  1,  1780. 


Beriah  Hills  came  into  the  town  after  1769,  and  lived  on  Torring- 
ton  line  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  hi  the  third  tier,  second  division, 
running  north  from  Fyler's.  He  was  for  several  years  appointed  "to 
read  the  psalm"  in  the  old  meeting  house,  and  died  March  25,  1778,  in 
his  fifty -second  year.     His  wife  Mary  survived  him.     Their 


46  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN    WERE  : 

I.  Mary,3  bap.  in  Torrington,  Mch.  20,  1748. 
II.  Bekoni,3  "  "         Dec.  24,  1749. 

III.  Lois,3  "  "        Feb.  2,  1751-2. 

IV.  Chamkry,3         "  "         Feb.  17,  1754 ;  m.  Lois  Grant. 
V.  Bela,*                 "  "         Aug.  22,  1756. 

VI.  Roger  Eno,3     "  "         Mch.  4,  1759. 

VII.  Zimri,3  "  "         Ap.  23,  1763. 

VIII.  Huldah,3  "  "         Aug.,  1767. 

Medad  Hills  of  Goshen,  third  son  of  Benoni,  a  gunsmith,  who  made 
muskets  for  the  state  during  the  Revolution,  was  a  large  landowner  in 
Winchester,  and  resided  at  one  period  in  the  Norris  Coe  house.  He  had 
a  son,  Hewitt,  who  came  into  the  town  in  1788,  and  became  one  of  its 
most  prominent  citizens.     He  will  be  spoken  of  hereafter. 

Jesse  Hills,  son  of  Deacon  Seth,  lived  on  the  farm  recently  occupied 
by  Samuel  Hnrlbut  second,  which  he  sold  to  Elijah  Blake  in  1798,  and 
removed  to  Windham,  Green  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and  afterwards  to  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  and  a  few  years  later  to  Kirtland,  Lake  Co.,  O.,  where  he  died 
April,  1841,  aged  81.     He  had  a  second  wife. 

children  by  first  wife. 

I.  Laura,     b.  Oct.  14,  1790;  m.  Benj.  D.  Allen. 
II.  Huldah,  b.  Jan.  19,  1793;  m.  Augustus  Allen. 
III.  Lucy,         b.  Sept.  11,  1795 ;  m.  Ira  Brown. 

Chauncey  Hills,  second  son  of  Beriah,  "  a  noted  stammerer,"  lived 
in  his  father's  homestead  bordering  on  Torrington  line,  until  about  1 802, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Luke  Case  and  William  Bunnell,  and  removed  to 
Litchfield,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Benoni  Hills,  oldest  son  of  Beriah,  had  no  real  estate  during  the 
life  of  his  father.  One  of  his  daughters  married  Chauncey  Humphrey. 
He  married,  October  28,  1773,  Elizabeth  Agard,  and  had 

children. 

I.  Theodosia,     b.  Feb.  1,  1775. 
II.  Elizabeth,      b.  Oct.  20,  1776. 
111.  Amanda,  b.  Tor.,  June  18,  1780  ;  hap.  Aug.  27,  1780. 

Setii  Hills  and  Ira  Hills,  third  and  fourth  sons  of  Deacon  Seth, 
moved  with  their  father  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.     To  the  latter,  the  compiler  is 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  47 

indebted  for  much  valuable  information  respecting  the  family,  and  respect- 
ing Vernon  families  generally  which  originated  in  Winchester. 

The  Hills'  in  a  body  seem  to  have  pulled  up  stakes  and  abandoned  the 
town  at  the  great  exddus  about  1800.  Nut  a  single,  descendant  of  Benoni 
Hills'  bearing  the  name  has  lived  in  the  town  for  several  years.  Descend- 
ants in  the  female  line  are  not  unfrequent. 

Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetinore  is  descended  from  Benoni1  in  the  fifth 
generation. 

In  1751  Captain  Josiah  Avered,  of  Woodbury,  (Bethlem  Society) 
became  the  owner  of  undivided  lands  in  Winchester,  and  was  soon  after 
disabled  by  the  kick  of  a  horse,  and  confined  to  his  bed  until  his  death  in 
1765.  His  property  being  almost  exhausted  during  his  protracted  con- 
finement, his  widow,  Mrs.  Hannah  (Hinman)  Avered,  or  Everett,  as  now 
spelled,  soon  after  his  death  removed  with  her  aged  mother  and  seven 
children  to  the  wilds  of  Winchester,  while  there  were  as  yet  but  three 
families  in  the  central  part  of  the  old  society.  They  stayed  in  a  house  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  until  a  clearing  had 
been  made  and  a  house  erected  on  their  land  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
center,  on  the  old  South  Country  road,  as  it  then  ran  toward  Norfolk. 
This  house  is  the  oldest  now  standing  in  the  town.*  It  has  never  been 
painted,  and  had  not,  when  built,  an  iron  hinge  or  latch  on  any  of  its 
doors. 

Here  this  energetic  and  godly  woman  reared  her  young  family,  and  so 
discharged  the  duties  of  a  mother  and  revolutionary  matron,  that  her  chil- 
dren and  fellow-townsmen  might  well  rise  up  and  call  her  blessed.  Her 
aged  grand-daughter,  Mrs.  Swift,  now  of  New  York,  has  permitted  the 
copying  from  her  reminiscences  the  following  account  of  the  experiences 
of  the  pioneer  family  : 

"  It  is  evident  that  my  grand-mother  removed  from  Bethlem  in 
1765;  and  with  her  children,  came  also  her  mother,  Mrs.  Mary  Noble 
Hinman,  who  died  in  Winchester,  at  92  years  of  age.  The  date  of  her 
death  is  not  known.  Her  grave  is  on  the  left  hand  of  her  daughter's,  as 
you  face  the  head-stone  of  the  latter.  She  is  said  to  have  been  born  in 
Northampton,  and  to  have  removed  to  old  Milford  at  the  age  of  1 6,  and 
that  soon  afterward,  on  a  Sabbath  morning,  she  and  her  sister  went  into 
the  forest  to  collect  thorns  with  which  to  dress  themselves  in  order  to  at- 
tend church  at  New  Haven.  This  sister  was  ancestress  of  Presi- 
dent Day. 

"  During  the  severe  winters  of  that  period,  the  hungry  wolves  howled  in 
the  little  enclosure  of  my  grand-mother's  cottage  during   the  nights,  and 

*It  was  crushed  to  the  ground  by  the  weight  of  snow  in  the  winter  of  1870-71. 


48  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

were  seen  to  jump  over  the  fence  when  any  one  opened  the  door.  Many 
are  the  incidents  related  in  my  childish  ears,  of  the  sutferings  of  the 
family  during  the  revolutionary  war,  particularly  in  the  '  hard  winter ' 
of  '83. 

"  No  grinding  could  be  done  at  the  mill —  snow  fell  every  other  day  for 
six  weeks  —  and  the  wind  and  drifting  seemed  only  a  continuation  of  the 
storm !  Grain  and  corn  were  boiled  for  family  use.  Wood  was  drawn 
on  the  tops  of  the  drifts,  on  a  hand-sled  by  my  Uncle  Andrew  (the 
youngest  son)  on  snow  shoes,  and  received  by  his  sisters  through  a  win- 
dow at  the  back  of  the  house.  My  Uncle  Noble  at  this  period  was  a 
chaplain  in  the  army,  and  my  father  (Josiah),  also  away  getting  his  pro- 
fession, and  afterwards  in  command  of  a  company  on  the  Canada 
frontier. 

"  During  the  hard  winter  a  piece  of  check-woolen  for  soldiers'  shirts  was 
put  into  the  loom,  but  it  was  impossible  to  weave  it  on  account  of  the 
cold  ;  so  it  was  all  wound  out  in  balls,  then  doubled  (one  thread  white 
and  the  other  blue)  and  twisted  on  the  '  great  wheel ' ;  and  thus  prepared, 
my  grand-mother  and  her  four  daughters  sat  in  a  circle, —  enclosed  by 
blankets  suspended  from  the  joists  over  head  around  the  high  fire-place  — 
and  knitted  the  yarn  into  stockings  for  the  army.  One  night  during 
these  times,  my  grand-mother  and  her  children  sat  up  amid  the  bowlings 
of  the  winter  blasts,  in  consultation  whether  they  should  break  up  house- 
keeping and  each  take  care  of  themselves.  After  retiring  and  passing 
the  remaining  night  sleepless,  grand-mother  arose  in  the  morning,  and 
told  her  family  that  '  by  the  help  of  God  they  would  keep  together.' 

"  When  she  was  84  years  old,  she  often  rode  on  horseback  from  her 
home  two  miles  to  the  village,  went  to  the  store,  then  stopped  at  my 
father's  to  rest,  and  then  rode  home  alone.     She  was  89  at  her  death. 

"  During  the  war  my  Aunt  Diana,  one  Monday  morning,  received  an 
invitation  to  a  wedding  just  one  week  from  that  evening ;  she  must,  there- 
fore, have  a  '  new  gown.'  The  only  store  in  the  town  was  south  of  the 
burying-ground,  near  Torrington  line,  nearly  four  miles  distant.  My 
grand-mother  rode  over  the  hills  to  the  store,  where  she  found  a  pattern  of 
chintz,  which  she  could  have  for  eleven  and  a  half  yards  of  checked 
woollen  shirting  for  soldier's  wear  ;  but  could  not  buy  it  with  k  continen- 
tal bills.'  The  old  lady  returned  about  one  hour  before  '  sundown,'  and 
told  her  story.  v  We  had,'  says  my  aunt,  '  wool,  cards,  wheel,  net,  loom, 
and  blue  dye  all  in  the  house,  but  not  a  thread  of  yarn.  That  night,  be- 
fore I  went  to  bed,  I  carded,  spun,  washed,  and  put  into  the  dye-tub,  one 
run  of  yarn,  and  so  the  work  went  on ;  the  cloth  was  wove,  the 
'  gown '  pattern  purchased,  made  up,  and  worn  to  the  wedding  at  the 
week's  end.  I  have  often  seen  this  gown  ;  and  in  1 843  I  slept  under  a 
bed-quilt,  made  principally  from  its  remains,  in  a  good  state  of  preserva- 
tion. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  49 

"On  another  occassion,  years  afterwards,  (within  my  own  memory) 
this  Aunt  Diana,  being  engaged  at  her  cheese-tub,  heard  the  cry  of  a 
chicken  at  the  open  door;  looking  out,  she  perceived  a  large  hen-hawk 
pounced  on  a  poor  fowl,  her  back  towards  her.  With  a  long  cheese  knife  in 
her  hand  she  sprang  lightly  forward  and  sat  down  over  the  hawk,  took 
him  by  the  head  and,  with  her  knife,  cut  it  off.  '  He  acted  as  if  he  felt 
ashamed  when  I  was  doing  it,'  she  said,  when  she  told  me  the  story. 
Often  have  I  played  with  its  great  talons. 

"  Aunt  Diana,  —  afterwards  wife  of  Deacon  Theophilus  Humphrey,  of 
Canton — was  almost  91  years  old  at  her  death,  December  11.1843. 
She  was  remarkable  for  her  piety  and  talents  —  was  educated  beyond 
what  was  common  at  that  early  period  —  had  spent  three  years  at  school 
in  New  London." 

Richard  Everitt,  one  of  the  founders  of  Dedharn,  Massachusetts,  had 
a  son,  Israel,"  born  duly  14,  1657  ;  who  had  a  son,  Josiah,"  born  August 
3,  1768 ;  who  had  a  son,  Josiah,4  born  August  5,  .1710,  at  Guilford,  Con- 
necticut ;  who  married  Hannah  Noble  Hinman.  He  died  in  Bethlem ; 
will  proved  March  19,  1765.  She  died  in  Winchester,  May  19,  1803, 
aged  88. 

CHILDREN  : 

I.  Elihu,5  b.  March,  5,  1741,  d.  October  25,  1759. 

II.  Mart,5  b.  February  13,  1743;  d.  March  9,  1760. 

III.  Aaron,5  b.  April  3,  1745  ;  d.  December  4,  1761. 

IV.  Rev.  Noble,5  b.  March  3,  1747. 

V.  Doct.  Josiah,5  b.  February  27,  1749. 

VI.  Hannah,5  b.  January  1,  1751  ;   m.  March  2,  1774,  Thomas  Hosmer. 

VII.  Diana,5  b.  February  14,  1753;    d.    December  11,   1843;    m.  Dea. 

Theophilus  Humphrey. 
VIII.  Andrew,5  b.  July  30,  1755  ;  /  Twins      d.  Jan.  31,  1835. 

IX.  Mabel,5  b.     "      "       "       )  d.  February  24,  1804  ;   m.  May 

30,  1776,  Daniel  Corbin. 
X.  Amelia,6  b.  May  14,  1757;  d.   October  22,  1843;  m.  May  15,  1782, 

Doct.  Sol.  Everitt. 

Rev.  Noble  Everitt,  graduated  at  Yale,  in  1775,  served  as  a  chap- 
lain in  the  revolutionary  army,  afterwards  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Ware- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  and  died  in  the  discharge  of  his  pastoral  duties  De- 
cember 30,  1819. 

Doctor  Josiah  Everitt,5  married  December  5,  1776,  Esther  Hin- 
man. She  died  September  30,  1783,  in  her  30th  year.  He  married  (2d) 
February  23,  1785,  Nelly,  daughter  of  Captain  Samuel  Pease,  of  Enfield, 
Connecticut;    born  December  23,1762;  she  died,  November  2,1791; 

7 


50  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

and  he  married,  (3d)  September  26,  1794,  Hannah  Stanley,  who  died, 
June  27,  1826.  He  died,  February  5,  1829,  aged  80.  He  studied 
medicine  with  Doctors  Bird,  of  Bethlem,  and  Hall,  of  Woodbury,  and 
settled  in  Winchester  as  a  physician,  living  first  in  the  store  building,  re- 
cently torn  down,  that  stood  in  front  of  Mr.  Theron  Bronson's  new  store 
at  Winchester  centre,  and  afterwards,  through  his  remaining  life,  in  the 
house  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Noble  J.  Everitt,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south 
of  the  centre. 

He  served  as  captain  of  a  company  of  Connecticut  troops  in  the 
Northern  army  in  the  first  year  of  the  revolutionary  war. 

CHILDREN    OF    DOCTOR   JOSIAH5    AND    NELLY    (PEASE)    EVERITT. 

I.  Nelly  Minerva,6      b,  July  30,  1786 ;  m.  Doct.  Zepheniah  Swift. 
II.  Josiah  Noble,6  b.  December   10,  1788 ;  m.  Roxy  L.  Cook,  daughter 

of  Elisha  Cook,  Esq. 

III.  Chester  P.,6      -        b.  November  12,  1790  ;  d.  April  24,  1807. 

CHIDREN    OF    DOCTOR    JOSIAH4    AND    HANNAH    (STANLEY)    EVERITT. 

IV.  Hannah  B.,6  b.  June   7,    1798;   m.   March  8,  1825,   Rev.    Henry 

Bushnell. 
V.  Mart,6  b.  December  29,  1799  ;  d.  May  29,  1807. 

Andrew  Everitt,5  married,  May  18,  1780,  Abigail  North.  She 
died,  June  2,  1795,  aged  31 ;  and  he  married  (2d),  December  26,  1799, 
Statira,  daughter  of  Deacon  Seth  Hills,  and  widow  of  John  Marshall. 
He  resided  with  his  mother  in  the  old  homestead  until  her  decease,  and 
continued  to  own  and  occupy  it  until  1809,  when  he  sold  it,  and  removed 
to  Vernon.  New  York,  where  he  died. 

CHILDREN    OF    ANDREW5    AND    ABIGAIL    (NORTH)    EVERITT. 

I.  Elihtj,6  b.  December  16,  1780;  d.  September  11,  1781. 

II.  Elihu,6  b.  January   21,    1783;    m.   Roxy,  daughter   of  John 

Marshall. 

III.  Andrew  Hinman,6   b.  October  27,  1788;  d.  March  9,  1791. 

CHILDREN    OF    ANDREW5    AND    STATIRA    (HILLS)    EVERITT. 

IV.  Andrew  Hinman,6   b.  November  26,  1800. 

V.  Truman,6  b.  December  26,  1801 ;  d.  October  9,  1804. 

VI.  Elisha,6  b.  February  15,  1805. 

Jonathan  Coe,5  of  Torrington,  purchased  100  acres  of  land  at 
the  south  end  of  the  third  tier,  first  division,  lying  immediately  north 
of    the    farm    of    Deacon    Seth    Hills,     in     1764,   which  remained   in 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  51 

his  family  ninety -nine  years.  In  1765  he  conveyed  one  half  of  this 
lot  to  his  son  Oliver,  and  the  other  half  to  his  son  Robert.  He 
was  born  in  Durham,  Connecticut,  about  1710;  son  of  Robert'  and  Bar- 
bara (Parmele)  Coe ;  grand-son  of  John3  and  Mary  (Hawley)  Coe  ; 
great-grand-son  of  Robert3  and  Coe  ;  and  great-great-grand-son 

of  Robert1  Coe,  who  was  born  in  Suffolkshire,  England,  in  1596,  and 
came  to  New  England  with  his  wife.  Anna,  in  1634;  settling  successively 
in  Watertown,  Massachusetts  ;  Wethersfield  and  Stamford,  Connecticut ; 
and  in  Hempstead,  Newtown,  and  Jamaica,  Long  Island.  He  married  in 
Durham,  September  23,  1 737,  Elizabeth  Elmer,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Torrington.  They  came  to  Winchester  when  old.  She  died 
June  28, 1794,  aged  84 ;  he  died  April  23,  1795,  aged  84. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Oliver,6         b.  in  Torrington,  September  3,  1738. 
II.  Robert,6        b.  in  "  March  28,  1740. 

III.  Jonathan,6    b.  in  "         August  20,  1742;  m.  April  15,  1767,  Eunice 

Cook;  she  d.  April  12,  1818  ;  he  d.  August  21,  1824. 

IV.  Elizabeth,6   b.  in  Torrington,  September  5,  1743. 
V.  Jerusha,6       b.  in  "  March  27,  1746. 

VI.  Martha,6         b.  in  "         January  5,  1748-9. 

VII.  Ebenezer,6     b.  in  "         December,  2,  1750;  d.  in  Torrington,  Octo- 

ber 18, 1784. 
VIII.  Ltjcretia,6      b.  in  "  June  9,  1755;  m.  March   18,  1776,  Daniel 

Murray,  she  d.  June  1792. 

Oliver  Coe,6  moved  on  to  the  south  half  of  the  above  lot  at  or  soon 
after  the  date  of  his  deed  and  occupied  the  same  until  his  death,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1775,  at  the  age  of  37.  He  served  in  the  continental  army  under 
Captain  Sedgwick,  and  Colonel  Hinman,  at  Ticonderoga,  in  1775  ;  was 
discharged  November  20th ;  was  taken  sick  on  his  way  home  near  Lake 
George  ;  procured  a  horse  on  which  he  reached  home  November  28th  ; 
and  was  confined  to  his  bed  with  the  camp  or  typhoid  fever,  until  his 
death,  five  weeks  afterward.  He  left  a  widow  and  six  children,  from 
three  to  thirteen  years  old,  all  of  whom  were  sick  with  the  same  disease. 
These  facts  are  gathered  from  a  memorial  to  the  assembly  by  his  admin- 
istrator, asking  a  reimbursement  of  the  expenses  of  his  sickness  and  death 
on  which  a  grant  was  allowed  of  £14  6s.  He  married,  October  7,  1762, 
Mary  Agard,  of  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abner,7         b.  in  Torrington,  April  12,  1763;  m.  May  20,   1784,  and  had 
Wealthy,  b.  Oct.  16,  1785  ;  moved  to  Burk,  Vt.,  had  five  more  children  ; 
and  d.  Aug.  15,  1846. 
II.  Oliver,7       b.  November  7,  1764. 


52  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

III.  Marv,7  b.  September  2,  1766;  d.  September  13,  1766. 

IV.  Justus,7        b.  September  1,  1767;  m.  1789,  Ruth  Bailey;  they  moved  to 

Jewett,  N.  Y.,  where  she  d.  March  4,  1838;  and  he  in  June  1850. 
V.  Mary,7  b.  December  6,  1769  ;  m.  Doctor  Abraham  Camp,  of  Mt.  Mor- 

ris, N.  Y. ;  she  d.  1846. 

VI.  Job,7  b.  April  22,  1772. 

VII.  James,7  b.  May  31,  1774. 

Robert  Coe,6  settled  on  the  north  half  of  the  hundred  acre  lot  afore- 
said, and  remained  until  1768,  when  he  sold  out  to  his  brother,  Jonathan 
Coe,  Jr.  He  afterwards  owned  and  lived  on  the  Levi  Bronson  farm 
near  the  southeast  corner  of  Norfolk,  until  1788,  when  he  removed  to 
Cooperstown,  New  York.  He  married,  December  26,  1764,  Chloe 
Thrall. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joel,7  b.  May  4,  1765. 

II.  Arm  and  a,7  (son),  b.  July  3,  "1767. 

III.  Abijah,7  b.  October  23,  1769. 

IV.  Ariel,7  b.  October  31,  1772. 

V.  Roswell,7  b.  February  5,  1780. 

Jonathan  Coe,  Jr.,6  known  as  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe,  moved  with  his 
father  and  mother  in  1768  on  the  farm  until  then  occupied  by  Robert 
Coe,  where  Jonathan  Coe,  senior,  died.  He  removed  to  Winsted  in  1796 
and  resided  until  near  his  death  in  the  house  afterward  occupied  by  Col. 
N.  D.  Coe.  He  married,  April  15,  1767,  Eunice  Cook.  She  died  April 
12,  1818;  he  died  August  1,  1824. 

Ensign  Coe  may  be  considered  the  father  of  the  Methodist  denomina- 
tion in  the  town ;  having  been  perhaps  the  earliest  convert  and  a  con- 
sistent and  earnest  supporter  of  the  order  through  his  life. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lovina,7         b.  February  11,  1768  ;  m.  October  26,  1788,  Asahel  Miller. 

II.  Jonathan,7   b.  March  23,  1770. 

III.  Eunice,7         b.  March  27,  1772;  m.  January  20,  1793,  Abiel  Loomis. 

IV.  Roger,7  b.  July  27,  1774,  (see  1795). 

V.  Rhoda,7  b.  March  27,  1777  ;  m.  Eben  Woodruff,  of  Barkhamsted. 

VI.  Huldah,7       b.  January  3,  1779  ;  m.  May  16,  1796,  Major  Lloyd  Andrews. 

VII.  David,7  b.  February  11,  1781. 

VIII.  Daniel,7         b.  February  2,  1783. 
LX.  Eben,7  b.  July  9, 1785. 

Oliver  Coe,  Jr.,7  owned  and  lived  on  the  Henry  Drake  farm,  near 
Torrington  line,  in  the  second  tier,  first  division,  from  1805  to  1814,  when 
he  moved  to  Hudson,  Ohio,  and  died  there  August  14,  1825,  aged  61. 


'*Pc*W     T&-C 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  53 

He  served  on  several  tours  of  duty  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  on  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Indian  war  again  enlisted  for  three  years,  and  served 
in  General  Harmer's  campaign  down  the  Ohio,  and  was  one  of  seven  sur- 
vivors of  Col.  Harden's  detachment  which  was  cut  off  by  the  Indians  on 
the  headwaters  of  the  Scioto  in  the  fall  of  1791.  He  also  served  as 
military  guard  of  the  surveying  party  that  surveyed  the  Ohio  Company's 
purchase ;  after  which  he  returned  to  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  be- 
came a  thrifty  and  wealthy  farmer,  enjoying  in  a  high  degree  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  communities  in  which  he  lived.  He  married,  De- 
cember t,  1-791,  Sarah  Marshall,  daughter  of  Thomas.  He  married  (2d), 
Chloe  Spencer,  daughter  of  Thomas.  He  died  in  Hudson,  Ohio,  August 
14,  1825. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Noeeis,8         b.  May  1,   1792;  m.  March  10,  1814,  Chloe  Hubbell,  b.  Jan- 
uary 25,  1788,  daughter  of  Silliman  Hubbell. 
II.  Demas,8         b.  January  11,  1794;  m.  April  15,  1819,  Eliza  Ward.     He  d. 
December  1,  1853. 
III.  Artemisia,8  b.  December  5,  1799;  m.  1815,  George  Chase. 

Jonathan  Coe,  Jr.,7  married,  October  3,  1792,  Charlotte  Spencer, 
daughter  of  Thomas.  She  died  July  15,  1842,  aged  70.  He  married 
(2d),  Huldah  (Spencer)  Wetmore,  widow  of  John  Wetmore,  2d,  and  sis- 
ter of  his  first  wife.  She  died  July  10,  1845  ;  and  he  married  (3d),  No- 
vember 30,  1848,  Mrs.  Betsey  (Miller)  Wetmore,  of  Wolcottville.  He 
died  May  31,  1849 ;  she  died  September  18,  1850,  aged  80. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Jehial,8  b.  October  5,  1794. 

II.  Chloe,8  b.  February  24,  1797;  m.  Chauncy  Eggleston. 

III.  Wealthy,8    b.  March  1,  1799;  m.  May  10,   1820,  Nelson  Wilson;  she  d. 

February  2,  1845. 

IV.  Charlotte,8  b.  August  24,  1801  ;  d.  February  15,  1814. 
V.  Asahel,8        b.  April  4,  1804. 

VI.  Sylvia,8         b.  August  12,  1806  ;  m.  September  20,  1825,  Samuel  Boyd. 
VII.  Huldah,8       b.  April   6,    1809;    m.    October    13,    1834,   Erastus    Sterling 

Woodford;  she  d.  April  18,  1859. 
VIII.  Jane,8  b.  August  14,  1812;  m.  October  13,  1834,  Henry  Hinsdale; 

she  d.  October  5,  1839;  he  d.  October  14,  1846. 
IX.  Roth,8  b.  April  5,  1814;  m.  November  30,  1837,  Abel  A.  Smith;  he 

d.  May  11,  1841 ;  she  d.  April  18,  1847,  childless. 

David  Coe,7  married,  March  15,  1804,  Prudence  Ward.  She  died 
February  23,  1823,  aged  42 ;  he  married  (2d),  Esther  Wright.  He  died 
June  12,  1834. 


54 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel  Ward,8  b.  June  10,  1805;  m.  August  16,  1831,  Abigail  B.  San 
ford;  she  died  December  23,  1838;  he  married  (2d),  May  10,  1841,  Julia 
M.  Starks.  In  company  with  Luman  Hubbell  and  E.  S.  Woodford,  he 
engaged  in  trade  at  Winstcd  about  1830,  and  continued  the  business  un- 
til his  death,  September  20,  1868,  and  was  largely  identified  with  the 
public  interests  of  the  town,  filling  with  ability  many  offices  of  trust  and 
honor.  He  was  Justice  of  the  Peace  from  about  1830  to  the  time  of  his 
death;  Town  Clerk  from  1833  to  1837,  and  from  1841  to  1851  ;  Judge 
of  Probate  from  1843  to  1850;  State  Senator  in  1850.  He  was  also  a 
faithful  member  and  office-bearer  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
from  early  manhood.  As  a  citizen,  public  spirited  and  a  faithful  worker 
in  the  Temperance  and  Anti-Slavery  causes ;  as  a  neighbor,  kind  and 
obliging  —  especially  to  the  sick  and  dying.  Social  in  disposition,  re- 
spected and  beloved  in  life,  and  lamented  in  death.  Children  by  first 
wife;  1.  Charles  Betts,9  b.  January  15,  1838;  2.  David  Ward,9  b. 
May  11,  1836.  By  second  wife  :  3.  Francis  Abby,9  b.  June  26,  1842  ; 
4.  Wilbur  Fisk,9  b.  November  23,  1 844. 
II.  Emery,8  b.  March  17,  1809;  m.  May  7,  1837,  Almira  Oris, wold ;  he  d. 
August  27,  1861  ;  she  m.  (2d)  March  22,  1866,  Milo  Burr,  of  Torring- 
ton.  Children:  1.  Sarah  Jane,9 b.  March  29,  1840;  2.  Edward  Gris- 
wold,  b.  April  3,  1847. 

III.  Sally,8        b.  June  24,  1811,  m.  November  17,  1834,  Alvin  Gilbert. 

IV.  David  Fletcher,8  b.  June  30,  1819  ;  d.  September  7,  1823. 

V.  Prudence,8  daughter  of  David7  and  Esther  W.  Coe,  b.  July  1,  1828  ;  d.  Sep- 
tember 11, 1829. 

Rev.  Daniel  Coe,7  married,  October  17,  1803,  Mrs.  Anna  (Sweet) 
Keyes,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Sweet;  she  died  November  29,  1818.  He 
married  (2d),  January  20,  1820,  Lucy  Hall ;  he  died  January  12,  1847. 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Caroline,8  b.  September  20,  1804  ;  m.  April  15,  1833,  Wm.  Currie. 

II.  Clarissa  Anna,8  b.  April   16,  1807  ;  m.  December  30,  1829;  Shadrack 
Manchester. 

III.  Louisa,8  b.  April    II,   1809;    m.    March   14,   1836,    Oliver    H. 

Loomis ;  he  d.  December  25, 1838  ;  she  m.  (2d),  September9,  1845,  Chas. 
Hall. 

IV.  Col.  Nelson  Daniel,8  b.  November  8,  1811. 
V.  Rev.  Jonathan,8  b.  June  1,  1815. 

VI.  Rev.  James  Roger,8      b.  March  30,  1818. 

Eben  Coe,7  married,  December  1,  1806,  Eliza  Kirkham ;  he  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1818. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia,8  b.  August  26,  1807;  m.  Voorhies. 

II.  Samuel  Mills,8  b.  February  21,  1809;  d.  December  26,  1809. 

III.  Eliza.8  b.  December  23,  1811 ;  m.  Porter,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

IV.  Charles,8  b.  October  25,  1816. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  55 

Jehial  Coe,3  married,  September  4,  1816,  Amanda  Betsey  Case,  born 
in  Simsbury,  April  28,  1797,  daughter  of  Luke  and  Betsey  (Adams)  Case. 
She  died  February  18,  1855  ;  and  he  married  (2d),  September  25,  1856, 
Mrs.  Harriet  E.  Sage. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Charlotte,9  b.  December  21,   1817;  m.   September  14,   1841, 

Lemphier  B.  Tuttle. 
II.  Luke  Case,9  b.  June  13,  1821  ;  m.  July  18,  1844,   Sarah  Jane 

Andrews,  and  has  Lillie,  adopted  April  7, 1855,  b.  August  17, 1847 ;  and 
Florence  Amanda,1"  b.  July  11, 1857. 

III.  Spencer  Wallace,9         b.   October   15,  1827 ;  m.  June  3,  1856,  Carrie 

Capron,  of  New  York;  and  has  1.  Spencer  Capron,10  b.  April  4,  1858. 

IV.  William  Gilmore,9         b.  September  10,  1829;  m.   September  15,  1852, 

Martha   A.   Williams;    she   d.    October   6,    1854,  leaving  a  daughter> 
Martha  Jane,1"  b.  in  Jonesville,  New  York,  February  17,  1854;  and  he 
m.  (2d)  May  27,  185fi,  Jeannette  T.  Lee;  and  has   Minnie  Agnes,10  b. 
October  31,  1857  ;  and  Alice  Lee,10  b.  August  12,  1859* 
V.  Mart  Jane,9  b.  June  20,  1831. 

Asahel  Coe,3  married,  April  26,  1826,  Louisa  Hale,  born  in  Glaston- 
bury, July  31,  1803,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Sarah  (Cornwall)  Hale; 
they  removed  to  Pennsylvania,  settling  finally  at  Lock  Haven. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anna,9  b.  in  W.,  October  2,  1827  ;  m.  E.  S.  Woodford. 

II.  Jonathn  Hale,    b.  in  Honesdale,  Pennsylvania,  March  6,  1831  ;  d.    May, 

1832. 
III.  William  Hale,9  b.  in  Rome,  Pennsylvania,  January  23,  1843. 

Col.  Nelson  D.  Coe,"  married,  February  5,  1834,  Maria  H.  Sey- 
mour; he  died  November  1,  1856. 

*He  died  of  a  disease  of  the  brain,  after  a  long  and  distressing  illness,  May  31, 
1872.  He  studied  law  with  Hon.  O.  S.  Seymour;  was  admitted  to  the  Litchfield  bar 
in  1851  ;  entered  into  successful  practice  at  New  Britain,  Connecticut ;  whence  he  re- 
turned to  Winstedin  1856,  where  he  engaged  in  manufacturing  business  as  Agent  of  the 
Clifton  Mill  Company,  and  soon  became  prominently  identified  with  the  public  interests 
of  the  commuuity  —  originating  our  Borough  Corporation  and  Water-works,  and 
efficiently  aiding  all  other  measures  of  public  improvement.  Though  not  the  origina- 
tor, he  was  the  leading  organizer  of  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Company, 
and  acted  as  its  Secretary  from  its  organization  to  the  time  of  his  prostration  by  the 
disease  that  caused  his  death.  He  served  in  two  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly, 
acquitting  himself  with  decided  ability,  and  wielding  a  large  influence.  He  was  gifted 
with  a  magnetism  that  made  him  a  natural  leader  of  others,  and  secured  to  him  the  warm 
attachment  of  many  friends  and  admirers.  At  the  centennial  of  the  town  in  August, 
1871,  he  presided  with  a  dignity  and  ability  creditable  alike  to  himself  and  to  the  com- 
munity he  represented. 


56  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Lccy  Ann,9  b.  November  18, 1834 ;  m.  December 24, 1857,  RufusE.  Holmes; 
has  children:  1.  Anna  Louisa,  b.  September  17,  1860;  2.  Susan 
Beecher,  b  October  27,  1862  ;  3.  Rufus,  b.  April  4,  1865,  d.  March  16, 
1866;  4.  Edward  Rufus,  b.  March  7,  1867;  5.  Ralph  Winthrop,  b. 
October  6,  1869. 

II.  James  Nelson,9  b.  October  20,  1836;  m.  July  19,  1857,  Kate  R.  Goddard. 

He  was  Lieut,  in  2d  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery.  Children  :  1.  Nelson 
Daniel,1"  b.  October  17,  1858;  2.  Kate  Goddard,10  b.  July  6,  1865;  3. 
Harriett  Maria,1"  b.  September  20,  1869. 

III.  Ason,9  b.  1838;  d.  same  day. 

IV.  Daniel  Sidney,9  b.  August,  1840. 
V.  Ellen  Maria,9      b.  March  31,  1845. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Coe,8  married,  in  Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1844,  Sarah  Wales  Whitman;  born  March  30,  1815;  she  died 
September  5,  1848;  and  he  married  (2d),  January  1,  1850,  Susan  L. 
Whitman,  sister  of  his  first  wife.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College, 
Hartford,  a  minister  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  first  Rec- 
tor of  St.  James'  Church,  Winsted.  He  died  of  a  railroad  accident  at 
Athens,  New  York,  about  1867. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  James  Herbert,9  b.  July  22,  1845. 

II.  William  Watson,9  b.  November,  1846. 

III.  Harriet  Whitman,9  b.  September  2,  1848  ;  d.  September  4,  1848. 

IV.  Allen  Whitman,9  b.  August  27,  1851  ;  d.  April,  1852. 
V.  Robert  IIenning,9  b.  October  1852;  d. 

VI.  Reginald,9  b.  July  22,  1854. 

VII.  Mary  Cleveland,9         b.  July  22,  1856 ;  d.  1857. 

VIII.  Anna  Caroline,9  b.  October,  1858. 

Rev.  James  R.  Coe,8  a  clergyman  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  ;  married,  October  4,  1 848,  Mary  Cleveland ;  born  December  23, 
1830,  daughter  of  Charles  C.  and  Rachel  (Talcott)  Cleveland. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anna  Higley,9  b.  August  10,  1849. 

II.  Sarah  Whitman,9  b.  January  13,  1851. 

III.  George  Jarvis,9  b.  May  7,  1853. 

IV.  Charles  Cleveland,9  b.  June  13,  1855. 

V.  Mary  Cleveland,9        b.  December  17,  1857. 

Robert  McEwen,  a  native  of  Dumfries,  Scotland,  a  covenanter,  who 
fought  at  Bothwell   Brig,  was  apprehended   by  the  English  government, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  57 

and  with  others,  was  allowed  to  come  to  America,  in  the  Henry  and 
Francis;  he  landed  at  Perth  Amboy,  New  Jersey,  December  18,  1685, 
and  the  next  summer  walked  to  Stratford,  Connecticut,  arriving  there 
July  18,  1686,  where  he  married,  June  20,  1695,  Sarah,  daughter  of 
Timothy  Wilcoxson.     He  died  in  Stratford,  February,  1740. 

CHILDREN. 

I.John,2  b.  in  Stratford,  September  20,  or  23,  1697. 

II.  Elizabeth,2  b.  "  "         November  7,  1699. 

III.  Robert,2        b.  "  "         March  7,  1702. 

IV.  Sarah,2          b.  "  "         November  5,  1704. 
V.  Timothy,2     b.  "           "         April  11,  1707. 

VI.  Gershom,2     b.    "  "         April  7,  1711 ;  m.  January      ,  1737,  Martha, 

daughter  of  Samuel  Pickett.  He  bought  in  1766,  of  David  Austin,  the 
farm  now  owned  by  Marcus  Munsill,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of 
Winchester  center.  He  was  called  of  "Winchester,"  in  1773.  He 
owned  and  occupied  land  next  south  of  Sylvester  Piatt's  farm,  until  his 
death,  August  31,  1794.  She  d.  in  Sangersfield,  New  York,  in  1798, 
aged  86. 

CHILDREN    OP    GERSHOM2    AND    MARTHA    (PICKETT)    McEWEN. 

I.  Mart,3  b.  S.,  Apr.  1,  1738 ;  m.  Apr.  17,  1760,  Peter  Blackman. 
II.  Kobkrt,3  b.  S.,  June — ,  1743;  came  to  Winchester  soon  after  his  father 
made  the  first  purchase  in  1766,  and  began  to  clear  and  improve  the 
land.  He  married  October  10,  1770,  Jerusha  Doolittle.  She  died 
December  10,  1815,  aged  sixty-three.  In  1769  his  father  conveyed  the 
lot  to  him,  and  he  continued  to  own  and  occupy  it  until  his  death,  Nov. 
17,  1816,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three.  He  was  a  member,  and  was  con- 
stituted moderator  of  the  Church  at  its  organization  in  1770,  and  became 
one  of  its  deacons  in  1799 ;  was  a  representative  in  nine  sessions  of  the 
assembly  from  1781  to  1797;  filled  nearly  every  office  of  trust  in  the 
town,  and  performed  several  terms  of  military  duty  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  This  record  indicates  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held.  He 
inherited  from  his  covenanting  ancestors  rectitude,  shrewdness,  and 
thrift,  which,  when  combined  with  earnest  piety,  made  him  a  strong- 
pillar  of  the  infant  Church  and  town.  He  was  father  of  Rev.  Abel 
McEwen,  D.D.,  late  of  New  London,  deceased. 

III.  Sarah,3  b.  S.,  Apr.  — ,  1747. 

IV.  Samuel,3        b.  S.,  December,   1749;  came  with  his  father  to  Winchester; 

married  October  7,  1773,  Lois  Sherman.  He  owned  and  occupied  the 
Deacon  Piatt  farm  until  1798,  when  he  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  and 
became  a  pioneer  of  that  town,  and  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  Church  at 
its  organization. 

V.  Gershom,3     b.  S., ;  married  April  24,  1777,  Thankful  Andrews.  He  came 

into  the  town  with  his  father,  and  owned  and  occupied  a  house  and  land 
north  of  and  adjoining  the  homestead  of  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  until 
1796,  when  he  removed,  as  is  believed,  to  Sangersfield,  N.  Y. 


58  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN    OF    ROBERT3    AND    JERUSHA    (DOOLITTLE)    MCEWEN. 

I.  Sarah,4  b.  February  6,  1772  ;  died  March  23,  1772. 

II.  Sarah,4  b.  March  2,  1775;  m.  Solomon  Rockwell,  Esq. 

III.  Abi,4  b.  April  8,  1777  ;  m.  May  29,  1800,  James  Beebe,  Esq. 

IV.  Abel,4  b.  February  13,  1780  ;  graduate  Yale  College  1804  ;  m.  January 

21,  1807,  Sarah  Battel!,  b.  May  29,  1781,  daughter  of  William  Battell, 
Esq.,  of  Tor.  He  died  at  New  London,  September  7,  I860.  She  died 
March  9,  1859.  He  was  pastor  of  Cong.  Ch.  in  New  London,  nearly 
fifty  years. 

CHILDREN    OF    SAMUEL3    AND    LOIS    (SHERMAN)    MCEWEN. 

I.  Clark.4  b.  October  26,  1774. 

II.  Ezra,4  b.  January  10,  1776. 

III.  Hannah,4  b.  November  13,  1777. 

IV.  Phebe,4  b.  April  4,  1779. 

V.  Lois,4  b.  January  28,  1781. 

VI.  Zenas,4  b.  March  23,  1784.     Living  in  Lisbon,  Kendall  Co.,  Illinois,  in 

1863. 

CHILDREN    OF    GERSHOM3    AND    THANKFUL    (ANDREWS)    McEWEN. 

I.  Mary,4  b.  August  18,  1777. 
II.  Eli,4        b.  November  30,  1778. 

CHILDREN    OF    REV.    ABEL4    AND    SARAH    (BATTELL)    Jl'EWKN. 

I.  Robert,5         b.  June  22,  1808;  m.  Betsy,  daughter  of  Ebenz.  Lamed,  b. 
May  30,  1803;  grad.  Yale,  1827;  clergyman. 

II.  Charlotte,5    b.  February  9,  1810;  m.  July  7,  1834,  Cortland  L.  Latimer, 

of  Norwalk,  <>.,  b.  February  8,  1810. 

CHILDREN. 

1    Lucius,6  b.  Feb.  11,  1835  ;  d.  same  day. 

2.  Cortland,6  b.  February  20,  1836;  d.  September  26,  1836. 

3.  Cortland,6  b.  March  19,  1838;  d.  May  14,  1840. 

4.  Charlotte  McEwen,6  b.  December  13,  1841 ;  d.  August  7,  1847. 

5.  Abel  McEwen,6  b.  July  18,  1843;  d.  January  15,  1853. 

6.  Everton  Judson,6        b.  October  14,  1848. 

III.  Sarah,5         b.  May   25,    1812;  m.    January   5,    1838;    Henry   Garrett,   of 

Buffalo,  N.Y. ;  b.  August  8,  1812.     He  d.  Feb.  9,  1849. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Sarah  Battell,6  b.  December  24,  1839. 

2.  Charlotte  McEwen,6    b.  January  26,  1842. 

3.  Anna,6  b.  February  14,  1844. 

4.  Henry,6  b.  November  26,  1845;  d.  March  1,  1863. 

IV.  William,5  b.  May  29,  1814. 

V.  Ann  Buckingham,5  b.  January  15,  1817  ;  d.  November  18,  1832. 

VI.  Harriet,5  b.  September  15,  1819;  d.  July  18,  1832. 

VII.  John  Battell,5  b.  April  19,  1821 ;  d.  October  1,  1861,  unmarried. 


^ffatapz- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  59 

Enoch  Palmer  from  Farmington  came  to  Winchester  in  1767,  and 
lived  in  the  late  homestead  of  Adam  Mott,  junior,  which  stood  on  the 
site  of  Noble  J.  Everitt's  house,  next  north  of  the  Robert  McEwen  house, 
now  owned  by  Marcus  Munsill,  until  1773,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm 
on  the  old  north  country  road,  near  the  Wallen's  Hill  School-house, 
where  he  died  in  1795.  His  sons  Lazarus,  Solomon,  and  Reuben,  who 
resided  near  him  in  Winsted,  will  be  hereafter  adverted  to.  His  daughter 
Mary  was  wife  of  Reuben  Sweet.  His  wife,  Jemima,  died  May  28, 
1790;  he  married  (second)  November  23,  1790,  Elizabeth  Soper.  He 
died  1795,  in  Winsted. 


Simeon  Loomis,  supposed  from  Torrington,  is  named  of  Winchester, 
in  a  deed  of  June  29,  1767,  conveying  to  him  a  part  of  the  Salmon 
Bronson  Farm,  lying  south  of  the  road  running  west  from  the  Wade 
Tannery,  which  he  occupied  until  his  death  after  1790,  and  which  was 
afterwards  owned  and  occupied  until  1801  by  Seth  Griswold,  who  mar- 
ried Loomis's  widow.  He  married,  November  29,  1770,  Huldah  Priest. 
Administration  granted  on  his  Estate  in  Simsbury,  Probate  Court, 
January  9,  1777.  His  widow,  Huldah,  married  December  31,  1778, 
Seth  Griswold  of  New  Hartford. 

CHILDREN    OF    SIMEON    AND    HULDAH    (PRIEST)    LOOMIS. 

I.  Elisha,     b.  August  14,  1771 ;  had  wife  Mary,  and  a  daughter  Sabra  Maria, 
b.  November  14,  1804. 
II.  Lois,  b.  August  12,  1773. 

III.  Joab,  b.  June  2,  1775. 


Aaron  Cook  from  Torrington  purchased  in  1767,  and  occupied 
during  his  life,  the  lot  at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  second  tier,  first 
division,  immediately  north  of  the  Preston  reservation,  and  lived  on 
south  part  of  Blue  Street.     He  died  May  19,  1804,  aged  fifty-nine. 

CHILDREN  OF  AARON  AND  LYDIA  COOK. 

I.  Abigail,  b.  November  19,  1768. 

II.  Asenath,  b.  April  22,  1771  ;  m.  May  10,  1792,  Jonathan  Hall. 

III.  Ruth,  b.  March  12,  1773. 

IV.  Hannah,  b.  January  20,  1775  ;  m.  November  26,  1801,  Merritt  Bnll. 
V.  Joseph,  b.  December  1,  1776. 

VI.  Roger,  b.  December  20,  1781. 

VII.  Reuben,  b.  October  31,  1784. 

VIH.  Lena  Alson,       b.  March  25, 1796. 


gO  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Eleazer  Smith  had  a  child  born  in  Winchester  in  1768,  but  is 
named  of  Barkhamsted  in  a  deed  of  June  22,  1770,  conveying  to  him 
land  at  the  angle  of  the  old  road  to  Winchester  Center,  north  of  Sylvester 
Piatt's.  He  built  and  occupied  the  old  house  recently  torn  down  that 
stood  east  of  the  north  and  south  road  opposite  the  turn  westward  of  the 
road  to  the  center.  In  1791  he  sold  to  Thomas  Spencer,  junior,  after 
which  his  name  disappears.  He  had  ten  children  born  in  the  town,  hut 
it  is  not  known  that  auy  of  his  descendants  remain  among  us. 


CHILDREN  OF  ELEAZER  AND  MARY  SMITH. 

I.  Mary,  b.  October  2,  1768. 

II.  Koxy,  b.  June  21,  177<>. 

III.  Noadiah,  b.  July  5,  1772. 

IV.  Sarah,  b.  December  13,  1774. 
V.  Lucina,  b.  August  6,  1777. 

VI.  Mercy,  b.  June  6,  1779;  d.  July  1,  1779. 

VII.  Dorothy,  b.  July  4,  1780. 

VIII.  Zadoc,  b.  February  15,  1783. 
IX.  Eleazer,  b.  September  10,  1785. 

X.  David  Williams,  b.  August  3,  1787. 

Ni3AH  Gleason  from  Torringford  bought  a  house  and  lot  of  John 
Smith  in  1769,  on  the  east  side  of  Blue  Street,  near  Torrington  line, 
which  lie  occupied  until  about  1776.  In  1783  he  bought  and  lived  on 
the  west  side  of  Blue  Street,  now  a  part  of  the  farm  of  Henry  Drake. 
He  afterwards  lived  until  1793  on  Brooks  Road,  a  little  above  N.  T. 
Loomis. 

Noah  Gleason,  junior,  owned  and  occupied  land  adjoining  his 
father,  on  the  west  side  of  Blue  Street,  from  1783  to  1787,  and  after- 
wards on  the  Brooks  Road.  Both  father  and  son  occasionally  shifted 
their  residence  from  Winchester  to  Torringtou,  and  back  again. 


Daniel  Grover  of  Stratford,  a  shoemaker,  bought  in  1769  a  lot  of 
land  at  the  parting  of  the  Norfolk  and  Brooks  Street  roads,  in  first  tier, 
first  division,  which  he  occupied,  living  in  a  house  near  N.  T.  Loomis, 
until  1785.  He  had  six  fingers  on  each  hand,  and  six  toes  on  each  foot. 
He  moved  to  Unadilla,  N.Y.  Daniel  Grover  ami  Mercy  Stannard  mar- 
ried April  11,  1773.     She  died  June  5,  1776. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Mercy,         b.  May  26,  1776. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  61 

Dauiel   Grover  and   Betsy  Stanclift  married  October  13,  1778,  and 
had 

CHILDREN. 

II.  Mart,  b.  July  28,  1783  ;  d.  July  30,  1783. 

III.  Daniel,  b.  January  18,  1787. 

IV.  Timothy,  b.  March  4,  1792  ;  d.  March  6,  1792. 
V.  Betsy,  b.  May  3,  1796. 


Joseph  Hoskin  from  Torrington  came  to  Winchester  probably  in 
1769,  and  lived  on  a  road  bordering  on  Torrington  line,  at  the  south  end 
of  the  third  tier,  first  division.  He  served  as  trumpeter  in  the  cavalry 
detachment  that  went  down  from  Litchfield  County  to  Long  Island, 
whose  gaunt  appearance,  rusty  equipments,  and  pacing  horses  excited  the 
ridicule  of  Washington's  army,  until  their  good  service  in  the  battle  and 
retreat  from  Brooklyn  Heights  made  them  better  appreciated.  He 
was  a  kind-hearted  jovial  man,  as  was  indicated  by  his  life-long  sobriquet 
of '"Uncle  Joe."     He  died  in  Winsted,  December,  1818,  aged  eighty-two. 

Joseph  Hoskin,  junior,  married  August  20,  1761,  Eunice  Coe,  eldest 
daughter  of  Ebenezer  Coe,5  b.  September  22,  1742. 

children. 

I.  Rachel,2         bap.  April  12,  1762 ;  in.  December  27,  1783,  Lazarus  Palmer. 
II.  Theodore,2  bap.  in  Tor.  May  20,  1764;  died  young. 

III.  Theodore,2   b.  April  1766  ;  bap.  Tor.,  June  29,  1766;  m.  Eunice,  daughter 

of  Thomas  and  Mary  Coe,  b.  July  24,  1766. 

IV.  Roswell,2       b.  in  W.,  August  30,  1769. 

V.  Alexander,2  b.     "        August  31,  1773;  lived  in  Winsted  a  short  time,  and 
went  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 
VI.  Loranda,         b.     "        December  19,  1778;  m.  November  22,  1803,  Ichabod 
Loomis. 
VII    Gustavus,       b.     "        March  4,  1 784. 

CHILDREN    OF    THEODORE2    AND    EUNICE    (COE)    HOSKIN. 

I.  Clarissa,3  b.  ;  m.  December  12,  1808,  Christopher  Lyon. 

II.  Mariah,3  b.  •      ;  m.  Luther  Phelps. 

III.  Erastcs,3  b.  ;  removed  to  Ohio.  )       . 

IV.  Augustus,3  b.  ;  ( twms 

V.  Silas,3  b.  January  20,  1798  ;  m.  October  13,  1823,  Priscilla  Bailey,  b. 

Groton,  October   26,  1799,  daughter  of  Ransford  and  Priscilla  Bailey. 
He  d.  September  9,  1870. 
VI.  Roxana,3         m.  May  25,  1826,  m.  Alva  Oakley. 


62  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN    OF    SILAS    AND    PRISCILLA    (BAILET)    HOSKIN. 

I.  Ransford  Bailey,4       b.  June  24,  1825;  d.  October  17,  1828. 
II.  Truman  Silas,4  b.  March  23,  1827. 

III.  Theodore  Bailey,4  b.  April  26,  1829. 

VI.  Thomas  Coe,4  b.  March  15,  1831. 

V.  Erastus,4  b.  April  9,  1833. 

VI.  Charles  Sherman,4  b.  February  4,  1835. 
VII.  George,4  b.        "         5,  1837. 

Reuben  Tucker,  from  Bolton,  bought  lands  adjoining  Norfolk  line  on 
both  sides  of  Mad  River  in  1769,  on  which  he  resided  after  1770,  until 
his  death  in  1811,  at  the  age  of  64.  He  left  a  large  family  of  children, 
most  of  whom  removed  from  the  town  early.  His  son,  Isaac  Tucker, 
lived  in  the  town  as  late  as  1830.  Mr.  Tucker  built  the  first  saw-mill 
on  the  site  near  the  Norfolk  line,  now  owned  by  the  Brooks's.  He  mar- 
ried December  17,  1772,  Martha  Carrier.  He  died  Jidy  24,  1811,  aged 
64 ;  she  died  March  27,  1814,  aged  64. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Reuben,         b.  February  15,  1774;  of  Elmore,  Vermont,  in  1814. 

II.  Martha,        b.  October  13,  1775;  in.  Thayer. 

III.  Chloe,  b.  February  25,  1778;  d.  October  6,  1783. 

IV.  Ira,  b.  March  19,  1780;  d.  June  6,  1801. 
V.  Moses,            b.  June  25,  1782;  d.  July  5,  1782. 

VI.  Isaac,  b.  January  11, 1784;  m.  Nov.  5,  1805,  Pamelia  Benedict. 

VII.  Hiram,  b.  February  13,  178(5;  d.  April  14,  1794. 

VIII.  Zebina.,  b.  January  19,  1788;  of  Elmore,  Vermont,  in  1813  ;  of  Sods- 

bury,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  1817. 
IX.  Phebb,  b.  February  9,  1790. 

X.  Charity,        b.  May  7,  1792  ;  wife  of  Stephen  Ackley,  3d,  of  Chatham,  in 
1817. 

Timothy  Grover,  brother  of  Daniel,  owned  land  south  of  and  ad- 
joining Daniel's,  which  lie  occupied  until  his  death  in  1780.  He  left  no 
family. 

Captain  Jonathan  Alvord,  of  Chatham,  came  into  the  town  in  1770 
and  lived  in  a  house,  long  since  taken  down,  near  the  northwest  corner  made 
by  the  Dugway  road  where  it  turns  west  to  Winchester  center,  until  he  sold 
out  to  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp,  in  1773.  He  married,  Octoher  16, 1739,  Eliza- 
beth Sanford,  of  Milford.  She  died  at  East  Hampton,  Connecticut, 
April  7,  1764;  he  married  (2d)  East  Haddam,  November  21,  1765, 
widow  Mary  Brainard.  He  died  June  28,  1784,  in  his  seventy-third 
year. 

Eliphaz  Alvord,  Esq.,  son  of  Jonathan  above  named,  born  at  East 
Hampton,  town  of  Chatham,  January  13,  1742;  married,  November  29, 
1764,  Esther  Hart,  of  New  Britain,  born  April  1764.  In  1770  he  came 
to  Winchester,  and  following  the  marked  trees  to  the  land  he  had  pur- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  63 

chased,  cleared  and  planted  a  garden  and  built  a  log  house,  in  three 
weeks,  and  then  returned  and  moved  his  family  and  effects  to  his  new- 
home,  carrying  one  child  in  his  arms,  and  another  behind  him  on  one 
horse,  and  his  wife  riding  another  horse  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  while 
their  effects  were  drawn  on  an  ox-eart.  He  afterwards  built,  opposite  his 
first  log  house,  on  west  side  of  the  Dugway  road  a  red  lean-to  house,  a 
little  north  of  the  line  of  the  road  westerly  to  the  center,  in  which  he  re- 
sided during  his  remaining  life.  Both  houses  have  long  since  disappeared, 
and  no  new  structures  mark  their  sites. 

He  was  chosen  Town  Clerk  at  the  organization  of  the  town  in  1771, 
and  continued  to  hold  the  office,  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  until  his 
voluntary  resignation  in  1819.  His  records  are  a  model  of  accuracy  and 
penmanship ;  and  the  vote  of  thanks  for  his  faithful  services  was  well 
merited.  In  1779  he  was  appointed  the  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  in  the 
town,  and  held  the  office  until  disqualified  by  age,  discharging  the  duties 
with  equal  ability  and  rectitude.  If  in  doubt  as  to  the  law  of  any  case 
before  him  on  trial,  he  almost  invariably  went  to  Litchfield  and  consulted 
Judge  Reeve,  or  some  other  able  counsel  before  deciding  the  points.  His 
eases  were  invariably  recorded  at  large,  with  great  precision,  and  in 
perfect  legal  form,  —  even  to  the  taking  of  recognizances  and  administer- 
ing of  oaths.  His  records  give  a  better  insight  to  the  prevailing  habits, 
customs,  and  vices  of  his  day  than  can  be  obtained  from  any  other  source. 

Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  in  his  commemorative  sermon,  deposited  with 
the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  says  of  Mr.  Alvord : — 

"  He  had  a  better  education  than  most  men  of  that  day  in  the  ordinary 
walks  of  life.  He  possessed  a  strong  mind,  mature  judgment,  and  de- 
cided piety.  His  punctuality,  accuracy,  and  weight  of  character,  and 
talent  for  business,  with  his  remarkably  fair  and  legible  hand-writing, 
were  well  appreciated  by  his  fellow-townsmen.  He  held,  and  admirably 
executed  the  office  of  Town  Clerk  about  forty-six  years,  and  it  is  said,  as 
an  illustration  of  his  fidelity,  that  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  Town 
Meetings  holden  during  his  life,  he  was  present  at  all  but  one  of  them. 
When  not  detained  by  special  cause,  he  was  almost  never  absent  from 
public  worship  on  tie  Sabbath,  or  from  stated  and  occasional  meetings  of 
the  Church.  He  held  and  performed  the  duties  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  many  years,  and  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature  more  fre- 
quently than  perhaps  any  other  man.  Having  been  chosen  a  Representa- 
tive when  past  seventy  —  in  a  very  handsome  and  appropriate  address  to 
the  people,  he  acknowledged  their  former  respect  and  confidence  toward 
him,  and  declined  the  appointment,  desiring  that  he  might  never  again  be 
considered  a  candidate  for  any  office. 

His  influence  in  the  school-room,  in  the  Church,  in  the  society  and 
town,  and  wherever  he  was  known,  was  great  and  eminently  salutary." 


64  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

His  wife  died  November  18,  1818,  aged  76.     He  died  April  15,  1825, 
aged  83  years.     No  descendants  bearing  his  name  remain  in  the  town. 

CHILDREN    OF    ELIPHAZ2    AND    ESTHER    (HART)    ALVORD. 

I.  Elizabeth,3  b.  November  22,  1765 ;  d.  June  26,  1818,  unmarried. 
II.  Esther,3         b.  January  18,  1768  ;  m.  February  5,  1792,  Dea.  Levi  Piatt. 

III.  Sylvester,8  h.  February  21,  1770;  d.  March  13,  1770. 

IV.  Lois,3  b.  March  4,  1771  ;  m.  Levi  Ackley,  January  6,  1795. 

V.  John,8  b.  May  27,  1773;  m.  Winchester,  January  16,  1800,  Ex- 
perience Webb,  b.  Hillsdale,  Mass.,  Jan.  13,  1778;  he  d.  October  20* 
1841. 

VI.  Anna,3  b.  November  11,  1774;  m.  Abel  Tihballs. 

VII.  Achsah,3  b.  August  14,  1778;  d.  July  2,  1779. 

VIII.  Eliphaz,3  b.  September  29,  1780;  d.  October  27,  1780. 

IX.  Achsah,3  b.  May  21,  1782;  d.  same  day. 

X.  Elias,3  b.  March  4,  1784;  d.  April  23,  1784. 

CHILDREN    OF    JOHN3    AND    EXPERIENCE    (WEBB)    ALVORD. 

I.  Achsah,4  b.  November  11,  1800;  m.  February  22,  1829,  James  Lewis,  of 
Wethersneld  ;  settled  in  Berlin,  Connecticut ;  he  d.  in  1860;  had  chil- 
dren, Celestia  Chappel,  b.  January  20,  1830;  Edward  James,  b.  Decem- 
ber 3,  1836. 

II.  Isaac  Hylas,4  b.  July  15, 1802  ;  m.  at  Evansburg,  Pennsylvania,  February, 

1836;  d.  February  1,  1847;  had  children,  Esther,  b.  February,  1837,  d. 
February,  1842;  Mary,  b.  November,  1839,  d.  November,  1843. 

III.  Huldah  Elthy,4  b.  November  4,   1803;  m.  October  3,   1827,  Elijah  M. 

Gaylord,  of  Gainesville,  New  York;  she  d.  July  6,  1855;  had  children, 
Silas  M.,  b.  June  9,  1830;  Margarette  Experience,  b.  April,  1834; 
Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  April,  1838;  all  of  whom  married  and  settled  in 
Plainview,  Minnesota. 

IV.  Eliphaz,4  b.  March  13,  1807  :  m.  October  14,  1832,  Mary  Cravath;  she  d. 

May  4,  1861;  he  m.  (2d)  November  23,  1861,  Ruby  Bissell;  he  had 
children,  Eugene  Stow,  b.  April  9,  1835,  d.  June  29,1841;  Coridon 
Alexis,  b.  March  18,  1839,  d.  May  8,  1840:  Mary  Brainerd,  b.  March 
17,  1844;  m.  October  29,  1863,  Capt.  Sterling  Manchester;  Sarah 
Cravath,  b.  September  27,  1846;  Emma  Salome,  b.  May  5,  1851.  He  d. 
Nov.  9,  1871. 
V.  David  Sanford,4  b.  October  18,  1809;  m.  October  5,  1835,  Sarah  An- 
drus ;  settled  in  Austinburg,  Ohio ;  had  children,  Ellen  Maria,  b.  Au- 
gust 26,  1836  ;  Elizabeth  Louisa,  b.  December  20,  1837  ;  Sarah  Jennet, 
b.  January  15,  1840;  Mary  Loretta,  b.  April  19,  1841  ;  Eugene  David, 
b.  April  30,  1843  ;  d.  ;  George  Nelson,  b.  July  14,  1848 ; 

Coridon  Alexis,  b.  December  2,  1849. 
VI.  Coridon  Alexis,4  b.  May  12, 1813  ;  m.  September  6, 1836,  Mary  Ann  Buck- 
land  ;  for  many  years  engaged  in  the  printing  business  in  New  York  city ; 
retired  in  1871,  and  now  resides  near  Hartford,  Conn.;  had  children: 
Coridon  Alexis,  b.  in  Hartford,  May  30,  1827;  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  in 
Hartford,  March  20, 1839,  d.  October  8, 1843  ;  Huldah  Amelia,  b.  in  Hart- 
ford, May  31,  1841,  m.  December  5,  1860,  Henry  Howard,  and  had  a 


'AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  65 

child,  Adeline  H.,  b.  November  1,  1861,  and  her  husband  d.  December 
16,  1861  ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  in  Hartford,  March  26,  1843  ;  m.  May  3lst, 
1866,  Charles  Ferret.  Children:  Frank  Alvord,  b.  August  2,  1867; 
I. eon  Louis,  b.  Apnl  22d,  1872;  Eliphaz  Eugene,  b.  in  Brooklyn.  New 
York,  May  5,  1845,  d.  January  25,  1846;  Caroline  Experience,  b.  in 
New  York,  September  18,  1847;  m.  February  6,  1867,  Charles  B. 
Coe.  Children  :  Condon  Ward,  b.  December  5,  :  868  ;  Charles  Frederick, 
b.  in  New  York,  AugustSl,  1851,  d.  April  3,  1852  ;  Florence  Nightingale, 
b.  in  New  York,  June  7, 1857;  George  Mather,  b.  in  New  York,  October 
25,  1860. 
VII.  John  Calvin,4  b.  November  26,  1818;  d.  June  6,  1857  ;  unmarried. 
VIII.  Lois  Elizabeth,4  b.  May  5,  1820;  m.  April,  1841,  Cornelius  Vrooman ; 
he  d.  October  20,  1848 ;  she  d.  July  9,  1 850 ;  had  children,  Coridon  Alexis, 
b.  February  6,  1844;  d.  November  1,  1850;  Daniel  McKinney,  b.  Jan- 
uary 31,  1847. 

Warham  Gibbs,  from  Litchfield,  came  into  the  town  in  1770,  and 
lived  on  the  east  side  of  a  road  now  discontinued,  running  southerly  from 
Winchester  center,  by  the  first  meeting-house  to  the  Luther  Bronson  place. 
The  road,  the  house  of  Mr.  Gibbs,  and  the  old  meeting-house,  and  all 
other  traces  of  civilization  in  that  vicinity,  except  a  few  ancient  apple 
trees,  have  disappeared  for  near  half  a  century. 

Mr.  Gibbs  was  Moderator  of  the  first  Town  Meeting,  and  the  first 
Constable  of  the  town  —  also  frequently  appointed  "  to  assist  in  reading 
the  psalm"  on  Sundays,  and  to  discharge  other  public  trusts  and  duties. 
He  went  to  Ticonderoga  and  Canada  in  1775  and  1776  as  lieutenant  and 
captain,  and  did  other  service  in  the  revolutionary  war.  He  removed 
from  the  town  in  1780.  He  married  in  Suffield,  March  3,  1756,  Eunice 
Spencer. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Darius,  b.  in  Litchfield,  February  9,  1759. 

II.  Dokcas,  b.  "  "         July  15,  1763. 

III.  Miriam,  b.  "  "         January  19,  ;  d.  September  3,  1774. 

IV.  Eunice,  b.  "  "        June  11,  1772. 
V.  Zkbulon,  b.  "           "         June  2,  1774. 

VI.  Woodruff,  b.     "  "         October  15,  1776. 

VII.  Azubah,        b.     "  "         November  1,  1778. 

Lewis  Wilkinson,  from  New  Milford,  with  his  sons,  Jesse  and  Levi, 
came  to  Winchester  in  1770,  and  lived  until  1773  on  the  farm  on  the 
Brooks  road,  —  afterwards  owned  by  Abram  Andrews,  —  and  afterwards 
until  1784  on,  the  farm  on  the  west  side  of  the  Brooks  road,  recently 
owned  by  Nathan  Tibballs.      He  died  August  31,  1785. 

Jesse  Wilkinson,  son  of  the  above,  lived  on  lands  adjoining  his 
father's  in  a  red  lean-to  house.  He  married,  May  16,  1772,  Eunice 
Roberts. 

9 


66  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Eunice,  b.  December  17,  1772. 

II.  Miles,  b.  June  6,  1773. 

III.  Lois,  b.  April  16,  1774;  d.  December  26,  1774. 

IV.  Lois,  b.  May  6,  1777. 
V.  Lucina,  b.  June  18,  1781. 

Lkvi  Wilkinson,  son  of  Lewis,  lived  between  his  father  and  his 
brother  Jesse,  on  the  west  side  of  Brooks  road  until  1789.  He  married, 
April  23,  1776,  Bathsheba  Tucker. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Levi  Clark,  b.  January  23,  1778. 

II.  Elizabeth,  b.  September  19,  1782. 

III.  Ira,  b.  April  18,  1785. 

IV.  Asahel,  b.  November  10,  1788. 

Samuel  Wetmore,1  born  in  Middletown,  Middlefield  Society,  March 
13,  1692;  married,  June  21,  1722,  Hannah  Hubbard,  bom  July  21, 
1700.  He  came  to  Winchester  at  the  age  of  79  years  in  1771,  and  set- 
tled with  his  son,  Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  oc- 
cupied by  his  great  great-grand-son.  Deacon  Abel  Samuel  Wetmore.  He 
died  December  30,  1773,  aged  81,  —  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
person  whose  remains  were  deposited  in  the  Winchester  burying-ground.* 
She  died  June  4,  1797. 

CHILDREN. 

b.  December  24,  1723. 

b.  "       .18,  1725. 

b.  October  27,  1727. 

b.  April  16,  1730;  graduated  at  Yale  1757  ;  ordained  in  No- 
vember 1760;  settled  as  pastor  at  Bethel,  Connecticut,  November  25, 
1770;  had  two  children  bap.  in  Torrington,  Irenia,  March  30,  1761,  and 
Ann,  February  12,  1768. 


I. 

Samuel,2 

II. 

Hannah,2 

III. 

John,2 

IV. 

Noah,2 

V. 

Mehitabel,- 

b.  August  5, 

1732 

VI. 

Saeah,2 

b.  March  31, 

1734 

VII. 

Lois,2 

b.       "        6, 

1736 

VIII. 

Joel,2 

b.       "         9 

1738 

m.  November  23,  1763,  Sarah  Lyman; 
had  three  children  bap.  in  Torrington,  Olive,  March  10,  1765 ;  Ebenezer 
Lyman,  December  28,  1776  ;  and  Millieent,  January  19,  1772. 
IX.  Millicent,2  b.  September  15,  1739. 
X.  Mary,2  b.  July  23,  1741.  • 

*  This  burying-ground  is  held  by  a  lease  for  the  term  of  999  years,  from  Samuel 
Wetmore,  Jr.,  to  Seth.Hills,  Warham  Gibbs,  Committee  in  behalf  of  the  Society,  — 
the  lessor  reserving  the  use  and  improvement  of  the  same  as  to  the  herbage. — See 
Winchester  Land  Records,  Book  2,  page  563. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  67 

Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,2  better  known  as  Deacon  Samuel,  came  to 
the  town  with  his  father  in  1771,  and  became  a  prominent  and  eminently 
useful  member  of  the  infant  community.  He  was  chosen  one  of  the  se- 
lectmen of  the  town  at  its  first  annual  meeting,  and  one  of  the  deacons  of 
the  church  after  its  institution.  He  married  Anna  Roberts,  born  March 
16,  1723  ;  she  died  September  22,  1804;  he  died  March  2, 1809,  aged  86. 

CHILD. 

I.  Abel,3         b.  in  Middletown,  April  6,  1753. 

John  Wetmore,2  married  Elizabeth  Learning ;  they  settled  in  Tor- 
rington,  where  he  died  August  27,  1795. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,8     bap.  in  Torrington,  October  15,  1758;  m.  David  Alvord. 
II.  Seth,3  b.       "  "  March  20,  1761. 

III.  Samuel,3  b.       "  "  December  31,  1763. 

Abel  Wetmore,3  an  only  child,  came  to  Winchester  wfth  his  father 
on  the  first  Wednesday  in  May,  1771 ;  married,  May  12,  1774,  Jerusha 
Hills,  daughter  of  John.  She  died  April  30,  1780  ;  and  he  married  (2d), 
April  17,  1783,  Mrs.  Mary  (Smith)  Allen.  He  died  May  20,  1796,  and 
his  widow  married  Loveland. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Truman,4  b.  August  12,  1774. 

II.  Anna  Jerusha,4    b.  March   6,    1776;    m.   January   21,    1801,   to   Elijah 

Starks  or  Starkweather. 

III.  John,4  b.  February  6,  1778. 

IV.  Samuel,4  (known  as  Samuel  H.)  b.  March  24,  1780. 
V.  Abel,4  b.  September  23,  1783. 

VI.  Elisha,4  b.  April  11,  1785. 

Major  Seth  Wetmore,8  born  in  Torrington,  March  20,  1761 ;  lived 
in  Winchester;  married  December  9,  1779,  Lois,  daughter  of  Colonel 
Ozias  Bronson  of  Winchester.  He  died  in  Canajoharie,  N.  Y.,  April 
16,  1836. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,  2d,4  b.  in  W.,  October  7,  1780. 

II.  Skth,4  b.     "         October,    1784;  d.    at  Lake  Pleasant, 

N.  Y.,  November,  1831. 

III.  Abigail  Beach,4  b.     "        January,   1787  ;  d.  at  Eagle  Village, 

N.  Y.,  October  1858. 

IV.  Artemisia,4  b.     "         November,    1789;  d.    at  Canajoharie, 

N.  Y.,  July,  1813. 


V. 

Alphonso,4 

June,  184,9. 

b. 

VI. 

Salmon  B.,4 

b. 

VII. 

Pythagoras,4 
N.  Y. 

b. 

VIII. 

Lois  Melinda,4 

b. 

1841. 

(38  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

b.  in  W.,  February  5,   1793;  d.  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 

September  5,  1795. 

April  2,   1798,  a  lawyer  at  Canajoharie, 

June    15,    1800;   d.  in   Kentucky,   July, 

Major  Seth  Wetmore,3  had  by  a  second  wife  two  children,  born 
in  Can;ijoharie,  N.  Y. 

IX.  Lucy  Elizabeth,4  b.  May  9,  1802. 

X.  George  Clinton,4  b.  June,  1809. 

Samuel  Wetmore,;?  born  in  Torrington,  December  31,  1763 ;  mar- 
ried May  15,  1788,  Hannah  Griswold ;  he  was  known  as  Samuel 
Wetmore  2d ;  he  lived  in  W. 


CHILDREN. 

L  Selina,4 

b.  in 

W. 

March  13,  1789. 

II.  Leaking,4  (son) 

b. 

" 

February  13,  1791 

III.    KUBY4, 

b. 

" 

June  27, 

1793. 

IV.  Almeda,4 

b. 

1795. 

V.  Candace,4 

b. 

1797. 
1799.   ] 
1801. 

VI.  Calvary,4 

b. 

VII.  Samuel,4 

b. 

VIII.  Hannah,4 

b. 

1804. 

IX.  Harriet  T.,4 

b. 

1806. 

X.  Hurlbut  G.,4 

1). 

1808. 

XI.  Clarissa,4 

b. 

1811. 

(  m.  Jan.  10, 1827,  Athea  Skinner, 
m.  2d  Jan.  14, 1834,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Isaac  Bronson. 


Dr.  Truman  Wetmore,4  married  October  18,  1799,  Sylvia  Spencer, 
daughter  of  Thomas;  she  died  March  27,  1800,  and  in  her  memory  he 
added  the  name  "Spencer"  to  his  Christian  name,  December  27,  1800; 
he  married  (second)  Elizabeth  Jarvis ;  she  died  May  7,  1K44,  aged  58; 
he  died  July  21.  1861,  aged  87.  Soon  after  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  under  Drs.  Woodward  of  Torrington, 
Moore  of  Winsted,  and  McEwen  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  Receiving  his 
diploma  in  1802  he  commenced  practice  in  Vermont,  but  in  1806reiurned 
to  Winchester,  and  in  the  following  year,  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
spotted  fever  in  this  county,  he  was  the  first  who  treated  it  successfully. 
He  was  a  well-read  and  successful  physician  of  the  old  school,  a  poet  of 
local  celebrity,  a  musical  composer  (some  of  his  tunes  being  still  retained 
in  the  worship  of  the  churches),  a  man  of  genial  humor  and  tender 
feelings,  and  a  chronicler  of  olden  times  to  whom  the  compiler  is  largely 
indebted.  He  continued  in  practice  until  the  age  of  75.  His. residence 
until  about  1828   was  on  the  south  side  of  Cooper  Lane,  about  half  a 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  00 

mile  west  of  the  center,  and  during  his  remaining  life  in  the  old  Parsonage 
house,  now  owned  by  his  son-in-law,  Leonard  B.  Hurlbut. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sylvia  Eliza,5  b.  October  20,  1805  ;  m.  Leonard  B.  Hurlbut. 

II.  Darwin  Woodward,  b.  September  2,  1807  ;  d.  August  20,  1853. 

III.  William  Jarvis,5       b.  June  30,  1809;  resides  in  the  city  of  New  York;  a 

physician,  poet,  and  popular  musical  composer.     He  delivered  the  poem 
at  the  Centennial  of  the  Winchester  Church,  August  16,  1871. 

IV.  George  Whitefield,5  b.  October  1!,  1812;  graduated  M.D.,  atPittsfield, 

1838  ;  m.  November  29,  1843,  Sarah  Ann  Thompson,  b.  April  28, 1819, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Seth  and  Anne  (Burton)  Thompson;  has  children. 
George  Thompson,  b.  Amcnia,  N.   Y.,   February  9,  1845  ;  Elizabeth 
Jarvis,  b.  A.,  April  6,  1846 ;  Mary  Fitch,  b.  W.,  April  16,  1855. 
V.  Charles  Fitch,        b.  August  21,  1815;  grad.  Washington  College  in  1841. 

John    Wetmore,4    born    February    6,  1778  ;   married  November  19, 

1801,  Lucy  Nash,  daughter  of  John.  He  settled  on  the  homestead  of 
his  ancestors,  where  he  died  May  24,  1832  ;  she  died  August,  1869r 
aged  85. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abel  Samuel,5  b.  November  16,  1802. 

II.  Lucy  Esther,5  b.  December  12,  1806;  m.  September  11,  1833,  Fred. 

P.,  son  of  Miles  Hill. 

III.  Hannah  Jerusha,5  b.   June    11,    1809;    m.    October    13,    1840,    Lewis 

Whiting. 
IV.- Clarissa  Whiting,5   b.  May   14,   1816;    m.    March   30,   18.36,    George  L. 
Whiting. 

V.  Rebecca  Nash,5  b.  December  8,  1812;  m.  November  11,  1846,  Alonso 
Whiting. 

John   Wetmore,4   2d,  born  October  7,  1780 ;  married  December  30, 

1802,  Huldah  Spencer,,  daughter  of  Thomas.  He  first  lived  in  the 
house  next  north  of  A.  S.  Wetmore,  then  about  1817  to  1820,  in  the 
red  house  at  the  crossing  of  the  roads  between  the  two  lakes,  and  finally 
in  the  house  at  the  center  now  owned  by  Washington  Hatch,  where  he 
died  November  12,  1823,  aged  43.  She  married  (second)  Jonathan 
Coe. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Horatio  Lucius,5  b.  September  24, 1803  ;  m.  May  20,  1829,  Hannah, 

Catlin,   daughter  of  Horace;   she  d.   September  20,    1856,  leaving   a 
daughter  Sarah  Louisa,   b".  April  12,    1833;  he  m.  (second)   ?  1862, 
Abigail  Kilburn,  daughter  of  Elisha. 
II.  Celestia,5  b.  in  W.,  May  30,   1805;   m.  January  20,  1831, 

Luman  Catlin. 


70  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

III.  Sarepta,5  b.  in  W.,  August  2,  1807;  d.  unmarried  January 

4,  1862. 

IV.  Louisa  Matilda,6  b.       "       May   25,    1810;  m.    October   19,   1830, 

Jabez  Gillett  Curtis. 
V.   Willard  Spencer,5  b.       "       May   8,    1813;    m.    October   24,    1839, 

Julia  Ann  Woodford,  daughter  of  Erastus.     Children  :  Willie,  b.  Nov- 

2,  1841  ;  d.  same  day  ;  Julia,  b.  May,  1849;  d.  same  day. 
.VI.  John  Grinnell,5  b.  in  W.,  April  27,    1817;  m.   October  3,    1841, 

Eliza  F.    Rossiter.     She  d.  March  9,  1847,  leaving  a  daughter,  Eliza 

Rossiter,  b   February  20,   1847.     He  m.  (second)  November  1,  1848, 

Eliza  P.  Lee. 
VII.  Huldah  Ann,5  b.  July   1,   1821  ;  m.   April    17,   1844,  Jonathan 

A.  Rossiter. 

Samuel  Wetmore,4  known  as  Samuel  H.,  married  December  2, 
1802,  Sally  Beach,  daughter  of  Adna.  They  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y., 
where  he  died  March  23,  1813. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mart  Sophronia,5         b.   May  10,   1803;  m.  (first)   Silas  H.,  and  (second) 
Samuel  A.  McAlpine. 
II.  Harriet  Eliza,5  b.  November  8,  1806  ;  m.  John  McAlpine,  Jr. 

Deacon  Abel  Samuel  Wetmore,5  married  November  24,  1829, 
Lucy  Almira  Hills,  born  March  18,  1810,  daughter  of  Miles.  He  owns 
and  occupies  by  regular  descent  the  farm  of  his  ancestor  Deacon  Samuel 
Wetmore.  Possessing  a  retentive  memory,  and  a  large  fund  of  tradi- 
tional lore,  his  aid  in  the  compilation  of  these  annals  has  been  highly 
prized. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia  Ann,"  b.  August  18,  1830;  d.  June  5,  1831. 

II.  John  Nash,0  b.  in  W.,  March  8,  1833. 

Ill    Ellen  Eliza,6  b.       "       October    29,    1834;     m.    August    14,     1856, 

Stephen  G.  Beecher,  New  Milford. 

IV.  Le  Rot  Whiting,6  b.       "       September  28,  1836. 

V.  Milks  Hills,6  b.       "       September  6,  1840. 

VI.  Samuel  Abel,6         b.       "       September  25,  1842. 

VII.  Hubert  Porter,6     b.       "      February  21,  1847. 

David  Goff's  name  is  on  the  petition  for  incorporation  of  the  town 
dated  August  4,  1767,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  was  ever  a  land- 
owner, nor  is  his  residence  ascertainable.  He  was  an  early  member  of 
the  Church,  and  is  occasionally  named  on  the  records  as  holding  subor- 
dinate town  offices.  From  an  affidavit  of  Colonel  Aaron  Austin  accom- 
panying a  petition  of  GofF  for  compensation  for  military  service,  it  appears 


AND  FAMILY  EECORDS.  71 

that  he  served  as  sergeant  in  Captain  Griswold's  Company,  in  an  expe- 
dition to  Canada  in  1775,  and  that  in  1776  he  and  his  son  enlisted  in  the 
company  of  which  Austin  was  captain,  and  that  in  the  retreat  from 
Canada  in  that  year,  he  was  the  means  of  saving  the  army  from  destruc- 
tion by  devising  and  carrying  out  a  plan  of  getting  the  boats  up  the 
Chamblee  Rapids  by  means  of  drag-ropes,  with  men  on  the  shores  to  tow 
them,  instead  of  carrying  them  and  their  freight  a  circuit  of  some  miles  by 
land,  as  had  been  the  custom,  which  it  was  impossible  to  do  without 
teams,  of  which  the  army  was  destitute.  It  appears  by  the  same  docu- 
ment that  he  was  afterwards  a  lieutenant  in  the  Continental  Army.  It 
also  appears  by  Sedgwick's  "  History  of  Sharon  "  that  he  resided  in  that 
town  during  a  part  of  the  revolutionary  period. 

CHILDREN    OF    DAVID    AND    MARY    GOFF. 

I.  Irena,         b.  January  9,  1770. 
II.  Sarah,       bap.  February  10,  1771. 
Hi.  Esther,      b.  November  10,  1772. 

Captain  Benjamin  Benedict,  from  Danbury,  was  chosen  a  Sur- 
veyor of  Highways  at  the  first  annual  town  meeting.  His  first  deed 
dated  April  4,  1771,  in  which  he  is  named  Benjamin  Benedict,  junior, 
conveys  to  him  the  Colonel  Whiting  Lot  on  both  sides  of  Mad  River 
where  the  Danbury  School-house  stands.  His  homestead  stood  on  a 
discontinued  road  east  of  the  present  road,  running  east  of  the  school- 
house,  on  the  hill  south  of  Mad  River.  He  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  south 
side  of  Mad  River,  above  the  bridge,  nearly  all  traces  of  which  have  now 
disappeared.  He  removed  to  Coventry,  Chenango  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1807. 
He  married,  May  27,  1762,  Mary  Bouton. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Noah,'-  b.  May  28,  1763;  m.  May  22,  1788,  Chloe  Andrews;  lived  on 

part  of  his  father's  homestead;  his  last  deed  on  record  is  dated  1805  ; 
had  son  Noah,  b.  March  18,  1789. 
II.  Abijah,2  b.  April  30,  1765;  m.  June  11,  1789,  Abigail  Corbin  ;  lived 
south  of  Noah,  on  part  of  his  father's  original  homestead ;  he  probably 
left  town  before  1800;  had  Daniel,  b.  February  26,  1790;  Sylvester, 
b.  December  4,  1794. 

III.  Benjamin,2  b.  July  18,    1767;  m.  July 3,   1788,  Sibyl  Loomis.     He  was  a. 

deacon;  had  Wealthy,  b.  March  9,1793;  Sylvia  Melissa,  b.  May  15, 
1811.  He  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  old  country  road,  south  of  the 
Corbins. 

IV.  Eden,2  b.  May  6,  1770;  m.  May  24,   1792,  Miranda  Culver;  had  son 

Ira,  b.  May  16,  1794. 
V.  Mary,2  b.  November   10,   1772  ;  m.  October  25,   1792,  Levi  Bronson, 

second. 


72  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

VI.  Phebe,2  b:  May  30,  1775  ;  m.  August  1,  1796,  Levi  Daw. 

VII.  Eliakim,2       b.  March  9,  1778. 
VIII.  Huldah/2       b.  April  6,  1782;  m.  November  1, 1799,  Lorrain  Sweet. 

Captain  Timothy  Benedict,  from  Danbury,  named  in  his  first  deed, 
Timothy  Benedict,  Jr.,  bought  in  1771  the  eastern  half  of  the  lot  origi- 
nally purchased  by  Captain  Benjamin  Benedict,  lying  on  both  sides  of 
Mad  River,  and  enclosing  the  Danbury  school-house,  on  which  he  re- 
sided until  his  death.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Lydia  Benedict,  died  in  this  town 
February  21,  1824,  aged  95. 

The  land  records  show  that  he  had  three  sons,  Timothy,  Jr.,  William, 
and  Joshua,  who  came  with  him  to  Winchester  and  to  whom  he  conveyed 
portions  of  his  land.  There  was  an  Elizabeth  Benedict,  married  to 
Hezekiah  Elmer,  September  7,  1774,  who  may  have  been  his  daughter. 

Timothy  Benedict,  Jr.,2  owned  land  on  both  sides  of  Mad  River 
east  of  the  highway  and  running  south  from  the  Danbury  school-house, 
and  lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  road  nearly  opposite  the  Danbury  bury- 
ing-ground  until  his  decease.  He  married,  October  5,  1773,  Mary  Judd. 
She  died  September  8,  1822,  aged  75  ;  and  he  died  November  27,  1836, 
aged  89. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Deborah,3         b.  August  29,  1774;  m.  William  Crocker. 

II.  Timothy,3         b.  March  8,  1777. 

III.  Sarah,3  b.  August  17,  1781. 

IV.  Mela,3  b.  October  23,  1784. 

William  Benedict,2  son  of  Timothy,  is  named  of  New  Marlboro, 
Massachusetts,  in  a  deed  of  1786,  July  5.  No  record  of  his  family  is 
found. 

Joshua  Benedict,'2  son  of  Timothy,  is  not  found  on  the  records 
after  1786.  He  married,  November  15,  1784,  Mary  Wilcox,  and  had  a 
child,  Anna,  born  March  13.  1786.  He  removed  to  Montreal,  L.  C,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  died  there. 

Timothy  Benedict,"  son  of  Timothy,2  lived  and  died  (Mch.  29,  1820) 
in  the  house  now  owned  by  Joel  Tuttle,  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  turn- 
pike above  the  toll-gate.  He  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  John  Crocker, 
and  had  by  her 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rhoda,6        b.  September  1,  1800;  m.  Willard  Hart;  d.  in  1824. 
II.  Hannah,5      b.  November  2,  1802;  m.  Eleazcr  Andrews. 

III.  Lydia,5         b.  December  8,  1809;  m.  Charles  Seldcn;  d.,  1834. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  73 

Deacon  Nathaniel  Dutton,  from  Woodbury,  purchased  in  1771, 
Lot  33,  first  tier,  first  division,  and  built  a  house  thereon.  He  sold  a  part 
of  the  lot  to  John  Bradley  the  same  year,  and  sold  the  remainder  to 
Ichabod  Loomis  in  1773,  and  returned  to  Woodbury.  He  afterwards 
came  and  finished  the  second  meeting-house  in  1785.  He  afterwards  had 
his  permanent  residence  in  Litchfield  (Northfield  parish).  He  was  father 
to  the  late  Professor  Mathew  Rice  Dutton,  of  Yale  College,  and  of  ex- 
Governor  Henry  Dutton,  of  New  Haven. 

John  Bradley  is  described  as  of  Winchester  in  Nathaniel  Dutton's 
deed  of  December  19,  1771,  conveying  to  him  seventy  acres  from  the 
north  side  of  Lot  33,  first  division,  lying  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  a 
little  south  of  the  Widow  Everitt  house,  which  he  conveyed  to  Daniel 
Loomis  in  1778,  and  probably  then  left  the  town. 

Daniel  Platt,  from  Danbury,  bought  of  Benjamin  Benedict  a  lot  of 
land  on  Waterbury  River  turnpike,  a  little  south  of  the  Potter  place,  in 
1771,  which  he  conveyed  to  Phillip  Priest  in  1776.  He  and  his  wife, 
Thankful,  had  a  son,  Stephen,  baptized  March  13,  1774. 

.  Lemuel  Stannard,  Jr.,  from  Saybrook,  is  a  signer  of  the  petition  for 
incorporation  of  the  town  in  1771,  and  is  a  grantee  of  land  in  1772.  He 
first  owned  land  on  Blue  street,  and  afterwards  a  little  west  of  the  center. 
His  name  disappears  from  the  records  about  1780.  He  was  born  April 
13,  1750;  married,  April  14,  1774,  Christian  Spencer. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Chadncet,      b.  December  23,  1774. 
II.  Margaret,      b.  August  29,  1776. 

Abel  Stannard,  supposed  to  be  son  of  Lemuel,  Senior,  bought  in 
1779  a  lot,  lying  immediately  north  of  the  Little  Pond,  and  built  and 
lived  in  a  square-roofed  house  on  the  road  running  along  the  east  side  of 
the  pond  —  nearly  opposite  the  Dan.  Beckley  lane  —  and  sold  out  to 
Amasa  Wade  in  1803.     He  married,  June  23,  1774,  Phebe  Stevens. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Phebe,  b.  September  4,  1776. 

II.  Tomesin,  b-  April  10,  1781. 

III.  Abel,  b.      "     20,  1784. 

IV.  Sarah,  b.  March  28,  1786. 
V.  Hervet,  b.  February  18,  1788. 

VI.  Ruth  (twin),  b.  March  27,  1790. 

VII    Ltdia  (twin),  b.       "      " 

VIII.  ZhNAS,  b.  July  23,  1793. 

IX.  Giles,  b.  September  14,  1795. 
10 


74  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

Lemuel  Stannard,  Senior,  from  Saybrook,  is  grantee,  in  1778,  of  a 
lot  in  second  tier,  first  division,  near  Reuben  Chase's,  which  he  conveyed 
to  his  son,  William,  in  1789,  describing  it  as  his  homestead.  In  1796, 
he  is  alluded  to  in  a  deed  as  "  Lemuel  Stannard,  late  of  Winchester,  de- 
ceased." 

William  Stannard  occupied  his  father's  homestead  until  1790,  when 
he  sold  out  to  Col.  Ozias  Bronson  ;  and  afterwards  owned  land  in  Dan- 
bury  quarter,  which  he  conveyed  to  his  father-in-law,  Peleg  Sweet,  in 
1800.     He  married,  September  15,  1779,  Hannah  Sweet. 

CHILDREN. 

I    William,   b.  December  2,  1780. 
II.  Mercy,       b.  October  15,  1782. 

Seth  Stannard,  married,  November  13,  1785,  Martha  Preston.  He 
owned  no  land  in  town. 

CHILD. 
1.  Seth,  b.  February  15,  1786. 

Ezra  Stannard,  son  to  Lemuel  Stannard  and  Ruth,  his  wife,  born  "  at 
Saybrook,  March  13,  A.  D.  1766,"  married,  January  19,  1786,  Margaret 
Norton.  He  owned  in  1793  and  1794,  the  Humphrey  farm,  on  the  east 
side  Of  Long  Pond,  south  of  the  Pratt  farm,  which  he  sold  to  Levi  Ackley 
and  Ozias  Spencer.      In  1795,  he  is  named  of  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Charles,  b.  October  16,  1786. 

II.  Lorrain,  b.  May  9,  1788. 

III.  Orlow,  b.  April  13,  1790. 

IV.  Grinnell,  b.  January  30,  1792. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

SOCIETY  OF  WINCHESTER  ORGANIZED— FIRST  HOUSE  OF  WORSHIP. 

We  have  followed  out  the  slow  settlement  of  the  town,  from  the  first 
entry  of  Caleb  Beach  in  1750,  to  the  year  1768,  and  endeavored  to  locate 
and  commemorate  its  pioneers.  We  find  them  as  yet  confined  to  the  cor- 
ner of  the  township  bordered  on  the  northeast  by  the  Old  South-  Country 
road,  comprising  little  more  than  one-eighth  of  the  territory.  Of  the 
families  whose  prior  residence  is  ascertained,  six  were  from  Torrington, 
two  each  from  Goshen  and  Hartford,  and  one  each  from  Woodbury,  Wal- 
lingford,  Derby,  Suffield,  Stratford,  and  Farmington. 

Their  first  utterance  as  a  social  community  seems  to  have  been,  a  pe- 
tition to  the  Colonial  Assembly,  dated  August  4,  1767.  It  so  graphically 
sets  forth  their  condition  and  needs  as  to  render  it  worthy  of  transcribing : 

"  To  the  Honorable  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  Connecti- 
cut, to  be  convened  at  New  Haven  on  the  2d  Tuesday  of  October,  .1757. 

"  The  memorial  of  us  the  subscribers,  Inhabitants  of  the  Township  of 
Winchester,  in  the  County  of  Litchfield,  humbly  sheweth, 

"  That  whereas  there  is  about  18  families,  containing  82  souls,  have  be- 
gun a  settlement  in  said  Township,  and  by  reason  of  our  distance  from 
any  place  of  Public  Worship,  it  being  near  or  quite  seven  miles  to  the 
nearest,  makes  it  extremely  difficult  for  any  of  us  to  attend  public 
worship  at  any  of  said  places,  and  utterly  impossible  for  us  to  convey  our 
families,  so  that  we  are  laid  under  a  necessity  of  bringing  up  our  families 
in  Ignorance,  and  Strangers  to  publick  Gospel  Preaching,  not  being 
able  to  hire  preaching  ourselves  by  reason  of  our  infant  state  of  settle- 
ment, and  the  greatest  part  of  the  land  in  said  Township  belongs  to  men 
of  Wealth,  who  are  under  no  necessity  either  to  sell  or  to  settle  their  land, 
which  makes  our  case  peculiarly  difficult,  and  as  the  welfare  of  the  soul 
is  of  vastly  more  importance  than  that  of  the  body,  your  memorialists 
humbly  pray  that  your  honours  will  take  the  state  of  our  Case  into  serious 
consideration  and  comiterate  our  miserable  Circumstances,  and  that  you 
would  incorporate  and  form  us  into  a  Town  with  Town  privileges,  and 
lay  a  small  tax  on  all  the  divided  lauds  in  said  Township,  in  the  first  and 
third  Divisions  lying  south  and  west  of  the  Long  Pond,  such  as  may  en- 


76  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

able  us  to  support  the  Gospel  among  us,  or  otherwise  provide  for  our  re- 
lief as  you  in  your  wisdom  shall  think  best  and  most  for  the  honour  of 
God  and  interest  of  said  religion  amongst  us,  and  your  memorialists  as  in 
duty  bound  shall  ever  pray,  &c.  Dated  at  Winchester  the  4th  day  of 
August,  1767. 

SETH  HILLS,  LENT  MOTT, 

AARON  COOK,  ABEL  BEACH,  Proprietor, 

ROBERT  COE,  JOHN  SMITH, 

ROBERT  MACUNE,  DAVID  AUSTIN, 

DAVID  GOFF,  BERIAH  HILLS,  Proprietor, 

WILLIAM  FILLEY,  JOEL  BEACH, 

ENOCH  PALMER,  NOBLE  AVRED, 

THOMAS  HOSMER,  SIMEON  LOOMIS, 

ADAM  MOTT,  OLIVER  COE, 

JOHN  HILLS,  SAMUEL  PRESTON." 

Of  these  petitioners  eighteen  were  residents  of  the  town,  and  ten  of 
them  became  members  of  the  church  at,  or  immediately  after,  its  organi- 
zation. 

It  does  not  appear  that  any  action  was  had  by  the  Assembly  on  this 
petition.  Another  petition  was  brought  to  the  May  Session  in  1768, 
similar  in  substance  to  the  former,  and  signed  by  fifteen  of  the  former 
memorialists,  and  also  by  John  Preston,  Jonathan  Preston,  John  Wet- 
more,  and  Ebenezer  Preston ;  in  which  the  population  is  stated  to  be 
about  twenty-one  families  and  110  souls.  Upon  this  memorial,  the 
General  Assembly  resolved  "  that  the  inhabitants  living  on  the  west  side 
and  south  end  of  the  Long  Pond,  and  the  lands  south  of  the  same,  as  far 
as  Torrington  line,  and  all  those  west  of  said  Pond  to  Norfolk  line,  and 
north  upon  said  line  until  it  comes  to  Colebrook  line,  and  east  upon  Cole- 
brook  line,  so  far  as  to  include  the  westernmost  tier  of  lots  on  the  second  or 
northeast  division  of  lots  in  said  township  of  Winchester,  be  and  remain 
for  the  future,  one  entire  and  distinct  Ecclesiastical  Society,  ****** 
and  that  a  tax  of  one  penny  half-penny  per  acre  per  annum  be  laid  upon 
all  the  lands  lying  within  the  lines  and  limits  aforesaid,  as  well  those 
belonging  to  non-resident  proprietors  as  others,  for  the  term  of  three 
years  now  next  ensuing,  and  that  David  Austin  be  a  collector  with  full 
power  to  collect  and  pay  said  rate  or  tax  toward  the  support  of  the  min- 
istry in  said  Society,"  &c. 

Under  this  act  of  incorporation,  a  Society  meeting  was  held,  June  29, 
1768,  and  the  following  votes  passed: 

"  Voated,  that  John  Smith  should  be  Moderator  for  sd.  Meeting. 
"         that  Seth  Hills  should  be  Clark  for  sd.  Sosiety. 
"         that  all  free  agents  be  lawful  voaters. 

that  Thomas  Hosmer  should  be  fust   Commety  man   for  sd. 
>Sosiety. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  WINCHESTER.  77 

"  Voated,  William  Filey  secnd  Commety  man  for  said  Sosiety. 
"  Seth  Hills  be  third  Commety  man  for  sd.  Sosietay. 
"         that  the  Sosiety  will  except  74  pounds  of  the  tax  yearly." 

September  20,  1768,  at  an  adjourned  meeting,  it  was  "  voated,  that  the 
meeting  on  the  Saboth  should  be  continued  att  John  Hills  til  December 
next." 

"  That  the  Sisiety  will  aply  to  the  Association  for  advice."  October 
13,  1768,  "  Voated  that  ye  Society  wil  wait  til  week  after  next  for  Mr. 
Mills."* 

"  Voated,  that  the  Comity  shall  try  for  Mr.  Pitkin  proid  Mr.  Mills 
don't  coin." 

At  the  Annual  Meeting,  first  Tuesday  of  December,  1768,  Thomas 
Hosmer,  Seth  Hills,  and  John  Hills,  were  chosen  Society  Committee  : 
Seth  Hills,  Clerk,  and  Thomas  Hosmer,  Treasurer ;  and  t!ie  Committee 
were  instructed  to  apply  to  Samuel  John  Mills  to  supply  them. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting,  December  28,  1769,  the  privilege  of  voting- 
extended  to  "  all  free  agents  by  vote  of  a  former  meeting,  was  confined  to 
all  the  inhabitants  that  are  of  age  " ;  —  and  after  choice  of  Committee, 
Clerk,  and  Treasurer,  the  following  additional  appointments  were  made  : 
"  John  Hills,  Corester  ;  Abram  Filley,  Corester  ;  David  Austin,  to  read 
the  Psalm  ;  Beriah  Hills,  to  assist  to  read  the  Psalm." 

And  was  voted  "  that  our  anuel  meeting  shall  be  warnid  by  the  Com- 
inity  by  setting  up  a  paper  on  a  post  by  the  Meeting  House  at  least  eight 
days  before  y*  meeting,  telling  the  place  and  time  of  day." 

At  the  Annual  Meeting,  December  11,  1770,  after  appointment  of 
officers,  the  sweeping  of  the  meeting  house  was  set  up  to  the  lowest  bid- 
der, and  bid  otf  by  Jesse  Wilkinson,  at  5s.  6d.  for  the  year.  The  expenses  of 
the  year  were  reported  to  be  £60  4s.  3d.,  and  of  the  years  1768  and  1769, 
£69  8s.  9d.  —  and  the  meeting  adjourned  to  the  first  Monday  of  March, 
1771,  at  which  adjourned  meeting  it  was  "voted,  that  we  will  send  a  pe- 
tition to  the  Assembly  next  May  for  tound  privileges." 

"  Voted,  that  we  will  send  a  Petition  to  the  assembly  next  May  for  a 
Tax  for  the  Settlement  of  a  Minister  and  building  a  Meeting  House." 

"  Voted,  that  Beriah  Hills  and  Warham  Gibbs  shall  assist  in  reading 
the  Psalm." 

"  Voted,  that  John  Hills  and  Abram  Filley  shall  sett  the  Psalm." 

The  first  mention  of  a  meeting  house  in  the  infant  society  is  made  in  a 
vote  in  1769  already  quoted.  No  record  is  found  referring  in  any  way  to 
the  building  of  this  sanctuary  ;  nor  is  any  traditionary  account  of  its  erec- 
tion, or  by  whom  it  was  erected,  discoverable.  No  tax  was  laid  to  pay 
for  it,  and  no  building  committee  was  appointed  to  superintend  it. 

*  Rev.  Samuel  J.  Mills,  afterwards  the  venerable  and  eccentric  pastor  of  Torring- 
ford. 


78 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


On  the  20th  September,  1768,  it  was  voted  that  the  Sabbath  meeting 
should  be  held,  until  the  next  December,  at  John  Hills'  house,  which 
stood  near  the  Hurlbut  Cemetery;  —  then  follows,  in  December,  1769, 
the  vote  requiring  notices  of  society  meetings  to  be  placed  on  a  post  by 
the  meeting  house.  These  votes  would  indicate  1768  as  the  year  of  its 
erection.  It  stood  on  the  slope  of  a  hill,  on  the  west  side  of  a  road  long 
since  discontinued,  coming  up  from  the  Luther  Bronson  house,  and  pass- 
ing immediately  in  front  of  the  houses  of  Marcus  Munsill  and  Noble  J. 
Everitt,  to  Winchester  center.  The  traces  of  the  old  road  are  indistinct- 
ly visible,  but  no  indication  of  a  church  having  once  stood  on  the  sloping 
ground  on  its  borders  are  visible.  The  place  has  no  feature  of  conven- 
ience or  beauty  to  recommend  it.  Its  uneven  and  rocky  surface  would 
utterly  preclude  all  attempts  at  improvement,  while  no  village  could  have 
grown  up  around  it.  In  the  absence  of  facts  as  to  its  origin,  it  might  be 
theorized  that  it  was  originally  a  barn,  and  was  extemporized  into  a  meet- 
ing house,  —  were  it  not  that  the  height  of  the  building  fell  short  of  the 


FIRST     MEETING-HOUSE. 


requisite  of  a  barn,  and  that  no  farmer  would  ever  have  put  a  barn  in  such 
an  inaccessible  position.  A  dwelling  it  could  not  have  been  intended  for, 
as  there  was  no  cellar,  and  the  rocky  formation  would  have  precluded 
excavating  one. 

It  was  a  low,  steep-roofed  building,  thirty  feet  long  and  twenty-four 
feet  wide,  with  nine-feet  posts,  covered  with  wide  rabbeted  boards  one 


ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  CHURCH.  79 

inch  thick.  It  stood  on  a  side  hill  above  the  road,  the  rear  resting  on 
the  ground,  and  the  front  supported  by  sections  of  Chestnut  logs,  three 
to  four  feet  in  diameter,  lying  diagonally  under  the  corners.  A  huge 
chestnut  butt,  set  up  perpendicularly  at  the  front  door,  with  a  series  of 
steps  cut  crosswise  of  the  timber,  gave  access  to  the  ground  floor.  Oppo- 
site the  door  was  the  pulpit  or  rostrum,  three  to  four  feet  high.  The 
seats  were  rough  planks  or  slabs  with  legs  at  the  ends  inserted  in  augur 
holes.  Originally  there  was  no  floor  overhead ;  but  as  more  room  was 
required  to  accommodate  the  worshippers,  joists  were  inserted  in  the  cross 
beams,  and  boards  laid  down  loosely  for  a  floor,  except  on  a  space  of  nine 
feet  square,  over  the  rostrum.  This  was  the  gallery.  Access  was  gained 
to  it  by  a  plank  ladder  outside,  at  one  of  the  ends  of  the  building  ascend- 
ing to  a  door  in  the  gable.  The  interior  was  neither  ceiled  nor  plas- 
tered. The  space  beneath  the  building  was  open  on  three  sides,  affording 
a  shade  and  shelter  for  vagrant  sheep,  pigs,  and  calves. 

In  this  primitive  edifice  our  fathers  worshipped  summer  and  winter  for 
seventeen  years,  with  no  warming  apparatus  but  the  foot  stoves  of  the 
women,  and  the  sound  doctrine  of  the  minister.  Two  choristers  to  lead 
the  singing,  and  two  readers  to  line  the  psalms  were  regularly  appointed 
at  each  annual  meeting. 

Near  this  church  edifice  there  appears  to  have  been  another  religious 
building  peculiar  to  New  England  in  the  last  and  early  in  the  present 
century,  called  a  Sabbath-day  House,  or,  as  spelled  in  the  one  of  the  two 
instances  in  which  it  occurs  in  our  records,  a  "  Saba-day  House."  It  is 
first  mentioned  in  a  vote  of  temporary  adjournment  of  a  Society  meeting 
in  December,  1761,  probably  by  reason  of  the  extreme  cold  in  the  meet- 
ing house.  The  second  mention  of  it  is  in  the  survey  of  the  road  form- 
ally laid  out  and  established  in  1772,  along  the  line  of  the  bridle  path 
which  had  previously  been  the  only  means  of  access  to  the  meeting  house, 
in  which  two  prominent  land  marks  are  "  a  birch  tree  near  a  saw-mill, 
then  N.  13  E.  to  a  Sabbath-day  house."  Such  buildings  were  erected 
by  individuals  living  distant  from  places  of  worship  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  their  families  before  and  during  the  intervals  of  worship  in  the 
inclement  weather  of  winter.  They  were  generally  long,  low  buildings 
of  two  apartments,  with  a  fire  place  in  each  attached  to  one  chimney. 
A  supply  of  fuel  was  provided  in  the  fall.  Some  member  of  the 
family  or  families  owning  those  apartments  went  forward  early  on  the 
Sunday  morning  and  made  up  the  fires,  and  the-  rest  of  the  parties 
followed  in  such  season  as  to  thoroughly  warm  themselves  before  going 
into  meeting.  At  the  noon  intermission,  they  returned  to  their  rooms, 
warmed  themselves,  and  such  homely  fare  as  they  had  brought  with  them, 
ate  their  dinners,  discussed  the  morning  sermon,  and  returned  to  the 
afterooon  exercise ;  at  the  close  of  which  they  again  warmed  themselves 


80  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

at  the  fires,  and  returned  to  their  distant  homes  with  a  far  better  appreci- 
ation of  their  Sabbath  worship  than  could  otherwise  have  been  enjoyed.* 
Such  buildings,  nearly  unknown  to  the  present  generation,  are  well 
remembered  by  the  aged  people  of  New  England.  Probably  some  of 
them  still  exist  in  retired  parishes.  There  were  two  or  more  of  them  in 
a  dilapidated  state  near  the  Carmel  Meeting  House,  eight  miles  north  of 
New  Haven,  as  late  as  1820.  There  were  one  or  more  of  them  attached 
to  the  old  Town  Hill  Meeting  House  in  New  Hartford  until  after  the 
secession  of  the  Northenders  not  far  from  1830,  in  which  the  compiler 
was  hospitably  entertained  in  1822,  during  the  interval  of  worship  on 
one  of  the  coldest  winter  days  of  that  year.  The  pleasant  memory  of 
the  refreshing  warmth  of  that  snug  little  room,  contrasted  with  the  shiver- 
ing exercise  of  the  unwarmed  old  barn-like  house  of  worship  and  the 
freezing  solemnities  at  the  grave  of  a  deceased  classmate,  on  a  still  higher 
elevation,  renders  the  old  Sabaday  House  worthy  of  special  notice  as  one 
of  the  by-gone  institutions  of  New  England. 

.  In  the  early  part  of  this  century,  the  Old  Meeting  House  was  removed 
by  the  owners  of  the  land  on  which  it  stood,  to  the  rear  of  the  new  store 
of  Theron  Bronson,  Esq.,  at  Winchester  Center,  where  it  stood  in  the 
last  stage  of  dilapidation,  having  served  for  some  fifty  years  as  a  barn, 
Until  Sunday,  June  9th,  1867,  when  it  was  blown  down  in  a  violent 
thunder  storm. 

*  Prior  to  the  late  centennial,  a  diversity  of  opinion  was  found  to  exist  among  the 
residents  of  "Old  Winchester,"  in  respect  to  the  precise  location  of  this  meeting 
house.  There  was  no  one  of  them  who  had  seen  it  before  its  removal  to  another  loca- 
tion, and  apparently  not  understanding  of  the  requirements  of  the  ancient  records  in 
reference  to  its  location  above  quoted,  and  other  records  of  a  dwelling  house  once 
owned  by  "Reuben  Miner,  and  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  "  near  the  meeting- 
house." This  was  the  only  dwelling  ever  erected  in  that  vicinity.  The  location  of 
the  ancient  saw-mill  is  ascertainable,  and  not  many  rods  west  of  it,  is  the  trace  of  an 
ancient  sunken  northerly  and  southerly  road,  along  the  center  of  which  is  a  modern 
stone  wall.  On  the  east  side  of  this  road  track,  and  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from 
the  saw-mill  site,  are  the  undoubted  traces  of  the  site  of  a  dwelling  house  and  garden, 
such  as  a  continued  growth  of  "  live-for-ever,"  and  traces  of  cellar  walls,  with  frag- 
ments of  ancient  bricks,  such  as  might  have  been  used  in  constructing  the  oven.  The 
stones  in  the  wall  immediately  west  of  this  location  are  more  angular  and  square  than 
in  other  pluces,  and  were  probably  taken  from  the  old  chimney  stack  and  foundations 
of  the  house.  The  land  on  the  west  side  of  this  old  road,  near  this  chimney  place- 
slopes  down  from  the  west  in  the  manner  required  by  the  traditions  of  a  meeting  house 
resting  its  rear  sills  on  the  ground,  and  raised  to  a  level  in  front  by  the  large  logs  under 
the  corners,  and  the  steps  cut  into  a  stump  under  the  front  door. 

The  location  adopted  by  the  centennial  committee,  and  on  which  they  placed  a  stone 
monument  and  flagstaff,  is  on  the  top  of  an  eminence  several  rods  west  of  where  the 
road  must  have  run,  and  some  forty  rods  northerly  or  northwesterly  from  the  spot 
indicated  by  the  record  land  marks.  As  a  fancy  location,  it  would  be  preferable  to 
what  is  here  claimed  to  be  the  true  one:  hut  authenticated  facts  do  not  warrant  its 
selection. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

INCORPORATION  AND  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  TOWN. 

At  the  Society  meeting  on  the  first  Monday  of  March,  1771,  it  was 
voted  to  petition  the  Assembly  for  a  town  corporation.  The  Petition 
prepared  and  sent  in  to  the  May  session  of  that  year  is  as  follows : 

To  the  Honorable  General  Assembly  to  be  holden  at  Hartford  on  the  sec- 
ond Tuesday  of  May  next, 

The  memorial  of  Seth  Hills  and  John  Hills,  inhabitants  of  the  Eccle- 
siastical Society  lately  established  in  the  Township  of  Winchester,  and 
the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  said  society  humbly  showeth  ; 
.  That  your  Honors,  at  your  session  at  Hartford,  in  May,  1768,  did 
make  and  establish  a  distinct  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  said  Winchester, 
and  were  also  graciously  pleased  to  grant  a  tax  of  one  penny  half-penny 
upon  the  acre  of  all  the  lands  within  the  limits  of  said  society ;  as  well 
to  those  of  non-resident  proprietors  as  others  for  the  term  of  three  years, 
toward  the  support  of  the  Gospel  ministry  in  said  society  (which  term 
is  now  expired),  and  the  moneys  arisen  by  virtue  of  said  tax  have  been 
duly  expended  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  granted ;  by  means 
whereof  the  lands  lying  within  the  limits  of  said  society,  and  especially 
those  near  the  center  thereof,  are  much  increased  in  price,  and  some 
almost  or  quite,  doubled,  which  lands  near  the  center  chiefly  belong  to 
non-resident  proprietors,  who  have  received  by  far  the  greatest  benefit  in 
the  rise  of  lands  by  means  of  said  premises :  yet  so  it  is  that  all  of  the 
lands  in  said  Township  have  been  laid  out  for  the  sole  use  and  benefit  of 
the  Proprietors,  without  appropriating  any  part  thereof  for  the  support 
of  the  Gospel,  or  schools,  or  any  other  pious  or  public  uses  whatever ;  as 
has  been  usual  and  customary  in  many  towns  lying  in  the  northwesterly 
part  of  this  colony,  which  were  formerly  granted  to  the  Proprietors  of 
the  towns  of  Hartford  and  Windsor,  excepting  only  some  little  part  re- 
served for  highways,  which  is  by  no  means  sufficient  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose, even  for  necessary  highways  at  present,  but  many  more  must  in  a 
short  time  be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  the  inhabitants. 

Your  Memorialists  would  further  beg  leave  to  observe  to  your  Honors, 
11 


82  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

that  the  number  of  families  at  present  in  the  limits  of  said  society  amount 
to  twenty-eight,  and  the  number  of  souls  to  179.  and  that  there  are  but  four 
at  present  who  live  within  the  limits  of  said  Township,  but  which  also 
live  without  the  limits  of  said  society ;  and  that  the  greatest  part  of  your 
Memorial^ts  are  under  very  low  circumstances ;  as  they  laid  out  a  chief 
part  of  wliat  they  had  towards  purchasing  their  lands  of  the  Proprietors 
at  a  much  greater  price  than  they  otherwise  would  have  given,  upon  a 
full  expectation  that  they  should  be  assisted  by  the  non-resident  Proprie- 
tors by  way  of  general  tax  upon  all  the  lands  for  the  purpose  of  building 
a  Meeting  House,  settling  a  minister,  &c,  as  has  been  heretofore  done  in 
some  of  the  new  townships ;  and  that  your  Memorialists  have  been  at 
very  great  expense  since  their  settlement  in  said  township  in  the  sup- 
porting of  schools,  building  of  mills  and  bridges,  and  in  purchasing  and 
making  of  highways,  as  well  as  in  clearing  and  cultivating  their  lands,  a 
very  considerable  part  of  which  is  rough,  and  the  residue  very  heavy 
timbered :  By  means  whereof,  they  are  nut  able  at  present,  (without 
some  assistance)  to  build  a  Meeting  House,  settle  a  minister,  support 
proper  schools,  &c,  which  they  are  very  desirous  of  doing,  that  they 
might  be  enabled  to  attend  upon  institutions  and  ordinances  of  the  Gos- 
pel themselves,  but  also  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,  which  cannot  be  otherwise  obtained  by  reason  of 
their  distance  from  any  other  place  of  public  worship. 

Your  Memorialists  would  further  beg  leave  to  inform  your  Honors  that 
they  are  under  many  similar  inconveniences  and  difficulties,  by  reason  of 
not  having  town  privileges  among  themselves. 

Thereupon  your  Memorialists  humbly  pray  your  Honors  to  take  their 
unhappy  circumstances  into  your  wise  consideration,  and  to  grant  a  tax 
(for  such  time  and  sum  as  to  your  Honors  Avisdom  shall  seem  meet)  upon 
all  the  lands  lying  within  the  limits  of  said  Society,  as  well  those  belong- 
ing to  the  resident  population  as  others,  for  the  purpose,  and  to  be  im- 
proved in  building  a  Meeting  House,  and  settling  a  minister  in  said 
Society,  or  to  be  collected  and  laid  out  and  improved  according  to  the 
direction  of  your  Honors  ;  and  that  your  Honors-  would  also  make,  incor- 
porate and  establish  the  inhabitants  living  within  the  limits  of  said  Town- 
ship of  Winchester  into  one  distinct  and  entire  town,  with  all  the  powers 
and  privileges  that  other  towns  by  law  have,  and  do  enjoy,  or  under  such 
particular  limitations  and  restrictions  as  to  your  Honors  may  seem  just 
and  reasonable.  And-  your  Memorialists  as  in  duty  bound  shall  ever 
pray,  &c. 

Dated  at  Winchester,  this  4th  day  of  April,  1771. 

ADAM  MOTT,  DAVID    GOFF, 

JOSEPH   HOSKIN,  REUBEN   TUCKER, 

LEMUEL   STANNARD,  JR.,  OLIVER   COE, 


INCORPORATION   AND   ORGANIZATION.  83 

ABRAM  FILLEY,  BERIAH    HILLS, 

ROBERT   MACUNE,  BENONI    HILLS, 

JONATHAN  ALVORD,  AARON   COOK, 

JOSIAH  AVERIT,  BENJAMIN  PALMER, 

WARHAM   GIBBS,  JESSE   WILKINSON, 

ELIPHAZ   ALVORD,  JOEL  BEACH. 

In  compliance  with  the  prayer  of  this  Memorial,  the  Assembly  at  the 
May  Session,  1771,  Resolved  as  follows: 

"  That  a  tax  of  two  pence  on  the  acre  annually,  for  two  years  from 
the  last  clay  of  May,  1771,  be  granted  on  all  the  lands  in  said  Society  ;  — 
and  that  said  Township  of  Winchester,  with  all  the  inhabitants  thereof 
be,  and  they  are  hereby  declared  to  be  one  distinct  and  entire  town ;  with 
all  the  rights,  powers  and  privileges,  and  subject  to  the  same  rules  and 
orders,  and  to  be  under  the  same  regulations  as  other  towns  in  this  colony 
have,  enjoy,  and  are  subject  to." 

Under  this  corporate  act,  the  first  Town  Meeting  was  held,  the  Record 
of  which  is  as  follows  : 

At  a  Town  Meeting  of  the  Inhabitants  of  Winchester,  lawfully  assem- 
bled on  Monday  the  22d  day  of  July,  1771. 

Warham  Gibbs  chosen  Moderator  of  sd.  meeting. 

Eliphaz  Alvord  chosen  Town  Clerk,  and  sworn. 

Jonathan  Alvord  and  Seth  Hills,  and  Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,  chosen 
Townsmen. 

Robert  Mackune  chosen  Treasurer. 

Warham  Gibbs  chosen  Constable. 

Abram  Filley  chosen  Grand  Jury  Man. 

Oliver  Coe  and  Noah  Gleason  and  David  Goff  chosen  Surveyors  of 
Highways. 

Josiah  Averit  and  Joseph  Hoskin  chosen  Fence  Viewers. 

Beriah  Hills  and  David  Austin  and  Jonathan  Coe  chosen  Listers. 

Robert  Mackune  chosen  Leather  Sealer. 

Adam  Mott  and  Benoni  Hills  chosen  Ty thing  Men. 

Voted,  that  David  Austin's  cow  yard  be  a  pound  for  the  present. 

Voted,  that  a  Maple  tree  near  the  Meeting  House  shall  be  a  sign-post. 

David  Austin  chosen  Key-keeper. 

Voted,  that  the  Annual  Town  Meeting  in  this  Town  shall  be  on  the 
first  Monday  of  December  at  nine  of  the  clock  in  the  morning,  at  the 
Meeting  House  of  said  Town,  and  that  the  Selectmen  shall  set  up  a  noti- 
fication on  the  Sign-post  twelve  days  before  the  said  first  Monday  for  sd. 
meeting. 

Test,  ELIPHAZ  ALVORD,   Town   Clerk. 


84  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

The  settlements  of  the  town  thus  organized  were  all  embraced  within 
the  limits  of  the  first,  or  "  Old  Society  "  of  Winchester,  with  the  exception 
of  four    families  along  the  old  north  road,  running  across  the  extreme 
northeast  corner  of  the  town,  a  section  which  had  little,  if  any  community 
of  interest  with  the  original  settlements.     As  set  forth  in  the  memorials  of 
1768  and  1771,  the  physical  conformation  of  the  township  was  such  as  to 
preclude  free  mutual  intercourse  between  the  two  sections.     South  of  the 
long  lake,  mountainous  ridges  extend  to  the  borders  of  Torrington,  the 
old  south  road  entering  the  town  from  the  southeast  at  a  point  westward 
of  these  ridges.     The  long  lake  thence  extends  northerly  to  a  point  near 
the  center  of  the  town,  where  it  approaches  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
the  Little  Pond  which  extends  half  a  mile  further  north,  at  which  point 
the   mountain  range  on  the   west  side  of  Mad  River  commences,  and 
extends  northerly  to  Colebrook.     Prior  to  1780  it  is  believed  there  was 
no    road   across  this   barrier.     The   communication    through    the   town 
between  the  old  north  and  old  south  roads  was  by  a  crooked  and  difficult 
bridle  path  across  the  Still  River  and  Mad  River  valleys,  thence  winding 
around  between  the  two  ponds  and  up  the  dugway  to  the  highest  eleva- 
tion of  the  town  above   the   Deacon   Alvord  place,  and   thence  to  the 
center  of  Old  Winchester. 

The  most  feasible  lands  in  the  town  were  west  of  this  barrier.  The 
first  settlers  came  largely  from  Torrington  and  Goshen,  and  settled  along 
the  borders  of  those  towns,  or  along  the  old  south  road  already  described. 
None  of  them  were  rich,  and  most  of  them  had  scant  means  to  purchase 
the  small  tracts  of  uncleared,  heavy  timbered  lands  they  occupied. 

In  a  former  cha]jter  we  have  alluded  to  the  unshapely  and  inconve- 
nient lots  set  out  to  the  smaller  proprietors,  the  scant  reservations  of  land 
for  highways,  and  their  unavailability  to  a  great  extent  by  reason  of 
improper  location,  the  want  of  reservations  for  the  endowment  of  schools, 
and  the  reservations  to  their  own  resident  clergymen  instead  of  grants 
for  the  support  of  religious  institutions  of  the  impoverished  and  benighted 
settlers.  Add  to  these  drawbacks  the  withholding  of  their  lands  from 
sale  by  the  larger  proprietors,  that  their  value  might  be  enhanced  by  the 
improvement  of  lands  of  adjoining  resident  proprietors,  and  the  exemp- 
tion of  their  lands  from  taxation  in  aid  of  the  outlays  for  roads,  bridges, 
ministers,  churches,  and  schools.  Considering  all  these  hindrances,  and 
adding  to  them  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life,  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  at  the  twentieth  anniversary  of  Caleb  and  Joel  Beach's  advent 
the  number  of  resident  families  in  the  town  were  less  than  180. 

It  is  rather  a  wonder  that  any  but  outlaws  should  have  resorted  to  a 
region  so  forlorn  alike  in  its  physical  characteristics  and  proprietary 
management.  None  but  the  toughest  of  the  puritan  Anglo-Saxon  race 
could  have  made  headway  against  such  impediments. 


INCORPORATION  AND  ORGANIZATION. 


85 


Names  of  settlers  not  a  few  appear  on  the  land  records,  who,  after  a 
short  buffeting  with  hardships  and  discouragements  retired  from  thu 
forbidding  field,  and  large  numbers  of  others  fled  to  the  rich  lands  of 
Western  New  York  as  soon  as  they  became  accessible. 

The  names  of  ttiose  who  participated  in  the  organization  of  the  town, 
as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  ascertain  them,  and  their  prior  residence,  are  as 
follows  : — 


JONATHAN  ALVORD, 
ELIPHAZ  ALVORD, 
DAVID  AUSTIN, 
JOSIAH  AVERED, 
BENJAMIN  BENEDICT, 
JOHN  BRADLEY, 
OLIVER  COE, 
JONATHAN  COE, 
AARON  COOK, 
NATHANIEL  DUTTON, 
ABRAM  FILLEY, 
NOAH  GLEASON, 
WARHAM  GIBBS, 
DAVID   GOFF, 
THOMAS  HOSMER,  Junior, 
SETH  HILLS, 
BERIAH  HILLS, 
BENONI  HILLS, 
JOSEPH  HOSKIN, 
JOHN  HILLS,     (?) 
SIMEON  LOOMIS, 
ROBERT  McEWEN, 
ADAM  MOTT, 
ADAM  MOTT,  Junior, 
EBENEZER  PRESTON, 
ENOCH  PALMER, 
DANIEL  PLATT,     (?) 
LEMUEL  STANNARD, 
REUBEN  TUCKER, 
SAMUEL  WETMORE,  Junior, 
JOHN  WRIGHT,  Junior, 
JESSE  WILKINSON, 
LEWIS  WILKINSON, 


from  Chatham. 

do. 
"      Suffield. 

"      Woodbury  (Bethlem). 
"      Danbury. 
"      Unknown. 
"      Torrington. 

do. 

do. 
"      Woodbury. 
"      Torrington- 
"      Unknown. 
"      Litchfield. 
"      Unknown. 
"      Hartford. 
"      Torrington. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 

do. 
"      Stratford. 
"      Windsor. 

do. 
"      Wallingford. 
"      Farmington. 
"      Danbury. 
"      Unknown. 
"      Bolton. 

"      Middletown  (MiddleneldJ). 
"      Wethersfield. 
"      New  Miltord. 

do. 


This  list  comprises  five  more  names  than  the  number  of  families  stated 
to  be  residents  of  the  Society  in  the  petition  dated  April  4,  1771,.  but  it 
can  hardly  be  doubted  that  all  these,  if  not  some  four  or  five  others,  were 
inhabitants  and  voters  on  the  22d  of  July  following.  Some  of  them 
may  have  come  in  during  the  intervening  time,  or  may  not  yet  have 
become  heads  of  families. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  CHURCH  AND  SETTLEMENT  OF  FIRST  PASTOR 

n  Immediately  after  the  organization  of  the  town,  during  the  same  year, 
the  Congregational  Church  of  Winchester  was  gathered.  We  copy  the 
original  minutes  as  follows  : 

"  The  Church  of  Christ  in  Winchester  was  gathered  by  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Roberts  of  Torrington,  and  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  October  30, 
A.  D.  1771." 

The  Confession  of  Faith,  which  they  assented  to  and  adopted  as  their 
rule  for  admission  of  members,  &c,  is  as  follows,  viz : 

"  You,  and  each  of  you  do  believe  the  articles  of  ye  Christian  faith  as 
contained  in  y"  Scriptures  of  ye  old  and  new  Testament,  particularly. 

"  1.  You  believe  that  there  is  one  only  living  and  true  God  in  three 
persons,  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  ye  great  Creator,  Preserver,  and 
Governor  of  ye  world. 

"  2.  You  believe  that  God  did  make  man  in  His  own  image,  consisting 
in  knowledge,  righteousness  and  holiness,  but  man,  by  his  disobedience, 
has  fallen  from  that  holy  and  happy  state,  and  plunged  himself  into  a 
State  of  Sin  and  misery,  and  of  which  he  is  unable  to  recover  himself, 
and  in  wh.  he  might  have  been  justly  left  of  God,  to  perish  forever. 

"  3.  You  believe  that  God,  out  of  his  mere  goodness,  has  opened  a  new 
way  of  life  to  a  fallen,  guilty,  sinful  world,  by  wh.  the  mediation  of 
[his]  own  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  offered  up  himself  a  sacrifice  of 
atonement  to  God  for  ye  sins  of  ye  world,  and  that  all  are  invited  to  put 
their  trust  in  him  and  return  to  God  through  him,  and  that  there  is  no 
salvation  in  any  other  way. 

"  4.  You  believe  that  mankind,  in  their  present  fallen  State,  are  dead  in 
Sins,  and  so  contrary  to  God  and  averse  to  a  reconciliation,  that  without  the 
special  influence  of  divine  grace,  they  will  never  savingly  hearken  to  and 
comply  with  ye  gospel  call ;  so  that  ye  Conversion  and  Salvation  of  Sinners 
is  only  owing  to  ye  distinguishing  sovereignty  of  God. 

"  5.  You  believe  that  altho.  we  are  justified  by  faith,  and  saved  by 
grace,  yet  the  law,  as  a  rule  of  life,  remains  in  full  force  to  believers  ;  so 
that  perfect  holiness  of  heart  and  life  is  their  duty ;  nor  does  the  gospel 
of  free  grace  in  any  sort  Countenance  or  incourage  them  to  live  in 
ye  least  Sin. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  CHURCH.  87 

"  6.  You  believe  that  all  true  saints  shall  persevere  and  finally  be  re- 
covered by  ye  grace  of  God,  to  perfect  holiness  and  happiness  —  and  be 
perfectly  happy  in  ye  enjoyment  of  the  blessed  God  to  all  eternity,  while 
the  wicked  and  impenitent  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment." 

The  above  being  publicly  and  unanimously  owned  and  assented  to  by  all 
those  hereafter  named,  —  they  then,  after  solemn  prayer,  entered  into  a 
Covenant  with  God,  and  with  one  another,  to  walk  in  Christian  fellow- 
ship and  all  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel. 

The  form  of  the  Covenant  here  follows : 

"  A    COVENANT. 

"  You,  and  each  of  you,  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  God,  Angels  and 
men,  solemnly  chuse  and  avouch  the  Lord  Jkhovah  to  be  your  God, 
taking  Jesus  Christ  to  be  your  only  redeemer,  and  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  be  your  sanctifyer,  —  and  do  give  up  yourselves,  souls  and  bodies,  to  be 
the  Lords,  with  yours,  —  and  you  do  Covenant  &  ingage  faithfully  to 
serve  him  in  all  the  ways  of  his  appointment,  —  seeking  his  glory  as 
your  last  *  *  *  *  You  sincerely  promise,  by  assistance  ol  divine  grace, 
that  you  will  deny  all  ungodliness  and  every  worldly  lust,  and  live  sober- 
ly in  ye  world,  —  and  renouncing  Sin,  Satan  and  world,  do  bind  your- 
selves to  walk  together  in  christian  fellowship  and  Communion,  in  all  tin,1 
Ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  —  and  that  you  will  watch  over  one  another  and 
your  fellow-members  in  meekness  and  in  love,  —  and  submit  yourselves 
to  the  discipline  and  government  of  Christ  in  this  Church,  in  the  admin- 
istration and  services  of  it,  —  so  far  as  you  are  therein  directed  by  yc  un- 
erring word  of  God." 

The  Covenant  being  exhibited,  the  following  persons  publicly  owned 
and  assented  to  it,  and  were  thereupon  declared  to  be  a  visable  church  of 
Jesus  Christ,  viz : 

WIDOW  MARY  LOOMIS,  LENT  MOTT, 

WIDOW  HANNAH  AVERIT,  ABRAHAM  FILLEY, 

DINAH,  WIFE  OF  WM.  FILLY,  ROBERT  MACUNE, 

JOHN  HILLS,  JOSEPH  PRESTON, 

SETH  HILLS,  MARY  PRESTON, 

ADAM  MOTT,  AMY,  wife  of  JOEL  BEACH, 

ABIAH  MOTT,  ELIZABETH  AGARD. 

"  After  y°  Church  was  gathered,  ye  following  persons  were  admitted 
members  in  full  Com",  with  the  Church,  viz : 

DAVID  AUSTIN, 
MARY  AUSTIN, 
MARY  WILKINSON, 
MARY  GOFFE, 
MERCY  FILLEY. 


88  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

"  The  Church  then  proceeded  to,  and  made  choice  of  Robert  Macune 
to  be  the  Moderator  or  Clerk  of  this  church, 
ft  Attest, 

"NATH1.  ROBERTS,  Pastor  of  f  Ch.,  Torrington, 

"  A.  R.  ROBBINS,  Pastor  of  Ch.,  Norfolk." 

The  cursory  reader  of  these  annals  will  be  very  likely  to  pass  over 
this  record  as  a  mere  form,  without  significance  in  its  bearing  on  the  des- 
tinies of  the  newly  organized  community.  While  he  recognizes  the  im- 
portance of  a  social  compact,  such  as  the  heterogeneous  gathering  of 
settlers  had  just  adopted  for  their  civil  guidance,  he  little  realizes  the 
vitalizing  principle  imparted  by  a  humble  band  of  believers  walking  in 
Christian  fellowship,  and  in  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel.  It  is  this  inner 
life  of  a  town  or  state  that  determines  its  character  and  destinies.  If 
strong  and  vigorous,  healthful  morals  prevail ;  if  feeble,  vices  are  toler- 
ated ;  if  dead,  anarchy  succeeds  to  order,  and  licentiousness  becomes 
rampant. 

The  following  members  were  added  to  the  church  prior  to  the  ordina- 
tion of  its  first  pastor  in  1772. 

Nov.  3,  1771,  Warham  Gibbs  and  Eunice  his  wife,  by  profession. 

Jan.  19,  1772,  Ebenezer   Preston,  by    letter   from  ch.  at  Torrington. 
"       "       '•      Martha  Preston  (his  wife)    "  "  Harwinton. 

"       "       "      Eliphaz  Alvord  "  "  Chatham. 

"      "       "      Esther  Alvord  (his  wife)       "  "  " 

Feb.  10,     "      Capt.  Jon.  Alvord  "  "  « 

"      "       "      David  Goff,  by  profession. 

July  26,  "  Samuel  Wetmpre  and  Anna  his  wife,  by  letter  from 
Middlefield. 

July  26,  1772,  Simeon  Loomis,  by  profession. 

The  records  of  the  society  show  that  endeavors  were  made,  both  before 
and  after  the  gathering  of  the  church,  to  secure  a  permanent  minister. 
Mr.  Peter  Starr,  afterwards  the  life-long  minister  of  Warren,  was  invited 
to  preach,  on  probation,  in  July,  1771.  A  Mr.  Hale  was  employed  four 
"  Saboths";  a  Mr.  Potter  was  invited,  on  probation,  in  Sept.  1771,  and 
in  case  he  could  not  come,  a  call,  on  probation,  was  voted  to  Mr.  Judson ; 
and  it  was  also  voted  to  have  Doctor  Bellamy  of  Bethlem,  and  Rev. 
Mr.  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  act  for  them  in  hiring  a  candidate  "  that  they 
think  will  sute  the  society."  Sept:  30,  1771,  it  was  left  "  with  the  comity 
to  hire  a  candidate  as  they  shall  think  best,  but  not  to  hire  one  that  is 
Determined  not  to  settle."  Oct.  31,  1771,  the  committee  was  directed  to' 
"  apply  to  Mr.  Jonson  to  supply  us  six  Saboths."  Feb.  13, 1772,  it  was 
voted  "  that  the  society  will  give  Mr.  Sam"  Jonson  amedeat  call  for  a 
settlement.     Feb.  1 7th  following,  the  committee  were  directed  to  apply 


SETTLEMENT   OF  PASTOR.  89 

to  Mr.  Brooks  to  supply  for  three  Sabbaths;  and  on  the  31st  March  fol- 
lowing, an  application  was  voted  to  Mr.  Napp  to  supply  for  six  Sabbaths, 
and  the  committee  was  directed  to  go  or  send  after  him.  July  10th,  fol- 
lowing, "  Mr.  Napp  "  was  applied  to  to  preach  twelve  Sabbaths  on  pro- 
bation. 

Sept.  23,  17712.  it  was  voted  "that  the  Society  will  give  Mr.  Joshua 
Napp  a  call  for  a  settlement  in  the  ministry  amongst  us  "  —  and  a  settle- 
ment was  proposed  of  £200.  payable  in  instalments,  and  a  salary  begin- 
ning at  £35,  and  increasing  £5  annually,  until  it  should  reach  £(i5,  which 
was  modified  so  that  it  should  increase  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of 
the  grand  levy,  until  it  should  reach  £65.  The  first  Thursday  in  Novem- 
ber was  fixed  on  for  the  ordination,  and  it  was  voted  that  the  Council 
should  meet  at  Robert  Maeune's,  and  that  he  should  provide  for  them, 
and  that  John  Hills,  Samuel  Wetmore,  Jr.,  Enoch  Palmer,  Ebenezer 
Preston,  Oliver  Coe  and  John  Bradley  should  keep  houses  of  Entertain- 
ment for  Ordination.  By  a  subsequent  vote,  Mr.  Knapp  was  allowed  to 
invite  his  friends  to  Robert  Macune's,  upon  the  society's  cost. 

No  record  appears  of  the  action  of  the  church  in  calling  Mi'.  Knapp. 
The  entry  of  his  Ordination  in  the  church  records  in  his  own  hand  is  as 
follows : 

November  11,  A.  D.   1772. 

This  day  I  was  ordained  to  ye  pastoral  charge  of  y  Church  of  Christ 
in  Winchester.  The  whole  Association  were  sent  to  by  letters  missive. 
Present  the  Rev'd  Messrs. 

Dr.  BELLAMY,  [of  Bethlem.] 

Mr.   ROBBERTS,  [  "  Torrington.] 

Mr.  LEE,  [  "  Salisbury.] 

Mr.  BRINSMAIL\  ["  Washington.) 

Mr.  FARRAND,  [  "  Canaan.] 

Mr.  CANFIELD,  [  "  New  Milford.] 

Mr.  NEWEL,  [  "  Goshen.] 

Mr.  BENEDICT,  ["Woodbury.] 

:\Ir.  DAY,  [  "  New  Preston.] 

Mr.   ROBBINS,  [  "  Norfolk.] 

Mr.  HART,  [  "  North  Canaan.] 

Mr.  STAR,  [  "  Warren.] 

with  these  delegates,  also  a  delegate  from  Torringford. 

Mr.  Benedict  made  ye  first  prayer,  Mr.  Robhins  preached  yL  sermon,  — 
Mr.  Farrand  made  j"  ordaining  prayer,  —  Dr.  Bellamy  gave  y"  charge, — 
Mr.  Hart  y*  right  hand  of  fellowship,  —  Mr.   Day   made   v    concluding 

prayer, the  whole  was  performed  with  y'    greatest    Decency  and 

Solemnity. 

Test, 

JOSHUA  KNAPP,  Pastor. 
12 


90  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

We  copy  from  Rev.  Mr.  Marsh's  Commemorative  Sermon,  the  follow- 
ing notice  of  Mr.  Knapp : 

"  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp,  —  a  native  of  Danbury,  graduated  at  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1770,  —  was  ordained  Nov.  11, 1772,  —  and  dismissed  Oct  13, 1789. 
He  was  a  ready  and  easy  speaker.  Few  ministers  possessed  a  happier 
talent  at  extemporaneous  speaking.  This  operated  somewhat  unhappily 
in  his  case,  as  it  has  in  others,  by  becoming  a  temptation  to  neglect  that 
application  to  study  and  mental  discipline  which  is  essential  to  a  minis- 
ter's bringing  forth  out  of  his  treasures  things  new  and  old. 

Subsequent  to  his  dismission,  Mr.  Knapp  preached  at  North  Canaan, 
New  Hartford  and  Milton,  in  this  county.  From  Milton  he  removed  to 
Hamilton,  Madison  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  preached  a  considerable  time, 
and  from  thence  removed  to  Torrington,  where  he  spent  his  old  age  in  the 
family  of  his  son-in-law,  Deacon  Abel  Hinsdale.  Occasionally  he  visited 
the  people  of  his  former  charge,  and  as  health  permitted,  preached  to 
them.  He  departed  this  life  March  28,  1816,  in  the  72d  year  of  his  age, 
and  the  44th  of  his  ministry.  His  grave  is  in  this  parish,  among  those 
of  his  early  charge,  who  have  finished  their  earthly  course.  A  marble 
slab,  erected  by  his  friends  in  this  place,  marks  the  spot  where  his  re- 
mains await  the  summons  of  the  Archangel's  trump.  Previous  to  his 
settlement  in  "Winchester,  Mr.  Knapp  married  Mary  Keyes,  a  worthy  and 
excellent  lady,  from  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts.  They  had  two 
sons*  and  three  daughters,  most  of  whom  are  deceased.  Mrs.  K.  survived 
her  husband  a  few  years,  and  while  visiting  friends  in  New  Marlboro', 
Mass.,  became  sick,  and  died  at  that  place  at  the  age  of  about  72." 

The  besetting  sin  of  our  first  minister,  as  hinted  by  his  worthy  succes- 
sor, was  constitutional  weariness.  He  is  said  to  have  tripped  and  fallen, 
while  leisurely  walking  across  his  floor,  with  no  impediment  in  his  way, 
and  thereby  broken  his  leg.  Want  of  thrift  was  an  element  of  his  char- 
acter incident  to  his  torpidity.  He  could  not  eke  out  his  support  from 
the  scanty  salary  of  ministers  of  that  day.  On  one  occasion  he  called 
together  the  society's  Committee  and  Deacons,  and  set  forth  to  them  his 
privations,  and  his  need  of  a  more  adequate  support,  closing  with  the 
remark  that  they  ought  to  so  provide  for  him  that  he  could  live  as  com- 
fortably as  Parson  Robbins,  who  was  a  model  of  economy  and  good 
living.  Good  Deacon  Hills  replied  to  this  remark,  —  "  Mr.  Knapp,  if  we 
should  put  a  barrel,  full  of  dollars,  behind  your  buttery  door,  you  couldn't 
live  as  Mr.  Robbins  does,  for  it  ain't  in  you." 

This  trait  of  his  character,  however,  did  not  impair  his  firm  adherence 
to  principle  in  his  pastoral  duties.  The  churches  in  that  day  abounded 
with  half-way  covenant  members,  an  anomalous  class  of  professors,  who 
had  found  their  way  into  the  Christian  folds  in  the  lax  state  of  religion 
prevailing  at  the  middle  of  the  last  century.     Mr.  Knapp   seems  to  have 


SETTLEMENT   OF  PASTOR.  91 

set  his  face  against  these  interlopers,  and  to  have  barred  their  entrance 
so  the  new  church  under  his  charge.  Heart-burnings  grew  out  of  his 
somewhat  arbitrary  exercise  of  pastoral  prerogative ;  an  opposition  grew 
up,  not  only  to  him,  but  to  the  church ;  which  opened  a  way  for  Meth- 
odism, then  in  its  infancy,  to  obtain  a  footing  in  the  parish.  As  a  conse- 
quence the  growth  of  the  church,  though  perhaps  more  pure  and  healthy, 
was  slow,  and  the  influence  of  the  pastor  was  undermined. 


CHAPTER     X. 

1771  to  1775     RESUME  AND  NEW  SETTLERS. 

Beginning  our  annals  with  the  hasty  vote  of  the  Colonial  Assembly 
granting  to  Hartford  and  Windsor  nearly  all  the  unoccupied  territory  of 
the  Colony,  ostensibly  for  a  single  plantation,  but  really  to  place  it  beyond 
the  grasp  of  the  usurping  Governor  Andros,  we  have  traced  step  by  step 
the  long  controversy  growing  out  of  this  ill-advised  and  unperfected* 
grant.  We  have  seen  these  powerful  towns  assuming  a  vested  ownership, 
first  of  the  large  township  of  Litchfield,  and  then  of  the  whole  territorial 
grant,  thereby  repudiating  the  implied,  but  doubtless  understood,  trust 
incident  to  the  grant  when  made.  We  have  viewed,  with  a  modified 
sympathy,  the  awkward  predicament  of  the  Assembly  when  attempting  to 
resume  its  control  of  the  lands  in  the  face  of  its  semi-fraudulent  grant; 
and  with  no  sympathy  at  all,  the  persistent  efforts  of  those  pampered 
towns  to  hold  their  ill-gotten  domain  ;  especially  the  portion  of  it  remain- 
ing after  their  appropriation  of  the  large  township  of  Litchfield  by  metes 
and  bounds,  thereby  determining  the  extent  of  the  "  Plantation,"  provided 
for  in  the  grant.  We  have  followed  the  windings  and  turnings  of  sharp 
practice,  by  which  the  Assembly  was  finally  badgered  into  a  division  of 
the  remaining  territory  between  the  rightful  owners  and  the  unscrupulous 
claimants ;  a  division  securing  to  the  latter  1 39,778  acres  of  land,  which 
of  right  belonged  as  a  common  property  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
colony. 

We  have  detailed  the  sub-divisions  of  these  lands  until  our  own  town- 
ship fell  into  the  hands  of  the  niggardly  "  Proprietors  of  Winchester,"  and 
have  seen  how  the  long-delayed  sub-division  to  individual  proprietors  was 
so  made  as  to  preclude  any  concerted  measures  for  its  settlement,  and  to 
withhold  all  inducement  to  that  end,  which  the  customary  reservation  of 
lands  for  religious  and  educational  purposes  would  have  held  out  to  set- 
tlers. We  have  searched  out  the  squatters  who,  after  waiting  in  vain  for 
an  allotment  of  their  individual  rights,  had  selected  their  own  locations ; 
and  have  made  ourselves  acquainted,  as  far  as  possible,  with  the  succeed- 

*  No  patent  of  this  territory  was  ever  issued  by  the  Assembly  to  these  towns. 


- 


NEW    SETTLERS.  93 

ing  pioneers  —  have  ascertained  whence  they  came,  where  they  lived,  and 
how  they  fared.  We  have  seen  the  distinctive  elements  aggregate  and 
crystallize  into  a  religious  society  and  a  civil  commonwealth. 

But  as  yet  the  settlement  of  the  town  has  only  begun.  All  the  inhab- 
itants, with  the  exception  of  some  half  dozen  families,  are  located  on  and 
west  of  the  old  South  Country  Road,  a  section  not  exceeding  one-sixth 
part  of  the  township.  The  whole  population,  as  stated  in  the  petition  of 
April  4th.  1771,  is  twenty  eight  families  and  179  souls  within  the  society 
of  Winchester,  and  only  four  families  without  the  society  and  within  the 
town.  The  "  Danbury  Quarter,"  embracing  the  four  half-mile  tiers  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  town,  is,  as  yet,  nearly  unoccupied.  The  four 
families  located  without  the  society  are  on  the  North  Country  Road,  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  and  will  be  again  referred  to. 

The  slow  growth  of  a  remote  country  town  affords  few  events  that  can 
inteiest  others  than  those  connected  with  it  by  personal  or  parental  resi- 
dence. To  each  and  all  of  these,  it  is  hoped  that  the  minute  details  em- 
bodied in  these  annals  will  furnish  some  matters  of  interest  and  instruc- 
tion, and  that  their  affectionate  regard  for  their  fatherland  or  residence 
will  lead  them  to  appreciate  our  labors. 

We  propose  to  continue  our  History,  if  it  can  be  so  dignified,  mainly 
in  the  form  of  annals,  embracing  in  each  year  its  public  events,  and 
accessions  of  inhabitants,  with  such  biographical  and  genealogical  notices 
as  our  scanty  materials  will  afford,  leaving  the  settlement  of  Winsted  to 
be  separately  treated. 

1772.      . 
We  find  in  the  records  of  town  meetings  during  this  year,  no  votes  or 
proceedings  of  special  interest.     The  customary  town  officers  were  chosen, 
and  a  tax  of  "  one  penny  half-penny  on  the  pound  "  was  laid. 

The  following  new  inhabitants  are  found  on  the  records  of  this  year,  in 
Old  Winchester  Society  :  Thomas  Spencer,  Alexander  Leach,  John  Corey, 
Levi  Bronson,  Roswell  Coe,  Elisha  Smith,  Samuel  Hurlbut,  and  Keuben 
Thrall. 

Thomas  Spenckr,  from  Saybrook,  this  year  moved  on  to  the  farm 
recently  purchased  of  Bronson  and  Munsill  by  Rufus  Eglestone,  lying 
north  of  his  homestead,  and  bordering  on  the  west  side  of  the  Long  Pond 
south  of  Sucker  Brook.  The  house  which  he  built  and  occupied  during 
his  remaining  life,  remained  standing  until  the  winter  of  1862-3,  and  then 
yielded  to  the  wintry  blasts.  He  was  a  prominent  man  of  the  town,  and 
nine  of  his  children  became  heads  of  large  aud  influential  families ;  but, 
of  more  than  twenty  of  his  descendants  now  residing  in  this  town,  not  one 


94  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

bears  the  name  of  Spencer.  He  was  born  January  16th,  1736,  O.  S.  ;* 
married  April  10th,  1760,  Phebe  Grenell,  born  July  20th,  1736,  O.  S. ; 
he  died  May  1st,  1807,  aged  71  ;  she  died  October  2d,  1812. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Phebe,  b.  April  20,  1761  ;  m.  Rev.  John  Sweet. 

II.  John,  b.  October  18,  1762. 

III.  Chloe,  b.  December  15,  1764;  d.  May  16,  1767. 

IV.  Thomas,  b.  November  19,  1766. 
V.  Grenell,  b.  September  9,  1768. 

VI.  Chloe,  b.  December  4,  1770;  m.  Oliver  Coe. 

VII.  Charlotte,     b.  April  4th,  1773;  m.  Jonathan  Coe,  Jr. 
VIII.  Candace,  b.  June  14,  1775;  m.  January  17,  1798,  Ashbel  Munson,  of 

Waterbury. 
IX.  Sylvia,  b.  April  12th,  1778;  m.  Dr.  T.  S.  Wetmore. 

X.  Huldah,  b.  October  1,  1780;  m.  John  Wetmore,  2d. 

John  Spencer,2  oldest  son  of  Thomas,1  in  1784  bought  of  David 
Austin  39  acres  of  land  in  the  heart  of  the  West  Village  of  Winsted, 
embracing  all  of  Main  street  from  Camp's  Block  southerly  and  easterly 
to  Clifton  Mill  Bridge,  and  the  whole  of  High  street,  Elm  street,  the 
Green  Woods  Park  and  adjacent  streets.  He  entered  on  this  purchase, 
cleared  a  few  acres,  and  built  a  loghouse,  on  the  flat  near  the  corner  of 
Elm  and  Main  streets,  before  any  bridge  had  been  erected  across  Mad 
river  at  Lake  street,  or  any  road  opened  south  of  the  bridle  path  now 
known  as  Hinsdale  street.  Despairing  of  ever  having  access  by  a  road 
and  bridge  to  the  civilized  part  of  the  town,  and  unwilling  to  rear  a  family 
in  this  savage  region,  he  sold  his  purchase  for  three  dollars  an  acre,  and 
bought  a  two  hundred  acre  farm  in  Danbury  Quarter,  lately  owned  by 
Edward  Rugg,  then  a  well-populated  section  of  the  town,  on  which  he 
lived  until  1799.  In  1800  he  removed  to  Peacham,  Caledonia  county, 
Vermont,  where  he  accumulated  a  fortune  of  $15,000,  and  lost  it  by  be- 
coming surety  for  the  sheriff  of  the  county.  He  then  removed  to  West- 
moreland, Oneida  county,  and  after  two  years,  again  lost  his  all  by  the 
burning  of  his  house.  In  1816  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  adjoining- 
town  of  Vernon,  on  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  February  14th, 
1826,  aged  63.  He  married  February  14th,  1793,  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Abner  Marshall,  of  Torrington,  who  died  in  1849. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julius,  b.  Winchester,  January  31,  1794;   living  in  1857  at 

Lisbon,  111. 


*  Probably  descended  from  Sergt.  Jared  Spencer,  who  died  in  Haddam  in  1685, 
through  Thomas,  who  d.  in  Saybrook  before  1703.  See  Godwin's  Genealogical 
Notes,  pp.  200  and  201. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  95 

II.  Almeda,  b.  Winchester,  April  19,  1795;    m. Carter,  of 

Worthington,  0. 

III.  Geo.  Gkinnell,  b.  Winchester,  November  17,  1796;  living  in  1857  at 

Lexington,  Va. 

IV.  Harlow,  b.  in  Vermont ;  d.  at  23  years  of  age. 

V.  Sylvia,  b.  "  m.  Marshall  of  Westmoreland,  N.  Y. 

VI.  Wm.  Scott,  b.  "  of  Warsaw,  111.,  in  1857. 

VII.  Laura,  b.  in  Vermont ;  m.  —  Green,  of  Westmoreland,  N.  Y. 

VIII.  Orpha,  b.  "  m.  —  Hiscock  of  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

IX.  John,  b.  "  d.  at  the  age  of  8  years. 

X.  Franklin  Augustus,  recently  Congregational  Minister  of  New  Hartford, 
Conn.,  now  living  in  C'inton,  N.  Y. 
XL  Riley,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  in  1857. 

Thomas  Spknceu,2  a  millwright  by  trade,  lived  until  about  1795,  in  a 
house  that  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  Dug-way  road,  nearly  opposite  a 
road  that  turns  west  to  Winchester  Centre  Village.  In  1795.  in  company 
with  Benjamin  Jenkins  and  James  Boy  1,  he  built  the  first  forge  in  the 
town,  on  the  "  Old  Forge  Site,"  on  which  the  grinding  works  of  the  Win- 
sted  Manufacturing  Company  now  stand.  He  also  built  a  store  in  which 
he  traded  in  company  with  Hewett  Hills,  on  the  depot  grounds  of  the 
Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Company,  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  street ; 
and  also  the  rear  part  of  the  tenant  house  on  south  side  of  Lake  street, 
directly  opposite  the  store  building,  in  which  he  lived  until  his  removal  to 
Vernon,  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  about  1801  or  '2.  He  died  at  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  about  1828.  He  married  May  28th,  1795,  Lucy,  daughter  of 
Hewitt  Hills.  Their  children  were  three  sons,  Hilamon,'  Thomas,3  and 
Alpha,3  and  six  daughters,  Clarissa,3  Lucy,3  Sylvia,3  Huldah,3  Elizabeth,3 
and  Sabrina.3  The  two  sons,  Hilamon  and  Alpha,  died  between  the  ages 
of  fifteen  and  twenty.  All  the  daughters,  except  Clarissa,  were  married. 
The  particulars  of  this  and  the  preceding  household  were  furnished  by 
Rev.  F.  A.  Spencer,  of  Clinton,  N.  Y. 

Captain  Grinnell  Spencer  settled  in  Winsted,  and  first  lived  on 
a  high  hill  about  100  rods  west  of  the  Spencer  Street  road,  adjoining  his 
original  orchard,  which  can  be  seen  from  the  west  village  of  Winsted. 
About  1808  he  built  and  occupied  until  his  death  the  house  on  Spencer 
Street  road  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  in-law,  Amos  Pierce. 
He  improved  more  than  200  acres  of  land  as  a  dairy  farm,  and  for  many 
years  spent  his  winters  in  Charleston,  S.  O,  as  a  dealer  in  cheese.  He 
was  an  energetic,  public-spirited,  warm-hearted  man,  always  the  foremost 
to  turn  out  and  break  the  winter  roads,  to  attend  upon  the  sick,  or  to 
relieve  the  misfortunes  of  his  neighbors.  He  died  of  a  cancer  March  5, 
1843,  aged  74.     He  married  first  Abigail  ,   who  died  August 

29,  1811,  and  second  Mrs. Case  of  Farmington,  who  survived  him 

but  a  lew  years,  and  died  of  the  same  disease. 


96  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN    OF    GRINNELL2    AND    ABIGAIL    (  )    SPENCKR. 

I.  Matilda,  b.  ;  m.  Elisha  Kilbourn. 

II.  Harriet,  b.  ;  m.  first,  Sheldon  Norton  of  Bethany,  Wayne 

Co.,  Pa.,  and  second,  Rufns  Grinnell. 

III.  Abigail,  b.  1801  ;   m.   September  26,   1826,    George  Goodrich, 

(I.  September  13,  1828. 

IV.  Phebk,  b.  ;  m.  Grinnell. 

V.  Helen,  b.  ;  m.  Amos  Pierce. 

Alexander  Leach,  a  Scotchman,  came  from  New  Haven  to  Win- 
chester, and  owned  a  farm  in  the  Danbury  Quarter,  immediately  north  of 
the  Edward  Rugg  farm.  By  his  will,  proved  in  Simsbury  Probate  Court, 
it  would  appear  that  he  died  in  1777,  leaving  Catharine,  his  wife 
(executrix),  and  Alexander,  William,  Catharine,  and  Elizabeth,  their 
children.  His  wife  is  said  to  have  been  kidnapped  from  Holland  when  a 
child,  and  brought  to  this  country.  She  died  March  19,  1815,  aged  80. 
Their  daughter,  Elizabeth,  born  January  18,  1774;  married  November 
16,  1786,  Nathan  Brown. 

Alexander  Leach,  Junior,  lived  on  the  homestead  as  late  as  1791. 

William  Leach  also  lived  on  the  homestead  for  many  years,  and 
afterwards  in  other  parts  of  the  town.  He  served  in  the  continental 
army,  and  drew  a  pension.  He  died,  probably,  after  1830,  leaving  a  son, 
Alva,  and  perhaps  other  children.  He  married  March  24,  1783,  Sarah 
Thompson. 

John  Cokey,  from  Goshen,  owned  and  occupied  in  1772—3,  a  part  of 
the  W.  F.  Hatch  farm  on  the  Little  Pond,  and  probably  soon  after  left 
the  town. 

Lieutenant  Thomas  Hurlbut,  immigrant,  ancestor  of  Captain 
Samuel  Hurlbut  of  Winchester,  belonged  to  the  first  company  that  gar- 
risoned the  Fort  at  Saybrook  in  1636.  He  served  and  was  wounded  in 
the  Pequot  War  in  1637;  settled  in  Wethersfield,  and  is  supposed  to 
have  died  soon  after  1671.     His  wife  was  Sarah 

Stephen,3  fifth  son  of  Lieutenant  Thomas,1  and  Sarah  Hurlbut,  was 
born   in   Wethersfield  about  1649,  and   there  resided  until   1690,  after 
which   no    further  record   is   found  of  him.      He  married,  first,  Dorothy 
,  December  12,  1678;  second,  Phebe 

Thomas,3  son  of  Stephen,2  and  Dorothy  Hurlbut,  born  in  Wethersfield 
January  28,  1680,  became  a  farmer  and  settled  there.  He  married, 
January   11,  1705,  Rebecca  .     He  died  April  10,  1761  ;  she 

died  March  22,  1760. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  97 

Amos,4  son  of  Thomas3  and  Rebecca,  born  in  Wethersfield,  April  14, 
1717,  settled  there,  and  married  June  10,  1742,  Hannah  Wright  of 
Wethersfield,  who  died  July  25,  17o6  ;  he  married,  second,  March  3, 
1757,  Sarah  Hill,  who  died  in  1764  ;  he  married,  third,  March  10,  1766, 
Sarah  Lattimer.  He  died  in  1777  or  earlier,  administration  having 
been  granted  on  his  estate  February  22  of  that  year.  He  had  by  his 
first  wife  Hannah,  Samuel,1  born  about  1746;  married  at  Torrington, 
December  1.  1768,  Rebecca  Beach;  by  his  second  wife,  Sarah  Stephen,5 
born  in  Wethersfield,  December  12,  1760,  and  Martin,''  baptized  in 
Wethersfield,  June  12,  1763. 

Captain  Samuel  Hurlbut,5  from  Newington  Society  (Wethers- 
field), came  from  Torrington  to  Winchester,  and  first  purchased,  with  his 
brother  in-law,  Levi  Brouson,  the  Artemus  Rowley  farm,  near  Torring- 
ton line,  in  the  third  tier,  from  whence  he  removed  in  1774  to  the  center, 
and  built  the  red  lean-to  house  which  stood  on  the  site  of  his  grandson, 
Samuel  Hurlbut's  present  dwelling,  where  he  lived  until  his  death, 
March  23,  1831,  at  the  age  of  83.  He  began  the  world  as  a  carpenter 
and  joiner,  afterwards  became  a  tavern-keeper,  at  a  period  when  "  The 
Land  Lord  "  stood  next  in  rank  after  the  mini.-ter  and  merchant,  at  the 
same  time  managing  a  large  farm  and  a  saw  mill ;  and  in  later  years 
engaged  with  his  sons,  Samuel  and  Lemuel,  in  country  trade. 

He  was  a  sedate,  thinking,  methodical  man  of  great  energy  and  thrift, 
the  second  magistrate  of  the  town,  and  a  representative  in  seventeen 
sessions  of  the  General  Assembly. 

In  the  words  of  Rev.  Mr.  Marsh,  "he  closed  a  useful  life,  after  having 
lived  in  the  parish  fifty-nine  years,  and  enjoyed  a  good  share  of  respect 
and  confidence  as  a  magistrate,  and  in  other  departments  of  public 
business.  Having  been  one  of  the  earliest  inhabitants,  and  having  pur- 
chased a  large  quantity  of  land  in  the  center  of  the  parish,  he  did  much 
to  promote  the  settlement  of  the  place,  by  disposing  of  his  lands  on  so 
easy  terms  as  to  induce  others  to  settle  here.  The  public  green  and 
ground,  on  which  the  meeting  house  stood  until  recently,  were  given  to 
the  Society  by  him.  He  manifested  great  respect  for  the  institutions  of 
the  Gospel,  and  gave  some  evidence  of  piety,  though  not  a  professor." 

From  the  town  records  and  a  memorandum  in  his  handwriting,  we 
compile  the  following  account  of  his  family  : — 

Samuel  Hurlbut,5  married  in  Torrington,  December  1,  1768,  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Abel  Beach.  He  died  March  23,  1831,  aged  83.  Rebecca 
(his  widow)  died  October  27,  1829,  aged  84. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Silas,6  b.  July  6,  1769;  died  unmarried  December  24,  1793. 

II.  Leonard,6      b.  May  18,  1771. 
13 


98  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

ITT.  Maroatcet,6  b.  March  2,  1773;  m.  John  McAlpine. 
IV.  Samuel,8  b.  March  13,  1775;  d.  October  4,  1776. 
V.  Lucy,6  b.  October  6,  1777  ;  m.  May  12,  1797,  Sylvester  Hall  of  Burke, 

Vermont. 
VT.  "Rebkcc  \,6       b.  November  30,  1 779 ;  m.  Church  of  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

VTT.  Sxmiel.6  b.  October  2,  1783. 

VIII.  Lemuel,6  b.  September  20,  1785. 

General  Leonard  Hurlbut,8  oldest  son  of  Captain  Samuel,  lived 
and  d  ed  in  the  house  recently  occupied  by  his  son  in-law,  William  H. 
Rood,  about  a  mile  northeasterly  from  Winchester  Center.  He  was  a 
large  dairy  farmer,  and  an  unassuming,  exemplary  man.  He  married, 
October  17,  1708,  Huldah  Case.  She  died  August  16,  1800,  aged  23. 
He  married,  second,  February  14,  180),  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Daniel 
Hurlbut  Cone,  born  January  29,  1784;  died  June  16,  1839.  He  "died 
December  21,  1851,  aged  81. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 
I.  Hilamon,7  b.  October  14,  1799;  d.  about  1861,  in  Platte  Co.,  Mis- 


souri. 


CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 


II.  Silas,7  b.  Mav  16,  18' '6. 

III.  Huldah,7  b.  February  7,  1808;  d.  January  25,  1818. 

IV.  Leonard  Beach/7  b.  July  23,  1811 ;  m.  October  21,  1835,  Sylvia,  daughter 

of  Dr.  Truman  S.  Wet  more. 


1.  Sylvia  Elizabeth,8  b.  September  29,  1840. 

2.  Charlotte  Jarvis,8  b.  September  13,  1845. 

V.  Elizabeth  Huldah,7  b.  November  19,  1818;  m.  November  5,  1845,  Wm. 
H.  Rood. 

Samuel  Hurlbut,  Junior,6  second  son  of  Captain  Samuel,  went  into 
trade  at  Winchester  Center  in  early  life,  with  Chauncey  Humphrey,  and 
afterwards,  in  company  wiih  his  bio:her  Lemuel,  continued  the  business, 
until  his  death,  at  the  age  of  74.  He  was  a  man  of  good  education  and 
studious  habits,  a  close  applicant  to  his  business,  and  a  careful  manager, 
rarely  leaving  home  except  to  make  his  semi-annual  purchases  of  goods, 
and  never  indulging  in  any  useless  expense  or  hazardous  speculations. 
With  these  characteristics,  and  with  the  co-operation  of  his  more  ener- 
getic brother,  an  estate  of  more  than  $200,000  was  accumulated  and 
transmitted  to  their  heirs. 

Mr.  Hurlbut  was  a  man  religiously  educated  and  inclined,  but  not  a 
professor;  a  supporter  of  good  order  and  religious  institutions;  charitable 
to  the  poor,  and  occasionally  liberal  to  public  benefactions.  The  death 
of  his  younger  brother,  who  had  for  so  many  years  pushed  forward  the 
business   which  he  had  regulated,  came  upon  him  with   stunning  force. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  99 

His  mind  lost  its  balance.  He  attempted  to  make  a  will,  and  after 
bequeathing  legacies  of  five  thousand  dollars  each  to  the  Ameiican  Bible, 
Home  Missionary,  and  Tract  Societies,  and  appointing  executors,  he 
executed  the  instrument,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  estate  to  be  legally 
divided  to  his  heirs.  He  lived  a  consistent  bachelor,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  74,  on  the  22d  day  of  October,  1857. 

Lemuel  Hurlbut,8  youngest  child  of  Captain  Samuel,5  was  endowed 
with  a  hardy  constitution,  a  manly  person,  plea-it  >g  address,  and  a 
sanguine  temperament.  His  perceptive  faculties  predominated  over  his 
intellectual,  and  his  tastes  ran  to  fine  animals  and  h'glily  cultivated  lands. 
Though  a  large  trader,  he  was  r;irely  seen  at  the  desk  or  behind  the  coun- 
ter. His  department  of  the  business  of  the  brothers,  S.  &  L.  Hurlbut, 
was  to  receive  and  market  the  cht-ese,  of  which  they  were  extensive  pur- 
chasers, and  to  cultivate  and  improve  their  lauds.  For  more  than  thirty 
years  he  spent  his  winters  at  Baltimore  in  the  tale  of  cheese  which  had 
during  the  fall  been  purchased  from  the  dairy  farmers  of  this  region.  His 
summers  were  occupied  in  superintending  his  farming  operations,  and  in 
raising  and  improving  domestic  animals,  for  which  he  had  a  passionate 
fon  Iness.  His  horses,  sheep,  and  oxen  were  unsurpassed  in  excellence 
and  beauty.  About  1820,  he  introduc  d  upon  his  1arm  the  puie  Devon 
breed  of  cattle,  the  fir.-t  of  this  beautiful  and  serviceable  stock  brought 
into  the  State.  From  ifis  herd  the  breed  has  been  largely  diffused 
through  the  Northern  and  Western  States.  The  unrivaled  strings  of 
pure  red  working  oxen  that  gra  e  the  agricultural  lairs  of  this  county,  at- 
test the  valuable  service  he  performed  for  the  agricultural  interest  of  this 
region;  while  the  ample  profits  realized  atie.-t  his  sagacity  and  thrift. 

During  a  pei  iod  of  seventy  3  ears  from  his  birih,  Mr.  Hurl1  ut  had  never 
been  visited  with  sickness  requiring  the  attendance  of  a  doctor.  In  the 
fall  of  18.")5,  he  came  home  trom  the  Mas  achu-etis  State  Fair,  suffering 
from  a  severe  cold  contracted  during  his  absence,  and  aggravated  by  im- 
prudent exposure.  After  confinement  to  h  s  bed  for  one  hundred  da\s, 
his  strong  frame  yielded  to  decay,  and  he  expired  February  19.  18  6,  at 
the  j'ge  of  seventy  and  a  half  years.  He  m  de  a  pr.  fe-sion  of  relig  on, 
and  united  with  the  Congregational  Church  May  1,  1853.  He  married 
Ann  H.  Phelps,  of  Norfolk  ;  she  died  July  18,  1807,  a^ed  76. 

CHILDRKN. 

I.  Caroline,7  b.  May   20,    1811;    m.   October   24,    1832,  John 

Rutherford,  of  Macon,  Ga. 
II.  Elizabeth  Ann,7  b.  December  1.3, 1813;  m.  June  23,  1838,  Dr.  John 

H.  T.  Cockey,  of  Frederick  Co.,  >ld. 
III.  Lemuel,7  b  March  8,1816;  m.  Florania,  daughter  of  Juhn 

Westlake. 


100  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  Samuel,7  b.  January  12,  1818. 

V.  Jeremiah  Phelps,7         b  January  16,  1821  ;  d.  January  27,  1821. 
VI.  Rebecca,7  b.  March  9,   1826 ;  m.   June  7,   1848,  Henry  P. 

Chapman  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

Stephen  Hurlbut,5  born  December  12,  1760;  half  brother  of 
Samuel,5  from  Wethersfield,  Newington  Society,  came  into  the  town 
about  1782;  he  bought  and  settled  on  a  lot  of  land  south  of,  and  near, 
Rufus  M.  Eggleton's.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  April  14,  1807,  aged 
46,  he  resided  in  the  farm  house  of  Mrs.  Boyd,  on  East  Lake  Street. 
He  married  Abigail  Meeker;  she  was  born  August  14,  1768,  and  died  in 
1856. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah,6  b.  July  11,  178";  m.  Walter  Dickinson;  d.  1855. 

II.  Eunice,6  b.    "      29,  1789;  m.  David  Hubbard,  of  W.  Hartford. 

III.  Amos,6  b.  February  13,  1792;  m.  Eleanor  Elmore. 

IV.  Lucy,6  b.  April  21, 1794  ;  m.  Daniel  Phelps,  Jr. 
V.  Mart,6  b.  August  27,  1796  ;  m.  Charles  Clark. 

VI.  Samuel,6      b.  October  31,1798;  is   known   as   Samuel   Hurlbut,   2d;    m. 
March  19,  1822,  Lavinia  Blake;  she  d.  May  26,  1864,  aged  63;  he  d.  in 
the  spring  of  1872. 
Vn.  Huldah,6     b.  February  15,  1801 ;  d.  unm.  October  31,  1830. 
VIII.  Silas,6  b.  March  27,  1803  ;  m.  Ruth  Goodwin. 

IX.  Clarissa,6   b.  August  18,  1806;  m.  Sherman  Goodwin. 

Martin  Hurlbut,5  from  Wethersfield,  came,  when  a  boy,  to  live  with 
his  half-brother,  Captain  Samuel,5  and  continued  to  re>ide  in  the  town 
until  his  death,  April  n5,  1810,  at  the  age  of  47.  He  built  and  lived  in 
the  old  part  of  the  hou<e,  on  the  height  of  land  a  mile  south  of  the  Win- 
sted  depot,  known  as  the  Pratt  Hou-e,  and  now  owned  by  James  W. 
Ward,  which  he  sold  to  Andrew  Pratt  in  1801 :  after  which  he  lived  on 
South  Street,  in  Winsted,  until  1808,  when  he  bought  and  occupied 
the  farm  on  the  easterly  shore  of  Long  Lake,  now  owned  by  his  son  and 
only  child,  Deacon  Joseph  W.  Hurlbut.  He  married,  September  10 
1787,  Elizabeth  Wheeler;  she  died  May  27,  1849,  aged  85.  They  had 
one  child, 

Joseph  Wheeler  Hurlbut,6  born  July  20,  1793  ^  in.  April  25, 
1817,  Sarah  Merrill,  born  June  18,  1794;  daughter  of  Stephen.  She 
died  October  29,  1861,  aged  70  years. 

children. 

I.  James  Martin,7      b.  January  5,  1818;  d.  August  14,  1847,  unmarried. 
II.  Joskph  Merrill,7  b.  September  28,  1824;  m.  June  2,  1869,  Anne  Augusta 
Field. 
III.  Warren  PmNEAS,7b.  January  4,  1827. 
VI.  Wm.  Flowers,7      b.        "      27,1835. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  101 

Deacon  Levi  Bronson,  from  Berlin,  married,  October  25,  1769, 
Hannah  Hurlbut,  sister  of  Samuel,  and  came  with  him  to  Winchester. 
He  built  the  Artemas  Rowley  house,  in  which  he  lived  until  about  1795, 
when  he  moved  to  Cattskill,  New  York.  A  cotemporary  says  of  him: 
"  Mr.  Bronson  was  a  large  and  prosperous  farmer,  and  withal  a  mer- 
chant. His  goods  for  trade  he  mainly  bought  of  Sheldon  Leavitt,  of 
Bethlem.  He  made  a  large  amount  of  potash.  He  was  a  prudent, 
straight-forward  man  in  all  his  business.  His  store  was  in  his  dwelling- 
house,  —  the  first,  and  for  many  years,  the  only  store  in  the  town.  Up- 
right, kind,  generous,  and  exemplary,  he  made  his  life  adorn  his  religious 
profession.  After  he  settled  in  Cattskill  he  engaged  somewhat  in  navi- 
gation ;  —  and  by  it,  lost  money  ;  and  afterwards,  with  property  dimin- 
ished, he  removed  to  Vernon,  Oneida  County,  New  York,  where  he  spent 
his  remaining  days."    He  married,  October  25,  1769,  Hannah  Hurlbut. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Levi,  b.  July  30,  1770;  d.  April  18,  1775. 

II.  Lemuel,  b.  Oct.  23,  1772;   d.  March  6,  1775. 

III.  David,  b.  Dec.  23,  1774. 

IV.  Levi,  b.  May  15,  1777. 
V.  Hannah,  b.  July  21,  1784. 

VI.  Lucy,  b.  Dec.  9,  1786. 

VII.  Sarah,         b.  Nov.  28,  1789. 

Captain  Roswell  Coe  came  from  Torrington  and  bought  a  farm  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  town,  which  he  occupied  until  his  sale  of  the 
same  to  John  Lucas  in  1789,  when  he  returned  to  Torrington. 

Elisha  Smith,  Esq.,  from  Torrington,  bought  of  Enoch  Palmer,  the 
Noble  J.  Everitt  place,  about  a  hundred  rods  south  of  Winchester  center, 
which  he  occupied  until  1776,  when  he  sold  to  Martin  North  and  returned 
to  Torrington,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  life  as  a  farmer  and  trader, 
occupying  a  high  position  as  a  magistrate  and  representative  of  the  town. 
He  was  born  in  the  ancient  town  of  Farmington,  August  14,  1751  ;  mar- 
ried in  Torrington,  November  25,  1773,  Lucy  Loomis.  He  died  Jan- 
uary 9,  1813. 

children. 

I.  Elisha,         b.  July  19,  1775 ;  d.  in  Tor.,  August  9,  1776. 
II.  Orrel,         b.  in  Tor.,  Jan.  30,  1778;  m.  Russell  C.  Abernethy. 
III.  Almira,        b.      "  "     12,  1780;  d.  April  20,  1780. 

Reuben  Thrall,  from  Torrington,  bought  and  occupied  until  his 
death,  May  23,  1777,  a  farm  immediately  north  of  Roswell  Coe's,  in  the 


102  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

southwest  part  of  the  town,  afterward  a  part  of  the  Wade  farm  ;  he  died 
May  20,  1777,  and  his  widow  married  William  Barbour,  September  26, 
1778;  and  about  1798,  removed  with  him  to  Burke,  Caledonia  County, 
Vermont. 

CHILDREN  OF  REUBEN  AND  RUTH  THRALL. 

I.  Alexander,  d.  Oct.  27,  1786. 
II.  Erastus,         b.  Feb.  14,  1773. 

1773. 

The  town  records  of  1773  show  that  the  customary  town  officers  were 
chosen,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  straighten  the  line  between  Winches- 
ter and  Torrington ;  a  vote  was  passed  to  restrain  swine  from  running  at 
large,  and  another  directing  the  Proprietor's  committee  to  lay  out  the 
road  from  the  Dugway,  to  Colebrook,  already  mentioned. 

The  Society  records  show  that  the  usual  officers  were  chosen,  including 
three  choristers  and  two  readers  of  the  psalms.  It  was  provided  that  the 
psalms  should  be  read  before  singing  for  four  months,  and  that  thereafter 
they  should  be  sung  without  reading.  It  was  also  voted  to  raise  two 
pence  on  the  pound  of  the  rateable  estate  for  the  support  of  schools ;  and 
the  society  was  divided  into  three  School  Districts,  whh  h  were  to  receive 
their  rateable  portions  of  the  money  raised ;  but  an  adjourned  meeting 
in  January  of  the  following  year  reconsidered  all  the  votes  concerning 
schools. 

The  last  vote  of  the  year  was,  "  that  we  desire  Mr.  Farrand  and  Mr. 
Newell  and  Marsh,  shall  come  out  and  give  their  advise  concerning  some 
difficulty  in  this  place."  The  difficulty  referred  to  grew  out  of  a  disa- 
greement of  the  church  and  society,  in  respect  to  the  privileges  of  half- 
way covenant  members  of  the  church.  Prior  to  the  ordination  of  Mr. 
Knapp,  the  church  had  voted,  "  That  upon  persons  owning  the  covenant, 
they  may  have  their  children  baptized,  while  they  cannot  see  yr.  way 
clear  to  come  to  yr  Lord's  table." 

About  a  month  after  Mr.  Knapp's  ordination  (Dec.  1 6)  a  series  of 
standing  rules  were  adopted  by  the  church  ; — the  seventh  of  which  was, 
"that  all  persons  who  in  other  places  have  owned  what  is  called  the  half- 
way covenant,  in  order  to  be  admitted  to  special  privileges  in  this  church, 
shall  renewedly  and  explicitly  own  ye  Gospel  Covenant."  After  the 
adoption  of  this  rule,  Joseph  Hi  skin  and  Jonathan  Coe  applied  for  admis- 
sion to  membership  on  letters  from  Mr.  Robert's  church  in  Torrington. 
This  application  brought  the  disputed  question  to  a  practical  issue.  The 
church  passed  an  explanatory  vote  "  that  the  vote  of  the  church  which 
allowed  baptism  to  ye  children  of  persons  owning  the  covenant,  was  in 
our  view,  and  as  we  account,  to  be  understood  a  whole  covenant,  without 
any  clause  left  out;"  and  thereupon  refused  to  receive  the  applicants. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  103 

Upon  this  state  of  the  question,  the  counsel  of  Messrs.  Farrand, 
Newell,  and  Marsh  was  asked  by  the  concurrent  vote  of  the  church  and 
society.  The  council  met,  on  the  25th  day  of  January,  1774,  and  came 
to  a  divided  result.  Messrs.  Marsh  and  Newell  were  of  opinion  that  the 
church  rules  above  quoted  were  not  consistent.  They  further  say  "  that 
certain  persons  also  applying  to  us,  and  complaining  of  injury  done  them 
by  ye  church  in  not  accepting  of  yl  letters  of  recommendation  from  y" 
Rev.  Mr.  Roberts,  and  claiming  privileges  by  virtue  of  their  recommend- 
ation. It  is  our  opinion,  y'  letters  ought  to  be  read  to  this  chh.  and  ye 
persons  recommended  be  admitted  to  j"  privileges  of  baptism  for  yr. 
children,  agreeable  to  ye  vote  of  sd.  ch.  before  ordination  of  Mr   Knapp." 

Mr.  Farrand  dissented  from  the  opinion  of  his  colleagues,  for  the  fol- 
lowing reasons : 

"  1.  As  the  church  declares  they  never  meant  to  have  any  other  but  a 
gospel  covenant,  and  'twould  be  strange  if  a  chh.  of  Jesus  Christ,  cove- 
nanting to  walk  together  in  his  holy  ordinances,  should  have  only  a  po- 
litical covenant,  or  a  mere  le^al  covenant,  which  they  must,  have,  if  not  a 
gospel  one,  or  no  covenant  at  all. 

"  2d.  The  C  hh.  had  a  covenant  written  and  assented  to  at  their  incor- 
poration by  ye  members  of  ye  Chh.,  which  they  say  they  agreed  that  all 
future  members  should  own  ;  and  ye  same  covenant  is  what  they  now 
call  a  Gospel  Covenant. 

"  3d.  They  say  that  they  never  meant  to  divide  ye  covenant  but  only 
to  indulge  tender  consciences  'til  they  could  receive  further  light,  wh. 
they  are  willing  to  do  now ;  ^but  ye  judgment  (of  the  majority)  was  that 
ye  covenant  must  be  divided,  and  this  clause  left  out,  that  obliged  them 
to  walk  in  all  ye  ordinances  of  ye  Lord,  so  that  such  may  come  into  cov- 
enant, who  will  not  promise  to  walk  in  all  ye  ordinances  of  ye  Lord,  but 
only  such  as  they  pick"  out  and  chuse. 

"  4th.  The  first  vote  says  that  all  that  have  their  children  baptized  shall 
own  their  covenant,  wh.  must  mean  either  a  Gospel  covenant  or  ye  Cove- 
nant y*  ye  Chh.  of  Winchester  had  adopted ;  but  if  their  vote  meant  a 
Gospel  covenant,  they  require  no  more  of  'em  now,  but  if  they  meant  to 
distinguish  ye  covenant  which  ye  Chh.  had  then,  from  a  Gospel  covenant, 
they  require  no  more  of  them  but  to  adoj)t  the  same  covenant  they  then 
had,  and  are  ready  to  indulge  tender  consciences ;  whereupon  I  conclude 
they  have  not  broken  covenant,  nor  gone  off  from  their  first  plan  in  their 
2d  vote." 

This  divided  counsel,  of  course,  satisfied  neither  party,  and  in  no  way 
tended  to  heal  the  dissention.  At  a  subsequent  meeting,  May  3,  the  so- 
ciety voted  u  to  choose  four  men  to  treat  with  Mr.  Knap  concerning  the 
difficulty  among  us,  and  to  see  if  he  will  join  with  the  society  in  chusing 
a  mutual  council."     The  church  on  May  9,  unanimously  voted  "  that  it  is 


104  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

our  opinion  that  ye  association  to  which  we  helong  is  y°  proper  board  for 
us  to  be  tried  by,  and  by  them  we  are  ready  to  be  tried  at  any  suitable 
time." 

Whether  the  matter  was  carried  before  the  Association  (or  Consocia- 
tion ?)  does  not  appear,  but  it  may  be  inferred  that  under  some  new  ad- 
vice or  counsel,  a  new  gloss  was  added  to  the  church  covenant,  at  a  meet- 
ing Dec.  14,  by  inserting  the  clause  "  only,  in  case  you  may  labor  under 
any  scruples  of  conscience  with  respect  to  immediate  attendance  upon 
ye  Lord's  supper,  you  may  be  indulged  in  your  absenting  until  you  have 
had  proper  light  for  conviction  "  It  was  also  voted  "  that  we  understand 
ye  import  of  ye  covenant  entered  into  by  this  Chh.  to  be  consistent  with 
indulging  per.-ons  that  have  any  scruples  of  conscience  about  coming  im- 
mediately to  ye  Lord's  Supper,  in  absenting  themselves  from  that  ordi- 
nance until  they  have  had  sufficient  light  to  convince  them  that  it  is  their 
indispensable  duty  to  attend  upon  it  agreeable  to  the  vote  of  ye  Chh.  re- 
lating to  persons  owning  yr.  covenant  being  allowed  to  have  ye  children 
baptized,  tho.  they  cannot  see  their  way  clear  to  come  to  ye  Lord's  table." 
It  was  also  voted  '-that  persons  bringing  letters  from  other  churches, 
previous  to  their  being  admitted  into  this  Chh.  shall  explicitly  renew  ye 
covenant  with  us." 

This  controversy  in  our  infant  church  might  well  remain  in  the  obscur- 
ity of  our  imperfect  and  scattered  records,  and  consigned  to  oblivion, 
were  it  not  for  the  results  of  good  and  evil  that  flowed  from  it  in  all  the 
subsequent  history  of  the  parish  and  town.  Good  men  became  dis- 
affected towards  the  standing  order,  and  arrayed  themselves  in  hostility 
to  the  pastor,. who  set  his  face  determinedly  against  the  compromise  of 
principle  involved  in  a  half-way  consecration  to  the  Lord,  and  may  have 
displayed  more  of  arbitrary  zeal  than  of  wise  consideration  in  his  efforts 
to  annul  the  unholy  compact. 

Luther  Lee,*  or  some  other  early  apostle  of  Methodism,  came  into  this 
region  about  that  period  ;  and  the  new  evangel  was  welcomed  by  the  op- 
ponents of  the  standing  order.  A  number  of  the  patriarchs  of  this  town 
received  it  gladly,  and  left  it  as  a  legacy  to  their  children.  A  church 
was  organized  at  "  Noppit "  in  Torrington,  near  the  border  of  this  town, 
where  the  opponents  of  Mr.  Knapp  found  refuge.  Another  was  organ- 
ized at  an  early  day  in  Winsted,  which  has  grown  into  a  large  and  influ- 
ential body.  The  asperities  of  early  years  have  died  away.  Sectarian- 
ism has  yielded  to  Christian  love,  and  the  members  of  the  two  commun- 
ions differ  little  but  in  name  from  each  other.  Their  combined  influence 
in  advancing  and  extending  the  cause  of  religion  is  far  greater  than 
could  be  effected  by  one  united  body. 

*  The  compiler  has  recently  learned   that   the   two  earliest  Methodist  ministers 
preaching  in  the  town  were  named  Covill  and  Stoneman. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  105 

1773. 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  1773,  were  Abram  Andrews  and  his 
sons,  Theophilus,  Abram,  Jr.,  Daniel  and  Eli,  John  Austin,  Rev.  Joshua 
Knapp,  Hawkins  Woodruff,  Reuben  Miner,  and  Gideon  Wilcoxson. 

Capt.  Abram  Andrews,  Senior,  from  Danbury,  bought  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres,  lying  north  of  the-old  Everitt  house,  in  the  Danbury  Quarter, 
now  in  part  belonging  to  Mr.  Tibball's  farm,  a  part  of  which  he  occupied 
until  his  death.  Out  of  his  eighty-acre  lot  he  successively  apportioned  as 
advancements  to  his  four  sons,  ten  acres  each,  and  to  two  of  his  daughters 
five  acres  each,  in  parallel  strips  running  north  and  south  through  the 
farm,  and  eventually  sold  out  the  remainder  in  driblets,  and  died  landless 
October  29,  1805,  aged  84.  Over  his  grave  in  the  Danbury  Quarter  is  a 
marble  slab  "  erected  by  his  daughter  Laurana."  He  was  born  about  1721, 
at  Grassy  Plain,  in  Danbury,  son  of  Robert  and  Anna  (Olmsted)  An- 
drews, grandson  of  Abraham  and  Sarah  (Porter)  Andrews,  and  great- 
grandson  of  John  and  Mary  Andrews,  who  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  Farmington.  He  married  Sarah  Taylor,  of  Bethel ;  from  whence  she 
brought  a  letter  of  dismission  to  the  church  in  W.,  November      ,  1774. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Theophilus,2       m.  October  4,  1764,  Phebe  Benedict. 
II.  Abram,2  m.  April  24,  1773,  Sarah  Young. 

III.  Ensign  Daniel,2  b.  1749,  m.  Sarah  Hall;  she  d.  October  3d,  1822. 

IV.  Eli,2  m.  August  29,  1787,  Ruth  Rockwell. 
V.  Chloe,2                  m.  May  22,  1768,  Noah  benedict. 

VI.  Ladkana,2  m.  September,  1804,  Israel  White,  of  Sharon. 

Theophilus  Andrews,  son  of  the  foregoing,  is  described  by  a  cotem- 
porary  as  "  a  Yankee,  dyed  in  the  wool ;  by  profession  a  tinker,  he  trav- 
ersed the  northern  part  of  the  county,  with  his  kit  of  tools  in  a  pair  of 
leather  saddle-bags  swung  over  his  shoulders,  mending  brass  kettles  and 
molding  pewter  spoons  and  buttons."  He  continued  his  peregrinations  as 
late  as  1810,  and  afterwards  went  to  live  with  a  son  in  central  New  York. 
None  of  his  descendants  remain  in  the  town.  He  married  October  4th, 
1764,  Phebe  Benedict. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Eliakim,         b.  April  17,  1765. 
II.  James,  b.  January  17,  1767. 

III.  Theophilus,  b  March  18,  1768;  d.  March  19,  1768. 

IV.  Naomi,  b.  April  30,  1769. 

V.  Phebe,  b.  February  20,  1772;  d.  May  29,  1775. 

VI.  Betsey,  b.  April  28,  1774. 

VLI.  Phebe,  b  May  9,  1776;  d.  February  14,  1777 

VIII.  Lucr,  b  January  1,  1778. 

IX.  Roswell,        b.  October  8,  1779. 

14 


106  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Abram  Andrews,  Jr,  is  described  by  the  same  cotemporary  as  "a 
Yankee  diverse  fi  om  '  Theof.,'  but  of  equal  doodle.  Both  were  wise-acres, 
but  neither  of  them  added  more  than  a  cubit  to  his  ten  acre  patrimony." 
He  removed  to  central  New  York  after  1805.  He  married  April  24, 
1773,  Sarah  Young. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Levi,  b.  January  21,  1777. 

II.  Abraham,  b.  August  15,  1779. 

III.  Sarah,  b.  April  4,  1782. 

IV.  John  Sprague,  b.  May  22,  1784. 

V.  Chloe,  b.  January  10,  1788. 

VI.  Sylvester,  b.  November  26,  1795. 

Ensign  Daniel  Andrews,  third  son  of  Abram,  Senior,  "was  a  man 
of  sense,  energy,  industry  and  uprightness."  He  built,  and  occupied  until 
his  death,  July  20th,  1828,  aged  79,  the  lean-to  house  a  little  east  of  the 
Danbury  school  house,  now  owned  by  Lyman  H.  Gilbert.  He  married 
April  2d,  1771,  Sarah  Hall;  she  died  October  3d,  1822,  aged  69. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rhoda,     b.  June  24,  1771  ;  m.  Levi  Grant,  of  Norfolk. 
II.  Daniel,   b.  October  25,  1772. 

III.  Anna,        b.  April  3,  1774. 

IV.  Hcldah,  b.  October  14,  1775. 
V.  Sarah,     b.  February  16,  1777. 

VI.  Ezra,  b.  September  13, 1 778 ;  had  wife,  Paulina.  Children :  Paulina  Louisa, 
b.  June  22,  1804 ;  Huldah  Emeline,  b.  May  17,  1806 ;  and  Jerusha 
Fidelia,  b.  October  15,  1807. 

Eli  Andrews,  fourth  son  of  Abram,  Senior,  lived  on  a  part  of  his 
father's  original  farm  until  his  removal  to  central  New  York,  after  1801. 
He  married  August  29,  1787,  Ruth  Rockwell. 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Joel,        b.  December  29,  1787. 
II.  Clara,     b.  June  4,  1789. 

III.  Abigail,  b.  March  27,  1792. 

IV.  Polly,      b.  August  15,  1793. 


Daniel  Andrews,  son  of  Ensign  Daniel,  married  Sarah  Piatt ;   she 
died  December  16,  1848,  aged  72 ;  he  died  October  4,  1854,  aged  82. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Platt,  b.  March  6,  1799 ;  m.  March  6, 1 828,  Nancy  Gilbert ;  she  d.  June 

25,  1850;  he  m.  (2d)  the  widow  of  Ira  Hull.     He  d.  June 
16,  1860,  s.  p. 
II.  Amos,  b.  July  15,  1801 ;  d.  September  20,  1845. 


AND  FAMILY  KECORDS.  107 

III.  Augustus,     b.  January  23,  1806  ;  d.  August  2,  1853,  at  Council  Bluff,  Iowa. 

IV.  Maria,  b.  November  15,  1808;  m.  Willard  Hart. 
V.  Hiram,  b.  May  12,  1813. 

VI.  Lewis,  b.  December  10,  1814  ;  m.  October  5,  1840,  Caroline  P.  Culver. 

VII.  Hcldah,  b.  September  1,  1817;  m.  Milo  M.  Wadsworth.  * 

VIII.  Harriet,         b.  November  4,   1819;   m.    (1st)  Albert  Jaqua;    (2d)   Correl, 
Manchester. 

John  Austin  bought  this  year  of  David  Austin,  thirty-five  acres  of 
land  within  the  present  village  of  Winsted,  and  sold  the  same  to  John 
Walter  in  1779,  and  is  described  in  the  deeds  as  of  Winchester.  Whence 
he  came  and  where  he  went  is  not  ascertained. 

Rr.v.  Joshua  Knapp,  from  Danbury,  the  recently  ordamed  Pastor, 
purchased  and  lived  on  a  lot  next  South  of  the  homestead  of  Eliphaz 
Alvord,  Esq.,  at  the  north-west  corner  made  by  the  parting  of  the  east  and 
west  road  to  Winchester  Centre,  from  the  north  and  south  Dug-way  road. 
His  dwelling-house  was  demolished  early  in  this  century. 

CHILDREN  OF  THE  REV.  JOSHUA  AND  MRS.  MART  KNAPP. 

I.  Mart,  b.  December  8,  1772. 

II.  Abigail  Bract,  b.  August  16,  1774. 

III.  Elizabeth,  b.  October  11,  1776;  d.  June  29,  1777. 

IV.  Joshua,  b.  July  2,  1778. 

V.  Elizabeth,  b.  January  28,  1781. 

VI.  Caleb  Bushnell,  b.  June  16,  1783. 
VII.  Martha,  b.  October  21,  1785. 

VIII.  Florilla,  b.  May  12,  1787 ;  d.  June  1,  1787. 

LX.  Florilla,  b.  July  23,  1788. 

Hawkins  Woodruff  bought,  and  lived  a  few  years  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  Frederick  Murray,  on  the  old  road  from  Winsted  to  Winchester 
Centre.  He  sold  out  to  Samuel  Clark  in  1777.  Whence  he  came  and 
where  he  went  is  not  ascertained.     He  married  June  4,  1773,  Lois  Hills. 

CHILD. 
Clara,  b.  March  24,  1774. 

Reuben  Miner  came  from  New  London,  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
and  first  built  a  house  and  shop  near  the  original  meeting  house,  from 
whence  he  removed  in  1775  to  the  centre  of  the  township,  and  built  and 
occupied  until  his  death  the  old  hou-e  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Joel 
G.  Griswold,  on  the  old  road  from  Winsted  to  Winchester.  He  was  a 
man  of  earnest  piety  and  zeal  and  an  estimable  citizen.  He  married  Mrs. 
Sanderforth.*     He  died  February  15,  1826,  aged  85,  leaving  no  record  of 

*  The  marriage  of  this  worthy  couple  was  said  to  be  of  the  Enoch  Arden  order- 
They  were  both  residents  of  New  London.  Mrs.  Sanderforth 's  first  husband  was  a 
sea  captain,  who  was  shipwrecked  on  a  distant  voyage,  and  not  being  heard  from  for 


108  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

his  family.  He  had  two  daughters,  Esther  and  Lucy.  Lucy  lived  and 
died  single.     Esther  married  David  Strong. 

Jonathan  Sweet  is  described  on  the  land  records  of  this  year  as  of 
Winchester,  and  subsequently  as  of  Goshen,  and  then  again  as  of  Win- 
chester. He  first  owned  the  B.  B.  Rockwell  farm,  between  the  two  ponds, 
and  afterwards  a  tract  of  land  on  Blue  street,  adjoining  Goshen  line.  He 
may  have  temporarily  resided  on  both  places.  He  sold  out  his  land  in 
1781,  and  probably  then  left  the  town.  He  married  August  29,  1773, 
Esther  Lewis. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  May  16,  1774. 

II.  Lorrain,  b.  February  16,  1776;  d.  Marcb  24,  1778. 

III.  Jonathan  Lewis,  b.  June  26,  1778. 

IV.  Lucy,  b.  June  30,  1780. 

Gideon  Wilcoxson,  from  Stratford,  owned  and  is  supposed  to  have 
lived  on  land  lying  north  and  northeast  of  the  Little  Pond,  probably  the 
Daniel  Beckley  place.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  died, 
while  a  prisoner,  in  the  Sugar  House  in  New  York.  His  estate  was 
administered  in  the  Simsbury  Probate  Court,  and  distribution  made  to 
his  brothers  Elisha,  David,  and  John,  and  his  sisters  Elizabeth  Lake, 
Ruth  Hubbell,  Martha  Beach,  Huldah  Coe,  and  Abia  McCune. 

1774. 

We  find  the  following  votes  of  1774,  which  reflect  no  credit  on  the 
infant  town : — 

"  It  was  put  to  vote  whether  Lent  Mott  should  be  an  inhabitant  of  this 
town,  and  it  was  voted  in  the  negative." 

"  It  was  put  to  vote  whether  Widow  Sarah  Preston  should  be  an 
inhabitant  of  this  town,  and  it  was  voted  in  the  negative." 

"  It  was  put  to  vote  whether  Benjamin  Preston  should  be  an  inhabitant 
of  this  town,  and  it  was  voted  in  the  negative." 

When  it  is  considered  that  each  of  these  parties  was  a  pioneer  settler, 
that  the  first  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Church,  still  in  good 

several  years,  was  believed  to  be  lost.  Mrs.  Sanderforth,  after  some  years  of  supposed 
widowhood,  married  Mr.  Minor ;  and  soon  afterwards,  Capt.  Sanderforth  re  appeared 
and  claimed  his  wife.  The  two  husbands  finally  agreed  that  the  wife  should  decide  to 
which  of  them  she  would  adhere ;  and  that  she  and  her  selected  husband  should  move 
out  of  New  London  county.  She  adhered  to  Mr.  Minor,  and  they  forthwith  moved 
to  Winchester.  Their  marriage  was  in  some  way  legalized,  and  their  lives  were  ex- 
emplary, affectionate,  and  pious.  She  was  a  refined  woman,  and  highly  esteemed. 
Some  of  her  Sanderforth  children  followed  her  to  this  town,  one  of  whom,  a  daughter, 
married  William,  son  of  John  Miner. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  109 

standing,  and  that  the  other  two  were  admitted  to  membership  in  1775, 
it  is  hard  to  assign  any  other  cause  than  poverty  for  these  disfranchising 
votes. 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were  Ozias  Brownson  and  his  sons,  Ozias, 
Junior,  Levi  (second),  Salmon,  Asahel,  Abijah  P.,  and  Isaac ;  Joseph 
Frisbee,  Phineas  Griswold,  Ambrose  Palmer,  Joel  Roberts,  Peter 
Corbin,  and  his  sons,  Peter,  Junior,  and  Daniel ;  John  Videto  and  his 
son,  John,  Junior  ;  Stephen  Wade  and  his  son,  Amasa  ;  Ichabod  Loomis, 
William  Castel,  Benjamin  Preston,  and  Gideon  Smith. 

Col.  Ozias  Brownson  lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  Reuben 
Chase,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  southerly  from  the  center.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  and  farmer,  and  is  described  by  a  cotemporary  as  a  "  professor 
of  religion,  somewhat  fierce  and  overbearing,  industrious  and  thrifty, 
abounding  in  horses.  He  had  children,  one  daughter  and  six  sons. 
These  sons  were  of  gigantic  strength,  and  the  Colonel  worked  the  five 
oldest  to  a  great  profit."  He  served  as  a  Lieutenant  and  Captain  of 
Militia  in  several  tours  of  duty  during  the  Revolution.  He  died  March 
12,  1810,  aged  68.  His  wife,  Abigail  (Peck),  died  August  21,  1831, 
aged  78.  His  youngest  son,  Isaac,  Esq.,  was  born  in  Winchester, 
January  22,  1776. 

Ozias  Brownson,  Junior,  built  the  house  at  Winchester  Center  now 
owned  by  Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  in  which  he  lived  until  1802,  when  he 
sold  out  to  Rev.  Archibald  Bassett,  and  soon  after  removed  to  Amsterdam, 
N.  Y.  He  married,  January  12.  1792,  a  daughter  (Grace)  of  Daniel 
Coe  Hudson  of  Torrington,*  and  called  his  eldest  son  George  Washington 
Jefferson,  a  name  which  somewhat  dumb-founded  Parson  Robbins  at  the 

*  The  compiler  heard  Mr.  B.  relate  an  incident  of  his  marriage,  illustrating  the 
customs  of  that  day.  On  the  morning  after  the  wedding  he  started  from  Torringford 
to  Winchester  in  a  sleigh,  with  his  bride  and  a  two-gallon  bottle  of  rum,  and  on  his 
way  home  found  the  road  fenced  up  in  three  successive  places,  with  gatherings  of 
neighbors  at  each  fence,  prepared  to  salute  his  wife,  or  bottle,  before  allowing  him  a 
passage  homeward. 

*  *  *  *  Another  Winchester  man,  about  this  time  married  a  wife  in  North 
Goshen,  and  was  rather  select  in  his  invitations  to  the  wedding.  The  roystering  boys 
of  Goshen  Center  were  "  left  out  in  the  cold."  The  marriage  ceremony  having  been 
performed,  and  the  "  cushion  dance  "  or  some  other  kissing  game  commenced,  a  gang 
of  the  uninvited  "  he  ones,"  who  had  secreted  themselves  around  the  open  outside 
door,  suddenly  sprung  upon  the  bride  as  she  was  passing,  and  rushed  her  into  their 
sleigh.  The  horses  were  put  to  their  full  speed,  the  bride  was  taken  to  a  tavern  in  the 
south  part  of  Norfolk,  and  treated  to  flip,  music,  and  dancing  until  the  early  hours  of 
the  morning,  before  the  frantic  husband  could  rescue  her.  He  resorted  to  law  instead 
of  pistols  for  redress,  but  settled  the  suit  before  trial,  so  that  it  was  never  ascertained 
what  a  Litchfield  county  jury  would  award  in  dollars  and  cents  for  "  stealing  a  bride." 


110  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

baptism.  "  He  could  build  a  house,  a  cart,  or  a  plough,  or  any  other 
article  of  wood  and  iron.  He  worked  all  day  at  the  anvil,  or  on  his 
land,  and  journeyed  two-thirds  of  the  nights.  At  length  he  pulled  up 
stakes  and  moved  to  the  German  Flats  to  grow  hemp." 

Levi  Brownson,  second  son  of  Ozias,  Senior  (known  as  Levi 
Bronson,  second),  owned,  and  occupied  until  his  death,  an  extensive 
farm  near  the  southeast  corner  of  Norfolk,  living  in  the  red  house  near 
the  Norfolk  line.  He  was  a  hard-working,  wealthy  farmer.  He  married, 
October  25,  1792,  Mary  Benedict,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Benedict,  Sen. 
She  died  March  9,  1824,  aged  51.  He  married  (second),  November  14, 
1824,  Widow  Clarissa  L.  (Higley)  Morgan,  who  died  September  14, 
1827,  aged  50.     He  died  October  16,  1846,  aged  81. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Uriel  B.  b.  May  6,  1796  ;  m.  May  13,  1823,  Clarissa  Lawrence. 

II.  Alma,  b.  July  4,  1798;  m.  March  14,  1825,  Russell  Cowdry. 

III.  Hdldah,  b.  June  4,  18f  0;  m.  May  2,  1826,  Chester  Humphrey. 

IV.  Salima,  b.  March  31,  1802  ;  m.  —  Stevens  of  Coventry,  N.  Y. 

V.  Mart,  b.  April  8,   1804;  m.  October  20,  1827,  Seth  Benedict  of 

Coventry,  N.  Y. 

VI.  Levi,  b.  February  4,  1806 ;  ra.  May  2,  1826,  Susan  Morgan. 
VII.  Lyman,  b.  December  23,  1808  ;  m.  May  3,  1836,  Jerusha  Wright. 

VIII.  Lucy,  b.  August  29,  1811  ;  m.  April  11,  1833,  David  R.  Barnes. 

IX.  Frederick,         b.  July  2,  1815. 
X.  Asahel  Hervey,  b.  June  16,  1817. 

Salmon  Brownson,  third  son  of  Colonel  Ozias,  lived  and  died  on  the 
farm  now  or  lately  owned  by  his  son,  Luther  Bronson.  "  He  was  in- 
dustrious, frugal,  honest,  moral  and  steadfast.  His  religion  was  some- 
thing more  than  profession."  He  married,  November  3,  1800,  Mercy 
Wheadon.     He  died  February  18,  1832,  aged  64. 

children. 

I.  Galpin  Peck,  b.  May  13,  1802  ;  had  wife,  FreeloveL.,  and  a  daughter, 

Lucretia  Wheadon,  b.  June  22,  1830. 

II.  Salome  Wheadon,  b.  Jan.  17,  1804. 

III.  Pamelia  R.,  b.  Feb.  28,  1807;  d.  unmarried,  1871. 

IV.  Charity,  b.  Oct.  28,  1809;  m.  March  6,  1827,  Samuel  C.  Ford, 

Waterbury. 
V.  Clarina,  b.  April  19,  1812  ;  m.  September  9, 1833,  Chas.  Bently, 

N.  Stonington. 

VI.  Electa,  b.  Jan.  28,  1816 ; 

VII.  Luther,  b.  Feb.  6,  1821. 

Asahel  Brownson,  fourth  son  of  Colonel  Ozias,  lived  and  died  in  the 
house  on  Blue   Street,  lately  occupied  by  Archibald  Dayton,  now  de- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  HI 

ceased,  who  married  his  widow.  He  was  a  retiring,  laborious  and  suc- 
cessful farmer.  He  married,  July  26,  1824,  Lophelia  Richardson,  and 
died  childless,  October  13,  of  the  same  year,  aged  54. 

Abijah  Peck  Brownson,  fifth  son  of  Colonel  Ozias,  lived  on  Brooks 
Street,  north  of  Nelson  T.  Loomis,  until  his  removal  to  Vernon,  New 
York,  about  1800.  "He  was  the  Anak  of  the  family:  —  a  man  of 
pleasant  temperament,  and  brim-full  of  courage  and  fortitude."  Many  a 
strong  wild  colt  did  he  shoe  ;  many  a  wild  steer  did  he  yoke,  —  and  many 
a  time  did  he  bind  his  neighbor,  John  Lucas,  a  respectable  man,  but  strong 
and  occasionally  crazy.  Soon  after  his  marriage  (November  16,  1797,  to 
Mary,  daughter  of  Hewitt  Hills),  he  removed  to  Oneida  County,  New 
York,  where,  at  middle  age,  he  died,  less  successful  than  his  brothers  in  the 
acquisition  of  property. 

Isaac  Bronson,*  youngest  son  of  Colonel  Ozias,  and  the  only  one  born 
in  the  town,  built  and  resided  until  his  death,  in  the  house  at  the  center  now 
owned  by  his  son,  Theron.  He  was  the  largest  land  owner  in  the  town. 
He  was  also  a  trader  for  many  years,  and  a  large  dealer  in  dairy  pro- 
ducts from  his  own  farms  and  purchased  from  others.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent and  influential  man  in  the  town,  —  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and 
three  times  a  Representative  to  the  General  Assembly.  Having  di- 
vided up  his  large  estate  among  his  children,  he  died  January  13,  1849, 
aged  74.  He  married,  September  18,  1800,  Eliza,  daughter  of  Hewitt 
Hills. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Bikdsey,  b.  June  16,  1801;  m.  Nov.  7,  1826,  Elizabeth  Garret  Beebe, 
daughter  of  Hon.  James  Bcebe.  He  owned  and  occupied  the  house  at 
the  corner  of  the  Norfolk  road  and  Waterbury  turnpike,  until  his  re- 
moval to  New  London,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died  not  far  from 
1840.     Children: 

1.  William  B.,  b.  May  10,  1829;  m.  Sept.  23,  1858,  Katie  McAlpine. 

2.  Ellen  Elizabeth,  b.  May  16,  1833;  m.  Jan.  29,  1855,  Dr.  L.  P. 
Woods.  She  m.  (2d),  March  7,  1867,  Oscar  F.  Potter,  of  Des- 
moines,  Iowa. 

II.  Eliza,  b.  Dec.  19,  1802;  m.  Jan.  14,  1834,  Calvary  Wetmore. 

III.  Newbury,     b.  April  13,  1804. 

IV.  Emeline,       b.  Feb.  19,  1806;  d.  July  27,  1806. 

V.  Okpha,  b.  June  30,   1807;  m.  June  10,  1851,  Jas.  Beynolds,  Esq.,  of 

Orange,  Ct. 
VI.  Theron,        b.  March  20,  1809 ;  m.  —  Maria  Munsill. 
VII.  Louisa,         b.  Nov.  28,  1810. 


*  The  "w"  was  retained  in  the  name  of  the  Winchester  Brownsons,  until  after 
1810;  by  some  of  them,  as  appears  by  their  recorded  deeds,  as  late  as  1825. 


112  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

VIII.  Delta,  b.  Dec.  25,  1812;  d.  Dec.  26,  1816. 

IX.  Edwin,  b.  Feb.  2,  1815;  d.  Jan.  8,  1817. 

X.  Abigail,  b.  Dec.  13,  1817. 

XI.  Isaac  A.,  b.  June  16,  1820;  m.  Nov.  4,  1845,  Susan  R.  Nash. 

Lois,  daughter  of  Colonel  Ozias  Brownson,  married,  December,  9, 1779, 
Seth  Wetmore,  and  in  advanced  life,  Major  Benoni  Bronson. 

The  family  of  Bronson,  once  the  most  numerous,  with  one  exception, 
in  the  town,  has  but  few  representatives  remaining.  But  two  of  the 
third  generation  (Theron  and  Isaac  A.)  bearing  the  name  are  now  resi- 
dents. 

Ensign  Joseph  Frisbie,  from  Torrington,  first  lived  on  Lot  6,  in 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  town,  and  afterwards,  in  1782,  removed  to  a 
lot  opposite  the  original  meeting  house,  with  a  saw-mill  thereon,  probably 
erected  by  him.  He  removed  to  Vernon,  New  York,  about  1800.  He 
married,  October  7,  1767,  Sarah  Kelsey  ;  she  died  May  25,  1783,  and  he 
married  (2d),  February  21,  1785,  Diantha,  daughter  of  Adam  Mott. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Elijah,  b.  July  12,  1768;    m.  Jan.   10,   1792,  Lodemia,  daughter  of 

Adam  Mott;  she  d.  March  27,  1801. — Child,  Marcus,  b.  May  7,  1792. 
He  went  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  about  1801. 
II.  Eli,  b.  June  8,  1772. 

III.  Parda,  b.  May  19, 1775. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

IV.  Joseph,  b.  Feb  4,  1786. 

V.  Sally,  b.  March  22,  1789. 

Elijah  Frisbie,  son  of  Joseph,  in  1791,  owned  the  Silas  Hoskin 
place  in  Winsted,  which  he  sold  to  Benjamin  Whiting  in  1793,  and  after- 
ward owned  and  occupied  the  Samuel  A.  McAlpin  place,  about  a  mile 
south  of  Winchester  center,  until  his  removal  to  Vernon,  New  York, 
about  1800. 

Phineas  Griswold,  from  Wethersfield,  lived,  until  1784,  near  Tor- 
rington line,  on  the  old  South  Country  Road,  —  when  he  bought  and  oc- 
cupied until  his  death  (March  11,  1815,  aged  74),  the  Newman  B.  Gil- 
bert farm,  in  the  Danbury  quarter.  His  wife,  Lois,  was  sister  of  the 
oldest  Samuel  Hurlbut.     She  died  December  5,  1 808,  aged  64. 

children. 

Phineas,  Matthew,  Benjamin,  and  Amos,  born  in  Wethersfield. 
Patty,         b.   in  Winchester,  Feb.  1,  1778. 
Bena,  b.     "  "  Dec.  26,  1779. 

Sabra,         b.     "  "  Aug.  26,  1781. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  113 

Ambrose  Palmer,  son  of  Job,  of  Litchfield,  lived  on  a  part  of  the 
John  J.  Fanning  farm,  in  the  Danbury  quarter,  until  1791,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Litchfield.     Had  wife,  Susanna. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Minerva,  b.  July  24,  1778. 

II.  Susanna,  b.  Oct.  24,  1781. 

III.  Ambrose,  b.  Sept.  15,  1784. 

IV.  Calvin,  b.  March  30,  1786. 

Benjamin  Preston,  from  Goshen,  lived  near  the  Widow  Everitt 
place  on  Brooks  Street,  in  Danbury  quarter.  He  was  a  cripple  from  his 
birth,  and  lived  by  making  baskets,  birch  brooms,  and  splint  chair  bottoms. 
He  married,  May  3,  1775,  Sarah  Videto.  She  died  October  23,  1780, 
and  he  married  (2d),  August  20,  1782,  Mary  Curtis. 

CHILDREN    BT   FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Thankful,  b.  Dec.  31,  1775. 

II.  "Lysuf"  [Eliasaph],    b.  Aug.  17,  1777;  d.  Aug.  17,  1777. 

CHILDREN    BT    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Patience,  b.  March  16,  1779;  d.  March  16,  1779. 

IV.  Benjamin,  b.  Dec.  29,  1783. 

V.  Ephraim,  b.  Feb.  22,  1787;  d.  March  12,  1794. 

VI.  Seth,  *        b.  April  25,  1789. 


Joel  Roberts  owned  and  lived  on  a  farm  now  absorbed  in  the  B.  B. 
Rockwell,  J.  G.  Griswold,  and  Emory  Coe  farms,  until  his  death  in  1780. 
The  probate  records  of  Norfolk  District  show  that  he  had  sons,  Judah, 
(baptized  in  Torrington,  September  28,  1783),  Joel  and  Loomis,  and  daugh- 
ters, Mary,  Naomi  (she  died  unmarried  October  1,1782),  Chloe  and  Esther ; 
and  left  Esther,  his  widow.  His  son,  Judah,  lived  on  the  Kelsey  farm, 
near  the  small  pond  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town,  from  1802  to  1810, 
and  died  in  Hitchcocksville  at  an  advanced  age. 

His  grand-son,  Judah,  son  of  the  above,  owned  and  occupied  the  B. 
R.  Rockwell  farm,  from  1848  to  1857,  and  thence  migrated  to  Kanke- 
kee,  Illinois,  where  he  died  about  1861. 

Capt.  Peter  Corbin,  with  his  sons,  Daniel  and  Peter,  Jr.,  came 
from  Danbury  and  lived  on  the  Asaph  Brooks  farm  in  the  Danbury 
quarter.  His  house  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the  way,  opposite  Mr. 
Brooks.  He  removed  to  Colebrook  in  1805,  and  spent  his  remaining 
life  with  his  son  Peter,  Jr.  He  was  captain  of  the  first  company  of  the 
15 


114  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Alarm   Regiment  of  Conn.,  in   1780.     He  was  b.  in  1733,  and  m.  Nov. 
18,  1750,  Abigail  Benedict,  at  Danbury. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Daniel,  b.  in  Danbury,  Oct.  1,  1757  ;  m.  May  30,  1776,  Mabel  Everitt; 

he  died  in  Colebrook,  1809. 
IT.  Peter,  Jr  ,   b.  in  Danbuiy,  Aug.  6,  1762. 

III.  Abigail,        b.  "  Feb.  26,  1766  ;  m.  in  1788,  Abijah  Benedict. 

IV.  Lucy,  b.  "  Jan.  20,   1770;    m.  in  1806,  Jennings,  of 

Coventry,  N.  Y. 
V.  Anna,  b.  "  Feb.  6,  1772;    m.   1795,  Ashbel  Humphrey,  of 

Goshen. 
VI.  Esther,         b.  in  Winchester,  Jan.  3,  1776;  m.  1797,  Zeri  Hoyt. 

Peter  Corbin,  Jr.,  lived  in  the  old  part  of  the  house  of  Asaph 
Brooks,  above  mentioned,  until  his  removal  to  Colebrook,  about  1805. 
He  m.  in  1790,  Villette  Nearing,  of  Simsbury,  N.  J. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joseph,  b.  March  31,  1791 ;  m.  in  1815,  Lois  Cady. 

II.  Uriel,  b.  "  1793;  died  in  Colebrook,  1842. 

III.  John    S.,  b.  Feb.  25,  1797;  m.  Maria,  dau.  of  Asa  Nearing  of  BJoomfield. 

IV.  Amos,  b.  Dec.  25,  1800;  m.  Jan.  1822,  Louisa,  dau.  of  Samuel   Cowles, 

of  Colebrook. 
V.  Peter,        b.  Jan.  27,  1808;  m.  May  11,  1835,  Caroline,  dau.  of  Seth  Whit- 
ing, of  Colebrook. 

Daniel  Corbin  lived  on  a  hill,  west  of  Asaph  Brooks,  about  half 
way  to  the  house  of  Lloyd  Humphrey,  in  Norfolk.  He  died  in  Cole- 
brook in  18u9,  aged  52. 


John  Videto,  a  foreigner,  came  from  Danbury,  and  lived  on  the  old 
South  Country  Road,  next  south  of  the  Widow  Everitt  farm,  until  his 
death  Nov.  29,  1799,  at  the  age  of  85  years,  18  days. 

John  Videto,  Jr.  came  with,  and  lived  in  the  same  house  with  his 
father,  until  his  removal  to  Austinburg,  O.,  in  1807,  with  his  son  Jasper. 
He  m.  Aug.  13,  177H,  Mary  Grover.  She  d.  Sept.  8,  1779  ;  and  he  m. 
(2d)  Dec.  12,  1780,  Achsah  North. 

CHILDREN    BY   FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Hannah,  b.  May  26,  1777;  m. Cowles,  of  Austinburg,  O. 

H.  Mary,       b.  July  2,  1779;  d.  Nov.  21,  1779. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  H5 


CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Jasper,    b.  Sept.  12,  1783;  m.  Jan.  1,  1806,  Rebecca  Williams,  dau.  of  Obed 

W.,  of  Colebrook.     Cbild,  Sally,  b.  Nov.  7,  1806. 

IV.  Lora,        b.  June  13,  1785. 

Jacob  "Wade,1  came  from  England  to  Lyme,  Conn.,  where  he  died 
aged  99  years.     His  children  were : 

I.  Jacob.  2 
II.  Lucy.  a 

III.  Stephen,  2  moved  to  Branford,  where  he  m.  Maria  Abigail  Hnadley.  He 
enrae  with  his  son  Amasa,3  to  Winchester,  in  1774,  where  they  settled  on 
the  farm  recently  occupied  by  Isaac  Wade,4  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
town.     He  d.  Feb.  8,  1817,  aged  93. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Solomon,3  b.  Nov.  23,1748 ;  d  in  Rupert,  Vt,  aged  92  yrs.  5  mos.  3  d.     He 

had  children,  Abigail,  Matilda,  Amasa,  Stephen,  and  Lucy. 
II.  Amasa,3      b.  March  16,  1751. 

III.  Edward3,  b.  May  25,  1754. 

IV.  Abigail,3    b.  Aug.  18,  1759;    m.  Nov.  22,  1780,  Benj.  Baker,  of  Litchfield, 

and  had  children :    Edward,  John,  Stephen,  David,  Lucy, 
Sally,  and  Anna. 

Amasa  Wade,3  resided  on  the  same  farm  until  his  death,  Aug  30, 
1838,  aged  87  yrs.  5  mos.  3d.  He  was,  by  trade,  a  Tanner  and  Shoe- 
maker ;  and  by  frugal  industry  acquired  a  large  estate.  He  is  described 
by  Rev:  Mr.  Marsh  as  a  u-eful  and  worthy  ci  izen,  respected  and  hon- 
ored for  his  love  of  order,  his  puritanic  habits,  his  steady  attention  to 
business,  and  firm  regard  to  the  interests  of  religion  and  the  welfare  of 
the  church  and  society.  He  m.  Jan.  22,  1777,  Anna  Hale  ;  she  d.  Ap. 
27,  1837,  aged  85  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Isaac,*  b.  Dec.  9,  1777. 

II.  Stephen,*  b.  May  9,  1779. 

III.  Anna,4  b.  Oct.  2,  1781 ;  m.  Allen  Burr;  2d,  Lyman  Barber. 

IV.  Amasa,*  b.  Dec.  5,  1785. 

V.  Wealthy,*  b.  Oct.  30,  1788;  m.  Stephen  Baker,  son  of  Benjamin,  and  had 

children  : —  1,  Amasa  Hale,  b.  May  16,  1815  ;  2,  Clarissa, 
b.  Jan.  20,  1818  ;  3,  David  G.,  b.  Jan.  11,  1824,  d.  Jan. 
14,  1843. 

Edward  Wade,8  th'rd  son  of  Stephen,2  lived  in  Vermont,  and  died 
at  the  a<*e  of  96  yrs.  5  mos.  His  children  were  Edward,4  Hannah,4  Abi- 
gail,4 Alenam,4  (?)  Isaac,4  Phebe,4  Anna,4  Jacob,4  and  Stephen.4 


116  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 

Isaac  "Wade,4  in  his  earlier  years,  lived  in  the  house  late  owned  by 
Sage  W.  Grant,  half  a  mile  west  of  the  centre,  next  near  the  Elmore 
Tannery,  and  after  the  death  of  his  father,  in  the  paternal  homestead. 
He  died  Aug.  28,  1862,  aged  85.     He  m.  Sally  Anderson. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucia,5  b.  May — ,  1809;    m.  Dec.  25,   1839,  James  L.  Williams,  of 

Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
II.  Sidney,5         b.  Nov.  6,  1810;  m.  June  15,  1840,  Louisa  Bronson.     He  m. 
(2d)  July  1,  1857,  Mary  E.  Huntting. 
ILL  Harriett,5     b.  Ap. — ,  1814;  m.  William  Sanford. 
IV.  Anderson,5    b.  Nov.  19,  1816;  m.  Dec.  — ,  1847,  Clara  G.  Bartlett. 
V.  Sarah  Ann,5  b.  Ap.  — ,  1819 ;  m.  June  19,  1845,  Ruel  O.  White. 
« 

Stephen  Wade4  lived  on  Brooks  Street,  Danbury  Quarter,  until  his 
removal  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  about  1825.  He  m.  March  25,  1802,  Lovisa, 
dau.  of  Hewitt  Hills. 

children. 

I.  Tract,5  b.  July  7,  1802  ;  d.  Jan.  14,  1811. 

II.  Eliza,5  '        b.  Aug   14,  1«03. 

PH.  Schuyler,5  b.  June  9,  1806. 

IV.  Amasa  Hale*5  b.  June  8,  1808;  d.  Jan.  21,  1809. 

V.  Abernethy,5  b.  Jan.  9,  1810. 

VI.  Tracy  Hale,5  b.  Ap.  12,  1814. 

VII.  Stephen  Franklin,  b.  Oct  28,  1818. 

VIII.  Virgil  Booth,  b.  March  15,  1823. 


Amasa  Wade4  lived  on  a  farm  adjoining  his  father's,  and,  in  partner- 
ship with  his  brother  Isaac,  owned  and  carried  on  the  tannery  afterwards 
owned  by  the  Elmores.  He  removed,  about  1835,  to  Harmony,  Chau- 
tauqua County,  N.  Y.,  and  afterwards  to  Union  Mills,  Erie  Co.,  Penn. 
He  m.  July  15,  1811,  Abigail,  dau.  of  Abner  Coe. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Homer  Hale,5  b.  July  15,  1811. 

II.  Harmon  Coe,5  b.  Feb.  19,  1813. 

III.  Hiram  White,5  b.  Aug.  12,  1815. 

IV.  Mary  Ledyard,5  b.  July  18,  1817. 
V.  Hiel  Dwight,5  b.  Sept.  18,  1820. 

VI.  Harris  Eaton.5 


Edward  Wade,4  son  of  Edward,3  b.  Nov.  7,  1778,  lives  in   State  of 
New  York,  has  17  children,  as  follows,  all  by  one  wife. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


117 


I. 

Sally, 

b. 

Ap.  21,  1804. 

X. 

Melissa, 

b.  Feb.  28,  1820. 

II. 

Loring, 

b. 

Feb.  21,  1806. 

XI. 

Samantha, 

b.  Dec.  4,  1821. 

III. 

Temperance, 

b. 

June  4,  1807. 

XII. 

Alex'nd.  McD. 

,  b.  Ap.  5,  1823. 

IV. 

Florain, 

b. 

Ap.  8,  1309. 

XIII. 

Hannah  V., 

b.  Jan.  10,  1825. 

V. 

Peter  S., 

b. 

Nov.  5,  1810. 

XIV. 

Lewis  S., 

b.  Sept.  6,  1826. 

VI. 

Grant  E., 

b. 

Mch.  26,  1812. 

XV. 

Harrison, 

b.  Oct.  10,  1829. 

VII. 

Marcia  G., 

b. 

Jan.  17,  1814. 

XVI. 

Eleanor, 

b.  July  4,  1831. 

VIII. 

Patty  M., 

b. 

March  2,  1816. 

XVII. 

Helen  M., 

b.  Mch.  22, 1833. 

IX. 

Loly  Jennett,  b. 

Dec.  14,  1817. 

Joseph  Loomis,1  Senior,  came  from  Bristol,  England,  to  Windsor, 
about  1639. 

Deacon  John  Loomis,2  son  of  Joseph,  Senior,  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Scott,  of  Hartford,  February  6,  1648. 

Timothy  Loomis,3  son  of  Deacon  John,  born  at  Windsor,  July  27, 
1661,  married  Rebecca  Porter,  March  20,  1689. 

Ichabod  Loomis,4  son  of  Timothy,  born  at  Windsor,  July  25,  1692, 
married  Dorothy  Loomis,  January  25,  1738,  and  died  February  25, 
1796,  aged  84. 

Ichabod  Loomis,6  son  of  Ichabod,4  born  ;  married  January 

29,  1766,  Mindwell  Lewis.  He  migrated  to  this  town  from  Torrington, 
in  1774,  and  died  July  31,  1785.  She  died  August  6,  1807,  in  her  66th 
year.  He  lived  on  a  .farm  in  the  Danbury  Quarter,  lying  on  a  road 
parting  northeasterly  from  the  South  Country  Road,  a  little  south  of  the 
Widow  Everitt  house. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Thaddeus,6  b.  November  27,  1766. 

II.  Sibyl,6  b.  June  25, 1770  ;  m  Dea.  Benjamin  Benedict. 

III.  Abiel,6  b.  August  8,  1773. 

IV.  Ichabod,6  b.  June  14,  1775. 

V.  Minie,6  b.  February  15,  1779;  m.  Asahel  Wells. 


Thaddeus  Loomis,6  lived  near  Goshen  line,  north  of  the  Norfolk 
road,  on  land  that  was  afterward  a  part  of  the  farm  of  Levi  Bronson, 
second.  He  removed  in  1802  to  Salisbury,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where 
he  was  for  many  years  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  for  four  years  an 
Assistant-Justice  of  the  County  Court.  He  married  May  26,  1789, 
Lois  Griswold,  daughter  of  Phineas.  She  died  in  1827;  he  died  in 
Holley,  N.  Y.,  June  14,  1832. 


118  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Huldah,7  b.  September  12,  1789. 

II.  Lucy,7  b.  November  2,  1790. 

III.  Matilda,7  b.  October  20, 1793  j  m.  Loring  S.  Williams. 

IV.  Arsenoe,7  b.  June  28,  1796. 
V.  Arphaxad,7  b.  April  9,  1798. 

VI.  Horace,7  b.  March  4,  1800. 

VII.  Lewis,7  b.  Salisbury,  N.  Y. 

VIII.  Malina,7  b.  S. ;  m.  Alden  S.  Gage. 

IX.  Algernon,7  b.  Salisbury,  N.  Y. 

Hon.  Arphaxad  Loomis,7  son  of  Thaddeus,  settled  in  Little  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  in  the  practice  of  law  in  1825,  and  continued  to  reside  there 
during  his  life.  He  held  the  office  of  county  surrogate  eight  years,  was 
first  Judge  of  the  County  Court  five  years,  member  of  Congress  two  years, 
member  of  the  State  Legislature  three  years,  and  member  of  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  in  1846.  His  defective  hearing  prevented  his 
appointment  to  high  judicial  stations  for  which  his  integrity  of  character 
and  legal  acquirements  eminently  fitted  him.  He  married  in  1832,  Ann, 
daughter  of  Doctor  Stephen  Todd  of  Salisbury,  N.  Y.,  and  has  had 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  were  living  in  1857.  (See  Kilbourne's 
"  Biographical  History  of  Litchfield  Co.,"  p.  315.) 

Captain  Abiel  Loomis6  lived  in  Winsted,  on  Spencer  Street,  in  a 
house  that  stood  on  the  site  of  Widow  Lucy  Coe's  residence,  until  about 
1809,  when  he  removed  to  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  Johnson,  on 
the  dugway  road  in  Old  Winchester.  About  1815,  he  purchased  the 
Dudley  Tannery  in  Winsted,  and  removed  to  the  house  on  Main  Street 
next  west  of  the  Tannery,  where  he  died  October  16,  1818,  aged  45. 
He  was  a  man  of  ardent  temperament,  highly  respected  and  influential. 
He  married  June  20,  1793,  Eunice  Coe,  daughter  of  Ens.  Jonathan. 
She  died  May  15,  1841. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Alvah,7  b.  October  25,  1793 ;  d.  September  4,  1794. 

II.  Almira,7  b.  April  19,  1795;  m.  Novemher  17,  1844,  Tbomas  Williams 

of  Winsted;  be  died  May  10,  187o,  aged  63,  s.  p. 

III.  Eunice,7  b.  February  16,  1797;  died  March  3,  1797. 

IV.  Calista,7  b  July  16,  1798;  d.  October  13,  1818. 

V.  Ariel,7  b.  August  19,  1800;  was  prepared  to  enter  College,  when  the 

death  of  his  father,  in  1818,  threw  on  him  the  care  of  the  family.  He 
manifested  great  energy  and  skill  in  extricating  the  embarrassed  affairs 
of  his  father's  estate,  and  subsequently  in  bis  own  business  transactions. 
After  carrying  on  the  tannery  business  and  a  country  store  for  several 
years,  be  removed  to  New  York  in  1826,  where  he  died  November  25 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  119 

1830,  leaving  a  widow  and  son.     He  was  a  model  son  and  brother, 
generous  and  noble  in-  his  nature. 

VI.  Nokman,7  b.  November  27,  1802  ;  d.  January  14,  1819. 

VII.  Ai.anson,7  b.  January  21,  18<>6  ;  m.  Sarah  Richards.     He  succeeded  his 

older  brother  in  the  tannery  business  in  Winded,  where  he  resided,  with 
the  exception  of  three  years,  until  1848,  when  he  removed  to  Fulton, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  now  lives,  and  has  a  family  of  children.  His  wife  died 
in  1863. 
VIII.  Elihu  Lewis,7  b.  March  19,  1808,  known  as  Lewis  E. ;  lived  in  New  York 
from  1826  to  184o,  and  in  Winsted  from  1840  to  1845,  when  he  removed 
to  Fulion,  N.   Y.,  where  he  now  resides.     He  m.  Camp, 

daughter  of  Moses  Camp,  and  has  a  family  of  children. 

IX.  Harkiet,7         b.  January  27,   1811;  wife  of  Joshua  K.  Richards,  removed 
with  her  husband  from  Winsted  to  Salmon  River,  N.  Y.,  in  1850,  where 
he  died.     She  now  n  sides  in  Winsted. 
X.  Mart,7         b.  July  10,  1815  ;  d.  November  24,  1834. 

Ichabod  Loomis*  lived  until  about  1824  in  Old  Winchester,  and 
afterward  until  his  death,  April  23,  1833,  in  the  hou.-e  now  owned  by 
his  daughter  Sally  on  Spencer  Street,  in  "Winsted.  He  was  by  trade  a 
butcher  ;  a  kind-hearted  man,  without  an  enemy.  He  married  November 
22,  1803,  Loranda  Hoskin,  daughter  of  Joseph.  She  died  Winsted, 
March  16,  1855,  aged  76  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Luct,7  b.  December  14,  1804 ;  m.  Hiram  Root,  September  1, 

1828. 
II.  Fanny  Loranda,7        b.  August  6,  1806;  m.  Noah  Hall,  N.  Marlboro.' 
HI.  Eunice  Matilda,7       b.  June   28,    1808;    m.    August  10,    1831,    Sidney 

Eggleston  ;  lives  in  Guilford,  N.  Y. 
IV.  Sally  Amanda,7  b.  May  26,  1813;  lives  in  Winsted  unmarried. 

V.  Joseph  Ichabod,7        b.  August  13,  1816;  twice  married;  he  left  Winsted 
about  1855  for  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  now  lives. 

David  Alvord  (brother  of  Eliphaz),  from  Chatham,  came  from  Tor- 
rington  as  early  as  this  year,  as  appears  by  the  records  of  births.  In 
1776,  he  bought  the  lot  on  which  the  parsonage  house  of  Rev.  Mr.  Booge 
(lately  owned  by  Dr.  T.  S.  Wetmore),  wa*  afterwards  erected,  on  which 
lot  be  lived  until  1785.  He  afterwards  lived  near  the  Leonard  Hurlbut 
place,  and  finally  removed  to  Neversink,  Sullivan  county,  and  thence  to 
Vernon,  N.  Y.  He  married  September  8,  1774,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
John  Wetmore,  of  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Persis,    b.  December  18,  1774. 
II.  Ursula,  b.  February  13,  1778. 

William  Castel,  from  Ridgefield,  owned  land  between  the  Alva  Nash 
and  Leonard  Hurlbut  places,  and  near  the  Edward  Rugg  farm,  in  the  old 


120  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

Society,  and  resided,  as  is  supposed,  on  the  former  tract.  The  land 
records  show  that  he  had  two  sons,  Elijah  and  Samuel,  to  whom  he  con- 
veyed lands  in  1784,  and  who  must  have  been  born  before  he  came  here. 
Whether  he  died  in  the  town  is  not  ascertained.  His  last  conveyance  of 
land  was  in  1786,  and  his  name  is  not  on  the  tax  list  of  1790. 

CHILDREN    OF    WM.  AND    KATHERINE    CASTEL,  RECORDED    IN 
WINCHESTER. 

I.  Miriam,        b.  July  28,  1771. 
II.  William,     b.  July  10,  1773. 

III.  Elizabeth,  b.  September  27,  1775;  d.  June  23,  1778. 

IV.  Mary,  b. — date  not  given ;  d.  April  25,  1778. 
V.  Aaron,          b. — date  not  given ;  d.  March  15,  1783. 

Elijah  Castel,  son  of  William,  owned  and  lived  on  land  south  of  the 
Edward  Rugg  farm  in  Danbury  Quarter.  He  is  described  in  a  deed  of 
April  12,  1787,  as  of  the  Manor  of  Livingston,  Columbia  county,  N.  Y., 
and  in  1789  of  Winchester.  He  probably  left  the  town  soon  after  the 
latter  period. 

Samuel  Castel,  son  of  William,  disappears  from  the  record  in  1789. 
It  does  not  appear  where  he  lived  in  the  town  nor  where  he  went  to. 

John  Beach  came  into  town  this  year  from  Torrington,  and  lived  on 
the  farm  recently  owned  by  Artemas  Rowley,  near  the  south  end  of  third 
tier,  first  division,  until  1781,  when  he  returned  to  Torrington.  He  was 
born  in  Torrington  May  2d,  1750,  fifth  child  of  Abel  Beach  of  Torring- 
ton, who  was  born  in  Durham,  February  9,  1712;  g.  son  of  Benjamin 
(born  in  Stratford,  October  1,  1683)  and  Mariha  (Curtis)  Beach  ;  g.  g.  son 
of  Benjamin  (born  in  Stratford,  October  28,  1642)  and  Sarah  (Wells) 
Beach ;  and  g.  g.  g.  son  of  Benjamin  Beach,  the  immigrant  to  Stratford 
from  England  [MS.  Records  of  Deacon  Lewis  M.  Norton,  of  Goshen.] 
He  died  at  Torrington  April  1,  1824,  aged  76.  He  married  June  9,  1774, 
Mercy  Bassett.    She  died  at  Torrington,  May  22,  1832,  aged  76. 

children. 

I.  Abel,  b.  January  3,  1775. 

II.  Mary,  b.  August  19,  1778. 

III.  Rev.  James,  b.  in  Winchester,  June  10, 1780.  Graduated  at  Williams  College. 
Studied  theology  under  Rev.  Asahel  P.  Hooker,  of  Goshen,  1804-5. 
Ordained  Pastor  of  Winsted  Church.  Dismissed.  He  married  October 
28, 1806,  Hannah  Clarissa  Baldwin,  born  Goshen,  March  10,  1784,  only 
child  of  Isaac  and  Lucy  (Lewis)  Baldwin.  He  died  at  Winsted  June 
11,  1850,  of  apoplexy.  She  died  May  7,  1852.  His  friend,  Deacon 
L.   M.  Norton,  of  Goshen,  writes  of  him,  "  It  will  be  for  those  of  a 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS.  121 

coming  generation  to  speak  or  write  of  the  ability,  the  fidelity,  the  affec- 
tionate labors  and  the  success  of  this  servant  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Children:    1.  Lucy  Ba'dwin,  b.  August  20,  1807;   m.  Henry  Hyde; 

2.  Hannah  Clarissa,  b.  March  20, 1809,  d.  October  26th,  1815  ;  3.  Mary, 
b.  December  16,  1814,  m.  Caleb  J.  Camp. 

CHILDREN    OF    HENRY   AND    LUCY    B.    (BEACH)    HYDE. 

1.  James  Beach,  b.  November  14,  1831,  d.  a  member  of  Yale  College  at 
New  Haven,  January  8, 1850  ;  2.  Henry  Baldwin,  b.  February  15,  1834  ; 

3.  Lucy  B.,  b.  August  20,  1841  ;  4.  Mary,  b. 

IV.  John,  b.  February  26th,  1783  ;  d.  May  7,  1817. 

V.  Adah,  b.  March  12,  1787. 


16 


CHAPTER    XI. 

POPULATION— TOWN  VOTES— NEW  SETTLERS. 

1774. 

The  first  census  of  the  Colony,  on  record,*  taken  in  1756,  gives  twen- 
ty-four as  the  population  of  Winchester. 

The  next  census,  taken  in  1774,  shows  a  population  of  327  white,  and 
twelve  hlaeks. 

"We  copy  the  figures  of  these  two  enumerations  of  Litchfield  County,  to 
show  the  relative  population  and  growth  of  the  towns  at  these  periods : 


17 

74. 

1756. 

1756. 

Total. 

White. 

Black. 

Barkhamsted, 

18 

250 

0 

250 

Col  brook, 

0 

150 

0 

150 

Canaan,           ... 

1100 

1573 

62 

1635 

Cornwall,    - 

500 

957 

17 

974 

Goshen, 

610 

1098 

13 

1111 

Hartland,    - 

12 

500 

0 

500 

Harwinton,     - 

250 

1015 

3 

1018 

Kent,           - 

1000 

1922 

74 

1996 

Litchfield,       - 

1366 

1509 

45 

1554 

New  Hartford,    - 

260 

985 

16 

1001 

New  Milford, 

1127 

2742 

34 

2776 

Blacks  in  1756,  16. 

Norfolk,       - 

84 

966 

3 

969 

Salisbury,       - 

1100 

19.56 

44 

1980 

Sharon,       - 

1205 

1986 

26 

2012 

7  Blacks  in  1756. 

Torrington,     . 

250 

843 

02 

845 

Winchester, 

24 

327 

12 

339 

Woodbury,     - 

2911 

5224 

89 

5313 

31  Blacks  in  1756. 

Westmoreland,t 

1922 

1775. 

In  annual  town  meeting  for  1775,  the  approaching  revolutionary 
struggle  was  foreshadowed  by  the  following  votes  : 

"  That  the  troopers  be  freed  from  paying  any  thing  for  their  colors." 
"To  raise  two-pence  half-penny  on  the  List  of  1775,  to  purchase  a  town 
Stock  of  powder  and  lead,  and  also  to  pay  other  necessary  charges  aris- 
ing in  the  town." 

*  To  be  found  in  the  Comptroller's  office. 

t  Westmoreland,  then  one  of  the  towns  of  Litchfield  County,  comprised  the  whole  of 
the  beautiful  valley  of  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania. 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  123 

In  Society  Meeting,  besides  the  routine  business,  it  was  "  Voted,  to 
come  into  Mr.  Bron>on's  mode  of  singing."  Levi  and  Ozias  Bronson 
were  chosen  choristers  ;  —  Beriah  Hills  to  read  the~  Psalms,  and  Jesse 
Wilkinson  to  sweep  the  meeting  house  for  5s.  6d.  per  year. 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  in  Winchester  Society,  were  Lemuel 
Bassett,  Daniel  Loomis,  James  Sweet,  Jonathan  Sweet,  Reuben  Sweet, 
Hezekiah  Elmer,  John  Miner,  and  Elisha  Wilcoxson. 

Lemuel  Bassett,  a  crippled  tailor,  from  New  Haven,  first  owned 
seventy-three  acres  of  land,  embracing  a  considerable  portion  of  Winches- 
ter center  village,  which  he  sold  in  1777,  and  afterwards  bought  and  lived 
on  a  small  lot  near  Colonel  Ozias  Bronson's.  He  had  wife,  Patience, 
and 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Ezra,        b.  in  Goshen,  March  23,  1774. 
II.  Miram,     b.  May  12,  1776. 

III.  Ltdia,      b.  April  7,  1778. 

IV.  Erastus,  b.  July  5,  1780. 
V.  Harvey,    b.  Feb.  20, 1783. 

VI.  Bede,         b.  Jan.  20,  1786. 

Daniel  Loomis,  son  of  Ichabod,4  of  Torrington,  lived  on  the  old 
Country  Road,  immediately  north  of  his  brother,  Ichabod,6  and  south  of 
Widow  Everitt's.  He  removed  to  Delhi,  New  York.  He  married,  April 
30,  1783,  Anna  Phelps. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mtlo,  b.  Sept.  26,  1783. 

II.  Elizabeth,  b.  Nov.  30,  1780. 
III.  Tryfhena,    b.  Oct.  23,  1788. 

James  Sweet,  supposed  from  Goshen,  owned  a  lot  on  Blue  Street, 
north  of  the  Stone  School  House.  In  1780,  he  conveyed  away  this  lot 
by  a  deed,  in  which  he  is  named  of  Norfolk. 

Reuben  Sweet  owned  the  lot  next  south  of  James  Sweet's,  which 
he  conveyed  to  Jonathan  Sweet,  in  1777,  and  moved  to  W  alien's  Hill  in 
Barkhamsted,  near  the  first  Winsted  meeting  house. 

Jonathan  Sweet  is  named  of  Goshen  in  a  deed  of  1774,  and  of 
Winchester  in  1775.  He  owned  lands  adjoining  those  of  James  and 
Reuben,  and  also  a  part  of  the  B.  B.  Rockwell  farm,  between  the  two 
Lakes,  all  of  which  he  disposed  of  in  1771,  or  earlier.  He  probably  lived 
on  the  Blue  Street  land.     He  married,  August  29,  1773,  Esther  Lewis. 


124  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN* 
I.  Sarah,  b.  May  16,  1774. 

II.  Lorrin,  b.  Feb.  16,  1776 ;  d.  March  24,  1778. 

III.  Jonathan  Lewis,  b.  June  26,  1778. 

IV.  Luct,  b.  June  30,  1780. 

Hezekiah  Elmer  married,  August  11,  1775,  Elizabeth  Benedict. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  7,  1776. 
II.  Daniel,         b.  Oct.  14,  1778. 

Nothing  is  to  be  learned  from  the  records  of  the  place  of  Mr.  Elmer's 
residence,  or  the  time  of  his  removal  from  the  town. 

John  Miner,  from  New  London,  brother  of  Reuben  of  Winchester, 
came  from  Torrington,  and  settled  and  died  on  the  farm  lately  owned  by 
Emory  Coe,  now  deceased,  and  now  owned  by  George  Cramer  and  wife. 
He  was  a  man  of  pleasing  address,  and  social  in  his  habits.  He  married, 
in  Torrington,  April  9,  177;"),  Hannah  Strong,  born  in  Torrington,  No- 
vember 30,  1753,  daughter  of  Asahel.  He  died  March  23,  1813,  aged 
61 ;  she  died  November  23,  1835,  aged  80. 

CHILDREN, 
in  Tor.  Aug.  15,  1775;  tradition  says  he  never  lived  in 

Nov.  27,  1777. 

"      9,  1780  ;  m.  March  26,  1807,  Eoger  Root. 
March  17,  1783. 
Jan.  16,  1786;  d.  unmarried, 
b.  June  3,  1791 ;  d.  unmarried. 

Hon.  Phineas  Miner,2  second  son  of  John,1  lived  in  the  old  parson- 
age of  Mr.  Booge,  (lately  owned  by  Dr.  T.  S.  Wetmore)  until  his  remo- 
val to  Litchfield,  in  1816.     He  died  in  Litchfield  in  1839. 

Mr.  Miner,  with  only  a  common  school  education,  studied  law  under 
Judge  Reeve,  of  Litchfield,  and  entered  on  the  practice  in  Winchester, 
in  1798.  By  close  study  and  faithful  preparation  of  his  cases,  —  as  well 
as  by  his  ardor  in  trying  them,  he  early  attained  a  good  standing  at  the 
bar;  and  eventually  ranked  among  the  ablest  advocates  in  the  County. 
He  was  by  nature  unfitted  for  legal  trickery,  or  for  any  dishonorable  act. 
He  repeatedly  represented  Winchester,  and  afterward  Litchfield,  in  the 
Legislature,  having  served  in  this  capacity  during  eleven  sessions.  He 
was  chosen  to  the  State  Senate  in  1830  and  1831 ;    was  elected  a  Repre- 


I. 

John  Strong, 

b 

this  town. 

n 

Phineas, 

b 

in. 

Florinda, 

b 

IV. 

William, 

b 

v. 

Sarah, 

b 

VI. 

Pamelia, 

b 

AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  125 

sentative  in  Congress  during  the  sessions  of  1832  and  f833,  and  was 
Judge  of  Probate  for  Litchfield  District  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
m.  May  — ,  1801,  Zerviah  W.  Butler;  she  died  April  24,  1811,  aged  32. 
He  m.  (2d) Parsons,  of  Granville,  late  the  wife  of  Tertius  Wads- 
worth. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Henry  Butler,    b.  June  1,  1803;  he  m.  and  died  childless. 

II.  Zerviah  Ruth,    b.  March  18,  1811  ;  died  unmarried. 

William  Miner,2  third  son  of  John,1  owned  and  lived  in  the  Daniel 
Murray  house,  on  the  Dugway  road,  until  his  removal  to  Ohio,  in  1816. 
He  m.  Feb.  23,  1809,  Lucy  Denison  Sandiforth. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Emeline  Adelia,  b.  Feb.  23,  1811. 

II.  William  Sandiforth,  b.  Sept.  22,  1812. 

III.  Daniel,  b.  Nov.  22,  1815. 

IV.  Luct, 

Captain  Elisha  Wilcoxson,  from  Stratford,  owned  the  farm  and  built 
the  house  on  the  Dugway  road,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  William 
Johnson,  which  he  sold  to  Augustus  Humphrey  in  1800,  and  removed  to 
Vernon,  New  York.  He  was  a  surveyor,  —  an  extensive  dealer  in  lands, 
and  largely  employed  in  the  business  of  the  town.  He  married  in  Strat- 
ford, May  1,  1771,  Mary  Clark. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah  Anna,  b.  in  Stratford,  Nov.  2,  1772. 

II.  Charity,  b.  June  17,  1775. 

III.  Martha,  b.  May  4,  1777. 

IV.  Mary,  b.  Feb.  25,  1779. 
V.  Gideon,  b.  April  25,  1781. 

VI.  Ruth,  b.  Aug.  8,  1783. 

1776. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting,  1776,  in  addition  to  the  routine  business, 
the  Selectmen  were  instructed  to  provide  the  camp  equipage  ordered  by 
the  Assembly,  viz  :  Three  tents,  six  pots,  and  nine  bottles,  or  canteens 
for  the  town. 

It  was  also  voted,  "  that  Swine  be  free  commoners  this  year." 

In  Society  meeting,  as  a  result  of  the  half-way  covenant  troubles,  be- 
fore referred  to,  Lemuel  Stannard,  Jonathan  Coe,  John  Bradley,  and 
Samuel  Hurlbut,  were  excused  from  paying  taxes  this  year,  for  Mr. 


126  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Knapps'  salary.  If  this  was  done  with  a  view  of  quieting  the  disaffection 
toward  the  minister,  it  appears  from  subsequent  action  of  the  Society  to 
have  failed  to  effect  the  object. 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  were  Philip  Priest,  Daniel  Forbes,  Mar- 
tin North  and  his  sons,  Martin,  Jr.,  and  Rufus,  Truman  Gibbs,  Joseph 
Agard,  and  Gershom  Fay. 

Philip  Priest,  from'  Barkhamsted,  purchased  of  Daniel  Piatt,  his 
lot  near  the  Danbury  school-house,  and  sold  the  same  in  1779.  He 
probably  then  left  the  town.     He  had  wife,  Trube,  and 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Trube,  b.  Feb.  4,  1764. 

II.  Noah,  b.  April  1,  1766. 

III.  Am,  b.      "      15,  176S. 

IV.  Zadoc,  b.      "      19,  1770. 
V.  Charity,  b.  July  18,  J 772. 

VI.  Dinah,  b.  Jan.  3,  1775. 

VII.  Elizabeth,        b.  March  25,  1777. 
VIII.  Merrit,  b.  June  11,  1779. 

Daniel  Forbes,  from  Wethersfield,  bought  of  Noah  Gleason  his 
homestead,  bordering  southerly  on  Torrington  line  and  the  Ebenezer 
and  Joe  Preston  lot,  and  northerly  on  Amasa  Wade.  He  died,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  Norfolk  Proba'e  Records,  in  1779,  leaving  a  wife,  Lydia, 
who,  with  Ozias  Hurlbut,  of  Wethersfield,  administered  his  estate. 

Martin  North,  with  his  sons,  Martin,  Jr.,  and  Rufus,  came  from 
Danbury,  and  bought  of  Elisha  Smith  the  No'de  J.  Everitt  place,  im- 
mediately south  of  Winchester  center  village.  He  built  the  lean-to  house 
standing  thereon,  and  occupied  it  until  1791.  He  afterwards  lived  with 
his  son,  Martin,  Jr.,  in  the  house  next  west  of  the  Doctor  Wetmore 
house,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Norfolk  road,  until  he  removed  to  Colebrook, 
in  1797.  He  married  in  Torrington,  April  2,  1760,  Abigail  Eno ;  she 
died,  January  5,  1782;  and  he  married  (2d),  June  27,  1782,  Mary  Coe  ; 
he  died  in  1806. 

children  by  first  wife. 

I.  Martin,  bap.  in  Tor.,  Sep.  13,  1761  ;  named  in  his  father's  will. 

II.  Abigail,  bap.     "         June  17,  1764. 

III.  Lucina,  bap.     "  Aug.  2,  1767;  named  in  her  father's  will. 

IV.  Rufus,  birth  record  not  found  ;  named  in  his  father's  will. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

V.  Noah,  b.  May  25,  1783;  d.  June  13,  1783. 

VI.  Noah,         b.  July  22,  1785  ;  named  in  his  father's  will. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  127 

Martin  North,  Jr.,  built,  and  lived  in,  the  house  next  west  of  the 
Doctor  Wetmore  house,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Norfolk  road,  until  1802, 
and  afterwards  owned  and  lived  in  a  house,  lately  torn  down,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Dugway  road  a  little  north  of  Juel  G.  Griswold's,  until  about 
1805,  when  he  removed  to  Colebrook.  He  was  Town  Clerk  during  the 
year  1802.     He  married,  September  2-1,  1781,  Mary  Fay. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abigail,  b.  Jan.  13,  1783;  d.  Oct.  5,  1783. 

II.  Mary,  b.  Aug.  16,  1785. 

III.  Sylvester  Eno,  b.  Dec.  6,  1792. 

Rufus  North,  son  of  Martin,  Senior,  owned  a  twelve  acre  lot,  —  prob- 
ably the  one  on  which  Luman  Munsill  now  resides,  —  immediately  north 
of  his  father's  first  homestead,  which  he  sold  in  1791,  soon  after  which  he 
removed  to  Colebrook.  He  married,  August  27,  1789,  Esther  Roberts, 
and  had  by  her  a  son,  Ebenezer,  born  March  2,  1790. 

Truman  Gibbs,  "of  Litchfield,"  bought  of  Hannah  Everett,  and 
probably  lived  until  1778,  on  the  lot  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Asaph 
Brooks,  on  the  old  Country  Road. 

1777. 

In  town  meeting,  April  10th,  of  this  year,  it  was  voted,  "that  we  adopt 
the  late  acts  passed  by  the  General  Assembly,  holden  at  Midd'etown  on 
the  18th  day  of  April,  1777;  and  that  we  will  firmly  abide  thereby." 
This  vote  probably  refers  to  the  "  Abstract  and  Declaration  of  the  Rights 
and  Privileges  of  the  people  of  the  State,"  adopted  by  the  General  As- 
sembly, after  the  adoption  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the 
Continental  Congress,  in  these  words  : 

"  The  People  of  this  state  being  by  the  Providence  of  God  free  and 
independent,  have  the  sole  and  exclusive  Right  of  governing  themselves 
as  a  free,  sovereign,  and  independent  state ;  and  having  from  their  ances- 
tors derived  a  free  and  excellent  Constitution  [Charter]  of  Government, 
whereby  the  Legislature  depends  on  the  free  annual  election  of  the  Peo- 
ple, they  have  the  best  security  for  the  Preservation  of  their  civil  and  re- 
ligious Rights  and  Liberties.  And  forasmuch  as  the  free  fruition  of  such 
Liberties  and  Privileges  as  Humanity,  Civility  and  Christianity  call  for, 
as  is  due  to  every  Man  in  his  Place  and  Proportion  without  Impeach- 
ment and  Infringement,  hath  ever  been,  and  will  be  the  Tranquility 
and  Stability  of  Churches  and  Commonwealths  ;  and  the  denial  thereof, 
the  Disturbance,  if  not  the  Ruin,  of  both. 

"  Be  it  enacted  and  declared  by  the  Governor,  Council  and  Repre- 
sentatives in  General  Court  assembled,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  same, 


128  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

that  the  ancient  Form  of  Civil  Government,  contained  in  the  charter  from 
Charles  the  Second,  King  of  England,  and  adopted  by  the  People  of  this 
state,  shall  be  and  remain  the  Civil  Constitution  of  this  state,  under  the 
Sole  authority  of  the  People  thereof,  independent  of  any  King  or  Prince, 
whatever.  And  that  this  Republic  is,  and  shall  forever  remain,  a  free, 
Sovereign  and  independent  State,  by  the  name  of  the  state  of  Con- 
necticut." 

"  And  be  it  further  enacted  and  declared  by  the  Authority  aforesaid, 
That  no  man's  Life  shall  be  taken  away ;  No  Man's  Honor  or  good 
Name  shall  be  stained  ;  No  Man's  Person  shall  be  arrested,  restrained, 
banished,  dismembered,  nor  any  ways  punished :  No  Man  shall  be  de- 
prived of  his  Wife  or  Children  ;  No  man's  Goods  or  Estate  shall  be  taken 
away  from  him,  nor  in  any  ways  indamaged  under  the  Color  of  Law,  or 
Countenance  of  Authority;  unless  Clearly  warranted  by  the  Laws  of  this 
State." 

"  That  all  the  free  Inhabitants  of  this  or  any  other  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  and  Foreigners  in  Amity  with  this  state,  shall  enjoy  the 
same  Justice  and  Law  within  this  State,  which  is  general  for  the 
State,  in  all  Cases  proper  for  the  cognizance  of  the  civil  Authority  and 
Courts  of  Judicature  within  the  same,  and  that  without  Partiality  or 
Delay. 

"  And  that  no  Man's  Person  shall  be  restrained,  or  imprisoned,  by  any 
Authority  whatsoever,  before  the  Law  hath  sentenced  him  thereto,  if  he 
can  and  will  give  sufficient  Security,  Bail  or  Mainprize  for  Appearance 
and  good  behavior  in  the  mean  Time,  unless  it  be  for  capital  Crimes,  con- 
tempt in  open  Court,  or  in  such  Cases  wherein  some  express  Law  doth 
allow  or  order  the  same." 

By  this  act  the  Governor  and  company  formally  severed  their  connec- 
tion with  the  Crown  of  Great  Britain ;  and  retained  the  Charter  of 
Charles  the  Second,  so  strenuously  and  successfully  defended  and  pre- 
served amid  repeated  attempts  of  the  Crown  to  wrest  it  from  them,  —  as 
the  fundamental  law  or  constitution  of  an  independent  State. 

Those  who  have  but  casually  examined  this  charter  are  little  aware  of 
its  thoroughly  republican  features  and  its  delegation  of  powers  which 
made  the  Colony,  save  in  name,  a  free  and  independent  Commonwealth. 
The  "  declaration  of  Rights  and  Privileges  "  above  quoted,  which  is  the 
introductory  statute  in  the  revised  code  of  1784,  was  all  that  was  needed 
to  put  the  charter  in  perfect  working  order  as  a  republican  form  of  gov- 
ernment. 

It  was  claimed  by  the  advocates  of  the  new  Constitution  adopted  in 
1818,  that  the  State  was  and  had  been  without  a  constitutional  lorm  of 
government ;  and  that  the  retention  of  the  charter  as  a  basis  of  law,  was 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  129 

a  remnant  of  kingly  rule  unworthy  of  freemen,  and  dishonorable  to  the 
State.  If,  as  is  probable,  the  other  lowns  of  the  State  formally  recog- 
nized the  Declaration  of  the  Legislature,  in  manner  similar  to  the  action 
of  this  town,  it  had  all  the  sanction  of  other  written  constitutions  since 
adopted  by  other  States  of  the  Union.  It  had  moreover  a  ring  of 
pure  democracy,  more  clear  and  distinct  than  was  probably  ever  found 
elsewhere  in  a  modern  republic.  It  restored  the  whole  Legislative  and 
Judicial  [tower  to  the  people  twice  in  each  year.  The  lower  house  of  the 
General  Assemby  came,  by  election,  fresh  from  the  people  to  the  May 
and  October  Sessions,  and  elected  the  Judges  annually.  The  "  Steady 
habits  "  of  the  people  prevented  an  abuse  of  this  power  by  arbitrary 
changes  of  the  incumbents.  The  same  men  were  re-elected  from  year  to 
year,  until  incompetent  through  age.  The  Constitution  of  1818  pro- 
vided only  for  an  annual  election  of  Representatives,  one  regular  session 
a  year,  and  a  choice  of  Judges  to  hold  their  office  until  seventy  years  old, 
unless  removed  for  incapacity  or  crime.  The  working  of  this  provision  has 
led  to  a  recent  amendment  of  the  Constitution  limiting  the  term  of  a  Judge 
to  eight  years. 

Before  returning  from  this  digression  to  the  distinctive  annals  of  our 
town,  we  would  urge  upon  every  lover  of  his  Connecticut  forefathers,  to 
study  carefully  the  early  history  of  our  State,  and  find  therein  a  record  of 
prudent  and  wise  legislation,  —  of  firm  and  undeviatiug  patriotism,  and  of 
devoted  service  in  establishing  and  defending  our  republican  institutions, 
of  which  the  most  imperial  State  in  the  Union  might  well  be  proud. 

Sept.  25th,  1777.  —  "Voted  to  provide  the  articles  mentioned  in  the 
Governor's  Proclamation,  for  the  Soldiers,  at  the  town's  cost,  and  to  give 
them  to  them,  viz  :  to  the  Soldiers,"  and  "  that  Deacon  Samuel  Wetmore 
and  Sergt.  David  Austin  be  a  committee  to  procure  the  above  mentioned 
articles,  and  to  take  care  of  them." 

It  was  also  voted  that  Gershom  McCune,  Jonathan  Alvord,  and  Martin 
North,  be  a  committee  to  provide  for  the  families  of  those  men  that  are 
enlisted  into  the  Continental  Army,  according  to  the  Act  of  Assembly. 

December  1st,  of  the  same  year,  Samuel  Wetmore,  Gershom  Fay, 
Capt.  John  Hills,  David  Austin,  and  Jonathan  Coe,  were  appointed  a 
committee  for  supplying  the  families  of  such  soldiers  belonging  to  this 
town,  now  in  the  Continental  army,  with  such  clothing  and  provisions  as 
may  be  necessary  for  their  support. 

It  was  also  voted,  "  that  those  men  that  went  volunteers  to  the  North- 
ward, and  Southward,  shall  receive  Five  Pounds  each  out  of  the  treas- 
ury ; "  and  "  that  those  men  who  went  with  Ensn.  Brownson  last  April, 
and  with  Sergt.  Timothy  Benedict,  in  August,  and  with  Lieut.  Benedict, 
shall  receive  five  pounds  for  going  volunteers." 
17 


130  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 

It  was  further  "  voted  that  Deacon  Samuel  Wetmore,  and  the  owners  of 
the  Saw  Mill,  by  the  Meeting  House,  shall  have  the  privilege  of  the  dam 
by  Capt.  Hill's,  as  agreed." 

This  Saw  Mill  was  the  first  erected  in  the  town.  It  originally  stood 
near  the  country  road,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  north  of  the  burying  ground, 
and  was  carried  by  means  of  a  dam  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  which 
flooded  the  meadows,  east  and  northeast  of  the  road.  It  was  probably  at 
this  time  moved  down  the  stream  to  the  vicinity  of  the  old  meeting 
house,  in  order  to  get  a  better  head  of  water.  It  was  eventually  removed 
down  to  the  site  of  the  mill  and  cheese  box  factory,  recently  owned  by 
the  McAlpines. 

An  incident  connected  with  this  Mill  has  been  handed  down,  which 
pleasingly  illustrates  the  characters  of  the  first  two  Deacons  of  the  Win 
Chester  church.  Deacon  Wetmore  sawed  the  logs  of  his  neighbors  in 
regular  order,  according  to  their  priority  of  claim.  A  certain  day  was 
fixed  for  sawing  the  logs  of  his  bosom  friend  and  colleague,  Deacon  Seth 
Hills ;  but  in  the  morning,  before  Deacon  Hills  had  come  to  draw  his 
logs  on  to  the  logway,  another  neighbor  came,  who  was  in  pressing  and 
immediate  need  of  some  lumber,  and  prevailed  on  Deacon  W.  to  let  him 
draw  in  the  logs  he  required  to  be  sawed.  Some  of  the  logs  were  drawn 
in  when  Deacon  Hills  arrived.  Irritated  at  finding  himself  superseded, 
he  made  some  sharp  remark,  which  was  sharply  replied  to  by  his  col- 
league. Both  of  them  fell  from  grace  to  wrath.  "  I'll  never  draw 
another  log  to  your  mill,"  says  Deacon  Hills.  "  And  if  you  do,  I'll  never 
saw  it  for  you,"  says  Deacon  Wetmore.  Other  defiant  words  were  ban- 
died back  and  forth,  until  their  wrath,  by  repeated  blowing  off,  came 
down  from  high  to  low  pressure.  Several  world's  people  were  listening 
to  their  unedifying  abjurgations.  A  pause  ensued.  One  of  the  Deacons 
beckoned  the  other  to  follow  him.  They  retired  to  a  neighboring  clump 
of  bushes,  whence  the  voice  of  jienitent  prayer  arose.  Grace  prevailed 
over  passion,  and  on  returning  to  the  Mill,  Deacon  Hills  assisted  in  draw- 
ing in  his  neighbor's  logs,  cheerfully  postponing  his  own  turn  until  his 
neighbor  could  be  accommodated. 

In  Society  Meeting  this  year,  in  addition  to  society  committee,  clerk, 
and  collector,  three  choristers  and  three  readers  of  the  psalms  were 
appointed,  and  directions  were  given  for  repairing  and  enlarging  the 
Meeting  House,  a  measure  obviously  needed,  to  enable  those  officials  to 
effectively  discharge  their  duties. 

The  new  coiners  of  the  year  were  Nathan  Blackmail,  Peter  Blackmail, 
Samuel  Clark,  Joseph  Dodge,  Timothy  Fay,  William  Fay,  James  Steven- 
son, Joseph  Sweet,  and  Jonah  Woodruff. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  131 

Nathan  Blackman,  from  Stratford,  a  remarkably  tall,  athletic  man, 
lived  in  a  honse  that  stood  on  the  cross  road,  leading  from  the  Dugway 
road,  in  rear  of  the  house  of  Mrs.  Sophronia  Leonard.  He  m.  April  24, 
1783,  Phebe  Orvis  of  Norfolk.     He  d.  Dec.  -18,  1786. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abigail,        b.  Jan.  17,  1784. 
n.  Elizabeth,    b.  Sept.  1,  1785. 

Peter  Blackman  came  from  Stratford,  and  lived  on  the  easterly 
side  of  the  Dugway  Road,  nearly  opposite  Mrs.  Sophronia  Leonards,  on 
land  recently  purchased  by  John  T.  Rockwell.  He  is  believed  to  have 
removed  to  Sangersfield,  N.  Y.,  about  1794.  He  was  b.  June  23,  1735 
(old  style)  ;  m.  April  17,  17G0,  Mary  McEwen,  b.  April  1,  1738,  dan.  of 
Gershom. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abigail,  b.  Sept.  28,  1761. 

II.  Trum.yn,  b.  July  12,  176.5. 

III.  Martha,  b.  March  27,  1765. 

IV.  Sarah,  b.  May  1,1767. 
V.  Joseph  Picket,  b.  June  24,  1769. 

VI.  Salmon,  b.  June  18,  1771. 

VII.  Gershom,  b.  Feb.  2,  1774. 

VIII.  Mart,  b.  April  28,  1776. 

IX.  William  Adams,  b.  Dec.  11,  1778. 
X.  Peter,  b.  March  6,  1781  ;   d.  Aug.  16,  1783. 

Trtlyian  Blackman,  oldest  son  of  Peter,  lived  until  1793  in  the 
house,  a  mile  east  of  Wincbester  center,  at  the  turn  of  the  road  towards 
the  Dugway,  which  he  sold  to  Tbcodore  &  Russell  Goodwin,  and  after- 
wards lived  on  the  Asher  Case  farm  until  1794,  when  he  removed  to  cen- 
tral New  York.  He  married,  January  8,  1789,  Hannah  Sherman. 
They  had  one  son,  Adin,  born  October  23,  1791. 

Joseph  Pickett  Blackman,  second  son  of  Peter,  had  an  interest 
in  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  Long  Pond,  but  probably  never  resided 
there. 

None  of  the  Blackman  family  remained  in  this  town.  They  are  re- 
ported to  hold  a  highly  respectable  standing  in  central  New  York. 

Samuel  Clark  built  and  lived  in  the  house  recently  occupied  by  Dan- 
iel Murray  on  the  Dugway  road.  He  built,  in  company  with  Reuben 
Miner  and  Christopher  Whiting,  a  saw-mill  on  Sucker  Brook,  near  the 


132  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

site  of  the  mill  recently  built  by  McPherson  Hubbell.  He  also  built  in 
the  same  vicinity  a  trip-hammer  shop  for  welding  gun-barrels  ;  —  and  lost 
his  thumb  in  attempting  to  hold  the  bed-piece  under  the  hammer,  in  his 
haste  to  see  the  working  of  the  hammer  before  the  bed-piece  had  been 
secured.  He  built  a  wind-mill  near  his  house  for  the  purpose  of  sawing 
fire  wood.  His  dam  flooded  the  meadows  above  so  as  to  cause  a  law-suit 
between  him  and  his  neighbor,  Miner.  He  seems  to  have  been  an  active, 
stirring  body,  —  somewhat  restive  as  a  neighbor  and  Church  member, — 
traded  largely  in  lands;  and  about  1800,  removed  to  Stockbridge,  Massa- 
chusetts.    He  married,  November  7,  1770,  Mary  Cooper. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mary,        b.  June  20,  1778  ;  m.  April  18,  1795,  Loammi  Mott. 
II.  Samuel,       b.  March  17,  1783. 

Joseph  Dodge,  from  Wethersfield,  lived,  until  1782,  near  the  old 
meeting  house,  and  afterward  in  the  previous  homestead  of  Aaron 
Cook,  near  the  south  line  of  the  town,  on  Blue  Street.  His  name  disap- 
pears from  the  records  after  1783.     He  had  wife,  Elizabeth,  and 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joseph,     b.  June  22,  1777. 
II.  Clara,       b.  July  28,  1779. 

Timothy  and  William  Fay,  brothers,  owned  and  lived  on  a  part  of  the 
B.  B.  Rockwell  farm,  between  the  two  lakes.  One,  or  both  of  them  lived 
in  a  log  cabin  adjoining  an  old  orchard,  south  of  the  present  road  passing 
Mr.  Rockwell's.  It  is  believed  that  one  of  them  died  there.  They  dis- 
appear from  the  records  about  1788.  A  Tyringham  Shaker  of  that 
name  told  the  compiler,  several  years  ago,  that  he  was  born  there. 

Timothy  Fay  had  wife,  Sarah,  and  a  son,  Timothy,  born  November 
16,  1781. 

William  Fay  married,  October  22,  1778,  Bethia  Bassett,  and  had 

children. 

I.  William,  b.  Dec.  21,  1778. 

II.  Aaron,  b.  Nov.  9,  1781  ;  d.  Nov.  19,  1782. 

III.  Aaron,  b.  Sept.  11,  1783. 

IV.  Jonathan,  b.  June  4,  1785. 

Gershom  Fay  had  a  daughter,  Dinah,  baptized  June  30,  177G  ;  he 
took  the  oath  of  fidelity  in  the  town  January  13,  1778  ;  was  not  a  land 
holder,  and  no  further  note  of  him  appears. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  133 

James  Stevenson  is  named  of  Winchester,  in  a  deed  of  1777,  convey- 
ing to  him  a  lot  of  land  near  the  original  meeting  house.  He  conveyed 
away  the  same  land  in  1784,  hy  a  deed,  in  which  he  is  named  of  Goshen. 

Joseph  Sweet,  named  of  Voluntown,  bought  of  Adam  Mott,  a  lot  of 
land  with  a  dwelling  thereon,  not  far  north  of  the  stone  school-house,  on 
Blue  Street.  He  is  also  named  of  Winchester  in  1779,  and  in  1780 
is  named  of  Goshen. 

Jonah  Woodruff,  from  Litchfield,  bought  and  sold  several  tracts 
of  land  in  the  1st  division,  among  which  was  a  lot  on  the  east 
side  of  the  old  discontinued  road  near  the  first  meeting  house,  where 
he  is  supposed  to  have  resided  until  1784,  when  his  name  disappears  from 
the  records.  He  and  his  wife,  Mary,  had  a  son,  Benjamin,  born  May  12, 
1778. 


CHAPTER     XII. 

WAR  RECORDS— HALF-WAY  COVENANT  TROUBLES— NEW  SETTLERS. 


1778  to  1783. 

At  a  Town  Meeting,  January  13,  1778,  the  articles  of  Confederation  of 
the  thirteen  United  States  were  presented  for  approval,  and  hy  vote  on 
each  successive  article,  were  accepted ;  —  and  thereupon  the  oath  of 
Fidelity  to  the  State  of  Connecticut  was  administered  to  those  present 
and  certified  m  the  records.  The  names  of  others  who  took  the  oath 
afterwards  were  also  recorded.  We  subjoin  the  names  in  alphabetical 
order,  giving  the  dates  of  administration  only  of  those  taking  the  oath 
subsequent  to  January  13,  1778. 


DAVID  ALVORD, 

ELIPHAZ  ALVORD, 

JONATHAN  ALVORD, 

ABRAHAM  ANDREWS, 

DANIEL  ANDREWS, 

DAVID  AUSTIN, 

JOHN  AUSTIN, 

LEMUEL  BASSETT, 

JOEL  BEACH, 

JOHN  BEACH,  Feb.  12,  1779. 

BENJAMIN  BENEDICT, 

TIMOTHY  BENEDICT, 

LEVI  BROWNSON, 

OZIAS  BROWNSON, 

WILLIAM  CASTEL, 

JOHN  CHURCH,  July  18,  1782. 

SAMUEL  CLARK, 

JONATHAN  COE, 

ROBERT  COE, 

ROSWELL  COE, 

DAN1  HURLBUT  CONE,  Dec.  2, 1782. 

RICHARD  COIT, 

PETER  CORBIN, 

DANIEL  CORBIN, 

JOSEPH  DODGE, 

HEZEKIAH  ELMER, 


NOBLE  EVERITT, 

ANDREW  EVERITT, 

Mrs.  H.  EVERITT,  Jan.  18,  17S2. 

GERSHOM  FAY, 

REMEMBRANCE  FILLEY, 

JOSEPH  FRISBEE, 

WARHAM  GIBBS, 

PHINEHAS  GRISWOLD, 

BELA  HILLS,  Dec.  2,  1782. 

SETH  HILLS, 

JOHN  HILLS, 

BENONI  HILLS, 

JOSEPH  HOSKIN, 

SAMUEL  HURLBUT, 

REV.  MR.  KNAPP, 

WM.  KEYES,  Feb.  12,  1779. 

DAVID  LOOMIS,  Dec.  2,  1782. 

ICHABOD  LOOMIS, 

ROBERT  McCUNE, 

SAMUEL  McCUNE, 

GERSHOM  McCUNE,  Dec.  4,  1778. 

REUBEN  MINER, 

JOHN  MINER, 

ADAM  MOTT, 

LENT  MOTT, 

MARTIN  NORTH, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  135 

AMBROSE  PALMER,  JAMES  SWEET, 

JOSEPH  PLATT,  Feb.  5,  1778.  JOHN  SWEET, 

EBENEZER  PRESTON,  JONATHAN  SWEET, 

SAMUEL  PRESTON,  PELEG  SWEET, 

BENJAMIN  PRESTON,  REUBEN  TUCKER, 

PHILIP  PRIEST,  JOHN  VIDETO,  Jr., 

CHAUNCY  SMITH,  Dec.  2,  1782.  AM  ASA  WADE, 

ELEAZER  SMITH,  SAMUEL  WETMORE, 

THOMAS  SPENCER,  ABEL  WETMORE, 

WM.  STANNARD,  Dec.  2,  1782.  ELISHA  WILCOXSON, 

LEMUEL  STANNARD,  Jr.,  JESSE  WILKINSON, 

ABEL  STANNARD,  July  25,  1782.  REUBEN  WILKINSON, 

LEM'L  STANNARD,  Mch.  10,  1782.  JONAH  WOODRUFF. 

An  examination  of  the  list  shows  that  of  the  seventy-eight  inhabitants 
therein  named,  but  fifteen  are  now  represented  in  the  town  by  descendants 
bearing  their  family  names. 

In  Town  Meetings  this  year,  taxes  were  laid,  in  all  amounting  to  four 
shillings  and  three  pence  on  the  poundj  for  meeting  the  expenses  of  the 
town. 

Sergt.  Freedom  Wright  and  John  Balcom,  Jr.,  were  allowed  five 
pounds  each  for  doing  a  tour  of  duty,  the  previous  year,  in  the  Northern 
army. 

It  was  voted,  that  if  the  committee  on  trial  cannot  procure  a  sufficiency 
of  provisions  for  the  families  of  those  men  who  are  gone  into  the  Con- 
tinental army,  the  Selectmen  shall  be  empowered  to  lay  the  matter  before 
the  Governor  and  Council  or  Assembly,  and  pray  them  to  point  out  some 
way  for  our  relief;  and  also  to  pray  for  a  tax  on  non-resident  proprietors 
to  support  the  country  roads. 

Ensign  Ozias  Bronson,  Joseph  Hoskin,  Samuel  Hurlbut,  Roswell  Coe, 
Ambrose  Palmer,  Samuel  Preston,  and  Phineas  Griswold,  were  ap- 
pointed a  Committee  to  provide  for  the  families  of  the  soldiers. 

From  the  records  of  the  Society  meetings  of  this  year,  it  appears  that 
owing  to  disaffection  of  many  members,  it  was  decided,  after  consultation 
with  Mr.  Knapp,  "to  throw  by  the  civil  law  in  collecting  Mr.-  Knapp's 
rate,  and  [to]  support  him  some  other  way." 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were,  Lemuel  Stannard,  Senior,  Seth 
Griswold,  James  Hale,  and  William  Barbour. 

Lemuel  Stannard,  Senior,  has  been  noticed  under  the  year  1771. 

Seth  Griswold,  of  New  Hartford,  married,  December  31,  1778, 
Huldah,  widow  of  Simeon  Loomis,  and  settled  on  the  Loomis  homestead, 
now  composing  a  part  of  Luther  Branson's  farm,  in  the  southwest  part  of 


136  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

the  town,  and  there  resided  until  1801,  when  he  removed  to  the  south- 
west corner  of  Colebrook,  and  there  resided  in  the  house  now  occupied 
by  Isaac  Jacklyn,  until  his  death,  about  1810. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Roswell,  b.  Feb.  8,  1780;  m.  Nov.  3,  1802,  Lucrctia  Whcadon,  daughter 
of  Solomon.  She  d.  and  he  m.  (2d),  Nov.  1808,  Mrs.  Jcruslia  (Grant) 
Walter,  daughter  of  Joel  Grant  and  widow  of  Cyrus  Walter.  Slie  d.  in 
Colebrook,  March  3,  1828;  he  m.  (3d)  Anna  (Hall)  Preston,  who  was  a 
widow  Clark  before  she  m.  Preston.  Children  by  first  wife  :  1.  Wyllys, 
lives  in  Auburn,  Iowa;  2.  Lucretia,  m.  Asahel  Northway ;  3  Hiram, 
grad.  Western  Reserve  College,  lived  at  Canton  and  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a 
lawyer  senator  of  Ohio,  lives  at  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  Children  by 
second  wife  :  4.  Lucius,  b.  July  12,  1810;  5.  Almira,  b.  July  23,  1811 ; 
6.  Joel  Grant,  b.  March  15,  1813;  7.  Lavinia,  b.  Feb.  25,  1817  ;  8. 
James,  b.  Jan.  20,  1819;  9  Nelson,  b.  Aug.  20,  1820;  10.  Edward,  b. 
April  13, 1824;  11.  Ellen  Amanda,  b.  April  6,  1825,  m.  March  18, 1850, 
William  S.  Phillips,  a  trader,  of  Winsted,  who  d.  Aug.  19,  1860— she 
lives  in  Winsted  ;  12.  Mary  Ann,  d.  unmarried.  These  children  were  all 
born  in  Colebrook. 

II.  Asa,  b.  May  26,  1781. 

James  Hale,  from  Wethersfield,  bought  the  Ensign  lot  at  the  south- 
west shore  of  Long  Lake,  west  of  the  mouth  of  Taylor's  Brook,  where 
he  lived  until  1784,  when  he  left  the  town.  By  his  wife,  Sarah,  ho  had 
three 

children. 

I.Abigail,      b.  May  12,  1778. 
II.  Sarah,         b.  Aug.  8,  1780. 

III.  William,    b.  March  16,  1784  ;  is  said  to  have  become  a  sailor,  was  pressed 

into  the  British  navy,  and   obtained  his  discharge  by  procuring  a  certifi- 
cate of  the  record  of  his  birth  in  Winchester. 


William  Barbour,  from  Paisley,  Scotland,  deserted  the  British 
army  brought  to  this  country  at  the  beginning  of  the  revolution,  and  lie- 
came  a  resident  of  this  town  as  early  as  1778.  He  married,  September 
26, 1778,  Ruth  Thrall,  widow  of  Reuben  Thrall,  who  died  in  the  town 
the  previous  year.  He  resided  in  the  Thrall  homestead,  near  Reuben 
Chase's  present  residence,  until  1798 ;  soon  after  which  he  removed  to 
Burke,  Caledonia  County,  Vermont.  He  was  by  trade  a  tailor,  —  a 
pious  and  highly  estimable  man. 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Clara,     b.  July  19,  1781. 
II.  Esther,  b.  Nov.  19,  1784. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  137 


1779. 

The  town  records  of  this  year  are  mainly  confined  to  routine  busi- 
ness. 

Martin  North  and  Joseph  Iloskin  were  appointed  "  to  provide  for  the 
families  of  Continental  soldiers";  and  Dr.  Josiah  Everitt,  Samuel 
McCune,  and  Phineas  Griswold,  to  provide  clothing  for  the  soldiers. 

The  Society  records  are  also  barren  of  interest.  The  "civil  law  "  hav- 
ing been  "  thrown  by  in  collecting  the  minister's  rate,"  no  Society  tax 
was  laid. 

The  new  comers  were  Elijah  Hubbard,  Daniel  Clark,  and  Christopher 
Whiting. 

Elijah  Hubbard,  from  Middletown,  bought  and  occupied  Lot  8,  first 
Tier,  first  Division,  on  Blue  Street,  near  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
town.  In  18D5  he  sold  what  remained  to  him  of  this  tract  to  Jared 
Curtis.  His  wife,  Ursula,  died  May  3,  1786.  Anna,  their  daughter, 
was  born  April  16,  1783.  Tradition  says  he  was  an  eminently  pious 
man,  and  that  he  died  alone  in  a  house  on  the  hill,  east  of  the  original 
meeting  house. 

Daniel  Clark's  name  appears  only  in  the  record  of  births.  He  had 
by  wife  Eunice, 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Bela  (son),   b.  Feb.  25,  1779.  II.  Patty,  b.  June  28,  1781. 

Benjamin  Whiting*  married  in  Torrington,  October  17,  1755, 
Esther  Marcum. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Christopher,2  b.  in  Tor.,  Aug.  3,  1757. 

II.  William,2  b.     "  Sept.  4,  1759. 

III.  Esther,2  b.     "  "     13,  1763. 

IV.  Benjamin,2  b.     "  Dec.  11,  1765  ;  see  1793. 

Christopher  Whiting,2  settled  on  the  old  road  from  Winsted  to 
Winchester,  north  of  Sucker  Brook  bridge,  and  built  and  occupied,  during 
his  life,  the  house  now  owned  by  Frederick  Murray.  He  died  July  6, 
1812,  aged  54  ;  —  an  industrious,  unassuming,  and  worthy  man.  He  mar- 
rie.l,  January  9,- 1782,  Mary  Wilcox. 

*  Not  a  resident  of  Winchester. 
18 


138 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


I.    LORRAIN,3 

II.  Riley,3 

III.  Clara,3 

27,  1815. 

IV.  Luman,3 

V.  Esther  Miriam,3 
VI.  Norman,3 


CHILDREN. 

b.  Dec.  19,  1782. 
b.  Jan.  16,  1785. 
b.  March  11,  1785 


m.  Samuel  Westlake;  she  d.  Jan. 


b.  May  5,  1792  ;  m.  Anna  Hayden. 

b.  Sept.  13,  1796. 

b.  Aug.  5,  1796 ;  d.  Aug.  5,  1815,  by  kick  of  a  horse. 


Lorrain  Whiting'  built  the  brick  house  on  Wallen's  Hill,  in  Win- 
sted,  near  Barkhamsted  line,  i-ecently  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son, 
Hiram  C.  Whiting,  in  which  he  resided  until  Ills  death  September  6, 
1833,  aged  51.  He  married,  May  1,  1806,  Polly  Mallory,  born  in  Win- 
chester, May  24,  1784,  daughter  of  Elisha.  She  died  January  10,  1851, 
aged  66. 

CHILDREN. 


I.  Algernon  Sidney,4 
M.  Sage. 
II.  Laura,4 

Johnson. 

III.  Chloe  Amelia,4 

IV.  Ursula  Jenet,4 

Camp;  d.  June  3,  1839. 
V.  Orson,4 
VI.  Lucikn,4 

VII.  Lorrain  Christopher,4 
VIII.  Hikam  Chatterton4  (twin), 
IX.  Homer  Wilcox4  (twin), 

phronia  C.  Wheelock. 
X.  Nelson,4 
XI.  DeWitt  Clinton,4 
XII.  Polly  Mallory,4 

XIII.  Sarah  Jane,4 

XIV.  Sylvia  Ann,4 
XV.  Edward  Gaylord,4 


b.  March  7,  1807 ;  m.  June  20,  1832,  Loritta 

b.  Jan.  22,   1809;  m.    Feb.  7,   1828,  Martin 

b.  Oct.  17,  1810. 

b.  April  20,   1812;   m.  Oct.  8,   1833,  Jolin 

b.  July  5,  1813. 

b.  April  12,  1816. 

b.  Feb.  22,  1819. 

b.  March  29,  1821. 

b.  March  29,   1821;  m.   July  30,   1850,  So- 

b.  Feb.  25,  1823. 

b.  Aug.  29    1824  ;  d.  Nov.  27,  1846. 

b.  Feb.  19,  1826. 

b.  April  29,  1827. 

b.  Dec.  4,  1828. 

b.  Feb.  27,  1832. 


Riley  Whiting  came  to  Winsted  about  1810,  and  soon  after  built 
and  occupied  until  his  death,  the  house  on  the  east  side  of  Still  River, 
near  the  clock  factory  recently  owned  and  occupied  by  R.  L.  Beecher. 
He  went  into  the  clock  making  business  .as  partner  with  Samuel  and 
Luther  Hoadley,  and  about  1815  became  sole  owner  of  the  concern  ;  — 
and  carried  on  the  business  until  his  death,  with  great  energy  and  per- 
severance. He  was  a  man  of  quiet,  unassuming  manners  and  feeble  con- 
stitution, who,  more  than  most  men,  minded  his  own  business  and  prosecuted 
it  with  the  same  perseverance  in  adverse,  as  in  prosperous  circumstances ; 
and,  though  twice  compelled  to  assign  his  property,  yet  in  both  instances 
succeeded  in  paying  off  his  debts,  and  left  a  handsome  estate  at  his  death, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  139 

which  took  place  at  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  August  5,  1835,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-one,  while  on  a  business  journey.  He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed. 
He  represented  the  town  in  the  Legislature  in  the  years  1818  and  1832. 
He  married,  February  9,  1806,  Urania  Hoadley.  She  married  (2d), 
Erasmus  D.  Calloway ;  she  died  December  8,  1855. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Emily,3  b.  May  23,  1807;  m.  August  17,  1826,  Dr.  Lyman 

Case. 
II.  Mary,3  b.  June  11, 1810 ;  m.  Feb.  3,   1835,  James  Litch' 

field;  she  d.  at  Lima,  Michigan,  Oct.  7,  1837. 

III.  Ukania,3  b.    Sept.   9,    1812;    m.    May   26,    1840,    Thomas 

Wilder. 

IV.  Lemuel  Hoadley,3        b.  Dec.  11,  1815 ;  d.  Dec.  25,  1815. 

V.  Riley,3  b.  Sept.  25,  1820;  m.  August  28,   1843,   Clarissa 

Jane  Webster. 

1780. 

At  a  Town  Meeting,  March  13,  1780,  Robert  McCune  was  appointed 
"  an  Agent  to  represent  the  circumstances  of  the  town  to  the  General  As- 
sembly and  pray  that  a  State  Tax  be  not  imposed  on  this  towu  under  our 
present  circumstances;  —  and  that  he  be  empowered  .to  imploy  an  At- 
torney to  speak  in  behalf  of  the  town  at  the  General  Assembly,  viz,  Col. 
Adams,  if  he  may  be  had,  —  and  if  he  cannot  be  obtained,  then  sd.  Agent 
to  employ  some  other  Attorney." 

It  was  also  voted,  "  to  give  John  Videto,  Jr.,  and  those  in  partnership 
with  him  their  fine  for  killing  one  Deer  after  the  law  forbid." 

July  17,  it  was  voted  to  grant  some  relief  for  those  men  who  are,  or 
may  be  detailed  to  serve  in  the  army  between  the  first  day  of  June  last, 
and  the  first  day  of  January  next. 

Whereupon  Lieutenant  John  Wright  and  Euoch  Palmer  entered  their 
protest  against  anything  being  recovered  on  the  foregoing  vote,  for  that 
it  was  (as  they  say)  obtained  by  illegal  voters. 

At  the  Society  meeting,  February  3,  1780 : — 

Voted,  to  give  Mi-.  Knapp  sixty-five  pounds  for  his  last  year's  service, 
to  be  paid  in  specie  as  it  went  in  1774,  or  an  equivalent  in  cash,  to  be  ad- 
justed by  a  committee  to  be  chosen  for  that  purpose,  which  committee  are 
to  adjust  the  price  of  all  kinds  of  specie  as  well  as  cash,  which  adjust- 
ment shall  be  made  once  in  three  months. 

Voted,  Ichabod  Loomis,  Samuel  McCune  and  Reuben  Miner,  a  com- 
mittee to  adjust  the  price  of  all  kinds  of  specie  collected  for  Mr.  Knapp, 
and  also,  to  estimate  money  once  in  three  months. 

Voted,  Levi  Brownson,  Andrew  Everitt,  Bela  Hills  and  Abel  Wetmore, 
choristers  to  tune  the  Psalm  on  the  Sabbath  the  year  ensuing. 


140  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

Voted,  Deacon  Joseph  Mills  (of  Norfolk),  Mr.  Noah  North,  and  Lieut. 
Asahel  Case,  he  a  committee  to  hear  the  complaints  of  any  agrieved 
members  of  this  Society,  respecting  paying  to  Mr.  Knapp  for  his  sup- 
port, and  if  the  said  committee  judge  the  complaints  or  objections  of  said 
agrieved  members  against  paying  to  Mr.  Knapp  sufficient,  then  said 
agrieved  members  to  be  exempt  from  paying  to  Mr.  Knapp. 

Voted,  Capt.  Jonathan  Alvord  to  sweep  the  meeting  house  at  forty  dol- 
lars the  year  ensuing. 

At  a  meeting,  March  7,  1780,  the  doings  of  the  meeting  February  3d, 
were  reconsidered  ;  —  and  it  was  then 

Voted,  to  give  Mr.  Knapp  65  pounds  for  his  last  year's  service,  to  be 
paid  in  specie  —  wheat  to  be  valued  at  six  shillings  the  bushel,  and  the 
price  of  all  other  kinds  of  specie  to  be  regulated  by  wheat  at  6s. 
the  bushel  in  proportion  as  they  were  valued  in  the  year  1774,  or  cash 
equivalent  to  specie  at  the  rate  above  prescribed. 

It  was  further  voted,  that  the  Society  mean  to  have  Mr.  Knapp  join 
with  the  Church  and  Society  in  accommodation  of  matters  of  difficulty 
now  subsisting  in  this  Society  previous  to  voting  another  salary. 

December  5th  of  the  same  year,  another  year's  salary  was  voted  to  Mr. 
Knapp,  "  to  be  paid  in  Specie  as  it  was  valued  in  1774,  or  in  Cash  equiva- 
lent, to  be  adjusted  by  a  Committee,"  —  and  that  "  if  any  Persons  in  the 
Society  shall,  within  one  Month  from  this,  appear  before  the  Society 
Committee  and  say  that  they  cannot  in  their  conscience  support  Mr. 
Knapp,  they  shall  be  exempt  from  supporting  him,  and  the  Rate  be  made 
on  the  remainder  of  the  Society." 

It  would  seem  from  the  foregoing  votes,  and  from  the  action  of  the 
church,  this  year,  that  the  exclusion  from  the  church  of  Half-way- 
covenanters  was  still  working  dis-ension  in  the  Society  and  occasioning 
irreconcilable  hostility  to  Mr.  Knapp,  who  strenuously  persisted  in  the 
exclusion.     • 

The  church  voted,  December  29,  1779,  "That  it  is  our  opinion  y'  a 
visible  appearance  of  Holiness  is  necessary  for  y"  Church  to  admit  mem- 
bers into  their  communion." 

What  was  the  occasion  of  this  vote  does  not  appear,  but  it  probably 
had  reference  to  applications  made  for  half-covenant  membership. 

A  meeting  was  held  March  7th  following,  "  by  y"  desire  of  a  number 
of  members  of  ye  Society  that  call  themselves  greived,  in  order  to  see  if 
y"  chh.  and  they  could  not  come  understandingly  to  agree  "  —  the  meet- 
ing was  adjourned  to  the  next  Friday  —  "  the  agreived  members  agree- 
ing to  bring  their  greivences  in  writing  at  or  before  the  next  meeting;  " 
—  another  adjournment  was  had  to  the  next  Thursday ;  no  greivences 
being  brought  in  —  "  after  considerable  of  discourse,  3  of  y"  members  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  141 

yc  society  were  willing  y1  ye  chli.  should  have  their  greivances  in  writing 
wh.  [are]  here  recorded." 

The  first  was  Abel  Wetmore's,  as  follows: 

"  Mr.  Knapp  told  me,  He  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  any  man  what- 
ever of  a  spiritural  nature,  that  refuses  to  give  me  an  account  of  his  spiritual 
estate  previous  to  reading  his  letter,  nor  read  his  letter." 

The  second  matter  of  grievance  was  exhibited  by  Ensign  Wilcoxson, 
as  follows  : 

'•  1.  I  exhibited  to  Mr.  Knapp  a  letter  of  recommendation  from  ye  chh. 
of  New  Hartford  to  ye  chh.  of  Winchester,  wh.  Mr.  Knapp  never  com- 
municated to  yl  chh. 

"  2.  Mr.  Knapp  told  me  he  did  not  desire  ye  use  of  Civil  law  to  sup- 
port yc  gospel  —  and  now  he  insists  on  ye  use  of  Civil  law." 

"3.  Mr.  Knapp  hath  neglected  to  visit  and  converse  with  me  so  much 
as  I  have  thought  was  his  duty." 

Third  matter  of  grievance  was  exhibited  by  Eliezer  Smith : 

"1.  Respecting  Baptized  persons  —  Mr.  Knapp  said  to  me  that  there 
was  no  more  connexion  between  y'  chh.  and  y'  rest  of  ye  world,  any  more 
than  between  heaven  and  Hell. 

"  2.  Mr.  Knapp  signified  he  did  not  desire  yc  use  of  y"  Civil  law  to 
support  ye  Gospel,  but  now  he  desires  y'  Civil  law  to  take  place  to  make 
men  Honest." 

The  record  proceeds  to  say  : 

"These  following  things  are  what  ye  chh.  attended  to  and  voted  ; 

"  1.  of  a  chh.  —  A  chh.  is  a  number  of  persons  mutually  covenanting 
together  to  walk  in  gospel  fellowship  and  communion  in  all  yl  ordinances 
of  y"  gospel. 

"2.  of  a  covenant  —  The  covenant  of  grace  is  y'  covenant  wh.  in 
reality  subsists  only  between  God  and  true  believers.  The  covenant  im- 
plies on  our  part,  repentance  toward  God  and  faith  towards  our  Lord 
Jesus  X.  *  *  *  *  love  as  y°  spring  of  all  our  obedience,  *  *  *  God's 
part,  spiritual  blessings  &  privileges  are  promised,  together  with  yc  ever- 
lasting enjoyment  of  God  in  heaven,  the  covenant  subsisting  between 
God  and  his  visible  chh.  is  ye  visible  exhibition  of  this  covenant. 

'•  3.  Baptism  and  ye  Lord's  Supper  are  Seals  of  this  covenant.  By 
baptism  ye  parent  in  behalf  of  ye  child  gives  it  up  to  God  y''  Father,  Son 
and  Holy  Ghost,  to  God  as  his  God  and  portion  and  Chief  good ;  to  God 
y"  Son  as  ye  only  Redeemer,  and  by  ye  Holy  Ghost  a«  its  Sanctification 
—  By  baptism  y'  parent  not  only  gives  it  up  to  God  ye  Father,  Son  & 
Holy  Ghost,  but  he  puts  it  under  y'  watch  &  Care  of  y"  chh.  —  the  im- 
port of  it  to  y"  chh.  is,  pray  watch  over  me  and  my  child,  and  admonish 
us  when  we  go  astray  ;  —  it  is  yl  duty  of  yc  chh.  to  watch  over  them,  — 


142  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

to  reprove,  rebuke  and  admonish  them,  —  they  are  to  be  called  upon 
when  come  to  adult  years  to  take  upon  themselves  y°  vows  of  y"  coven- 
ant and  cordially,  understandingly  and  heartily  come  up  to  its  terms. — 
If,  after  forbearance  towards  them,  they  refuse  to  comply  with  y^  terms 
of  ye  covenant,  yy.  are  to  be  cut  off,  and  the  chh.  to  withdraw  their  watch 
and  Care  from  them." 

"  2.  Voted,  that  upon  any  persons  bringing  a  letter  of  recommendation 
from  any  other  chh.  to  be  communicated  to  this,  that  Mr.  Knapp  stay 
y*  church  by  themselves,  and  exhibit  ye  letter  to  y'  chh.,  and  if  Mr. 
Knapp  have  any  objection  against  ye  person  bringing  such,  then  to  com- 
municate his  objections  to  y"  chh.,  and  also  any  person  having  been  pro- 
pounded for  admittance  into  y<  chh.,  on  y"  day  he  is  to  be  admitted  Mr. 
Knapp  stay  the  chh.  at  noon  y4  if  there  be  any  objections  yy.  may  then 
be  made  manifest. 

"  3.  Voted,  that  no  person  can  be  indulged  in  absenting  himself  from 
ye  Sacrament  of  ye  Lord's  Supper  only  upon  point  of  tender  conscience. 

"  4.  Voted,  that  persons  who  shall  desire  to  be  propounded  for  com- 
munion in  this  chh.,  ye  chh.  be  stayed,  and  if  Mr.  Knapp  have  objections, 
y*  he  then  inform  ye  chh.  of  them." 

These  votes  indicate  that  the  church,  while  agreeing  with  Mr.  Knapp 
in  respect  to  qualifications  for  membership,  was  not  disposed  to  yield  to 
him  the  prerogative  of  receiving  or  excluding  members  ;  —  and  the  whole 
record  quoted  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  a  less  arbitray,  though  equally 
firm  adherence  to  sound  principles  of  church  order,  would  have  resulted 
in  greater  peace  and  unity. 

The  vote  in  1778  "to  throw  by  the  Civil  Law  "  in  collecting  the  min- 
isterial rates,  and  the  adoption  of  the  voluntary  system  of  support,  proved 
a  failure ;  —  and  the  return  to  taxation  seems  to  have  been  attended  with 
great  difficulties,  which  were  but  partially  obviated,  by  allowing  the  mal- 
content members  to  relieve  themselves  from  taxation  by  avowing  con- 
scientious scruples  in  respect  to  the  support  of  Mr.  Knapp.  This  plan  of 
relieving  the  malcontents,  after  three  years'  trial,  was  abandoned,  and  the 
tax  was  thereafter  levied  on  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  Society.  It  is 
stated  on  good  traditional  authority  that  the  taxes  were  rigorously  col- 
lected by  attachment  of  the  property  or  persons  of  those  who  refused  to 
pay ;  —  that  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe  (grand-father  of  Jehial  and  Samuel 
W.  Coe),  had  his  cow  attached  and  sold  for  a  minister's  rate ;  —  that 
there  was  a  surplus  of  money  left  of  the  sale,  beyond  the  tax  and  costs, 
which  the  constable,  Deacon  Piatt,  offered  to  pay  him  back,  but  which  he 
indignantly  refused  to  receive ;  —  telling  the  constable  to  "  put  it  under  Mr. 
Knapp's  pillow  and  let  him  sleep  on  it  if  he  could."  The  same  tradition  tells 
of  the  attachment  of  Joseph  Hoskin's  great  coat  in  the  fall  and  its  retention 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  143 

until  spring  ;  —  and  also  of  the  carrying  of  the  late  venerable  Jonathan 
Coe  to  Litchfield  Jail,  —  and  how  he  finally  paid  the  tax  under  protest. 

These  occurrences,  and  others  of  a  similar  nature,  prepared  the  way 
for  the  introduction  and  growth  of  Methodism ;  and  in  connection  with 
a  subsequent  division  in  the  Winsted  Society,  hereafter  detailed,  led  to 
the  establishment  and  growth  of  the  large  and  stable  Methodist  Church  in 
"Winsted ;  —  of  which  the  Coe  family  have  ever  been  among  the  most 
useful  and  valued  members. 

The  financiers  of  the  present  day  would  be  troubled  to  comprehend  the 
"  Specie "  currency  referred  to  in  the  tax  votes  of  this  and  subsequent 
years.  Hard  money  was  literally  too  hard  in  those  days,  as  well  as  these, 
to  be  obtainable  as  a  circulating  medium.  Continental  Bills  had  so  de- 
preciated that  it  took  forty  dollars  to  pay  a  year's  sweeping  of  the  meet- 
ing house,  which  had  been  done  six  years  before  for  five  shillings  and  six- 
pence. The  term  specie  then  had  a  well  received  meaning  not  given  in 
"Webster's  Unabridged  Dictionary.  It  comprehended  in  its  meaning, 
wheat,  rye,  corn,  meslin,  beans,  beef,  pork,  mutton,  tallow,  suet,  lard,  and 
all  other  farm  products  ;  —  and  these  were  the  tithes  for  the  most  part 
brought  into  the  minister's  storehouse  in  payment  of  his  salary.  They 
were  also  the  kind  of  specie  largely  gathered  by  Washington's  "  Brother 
Jonathan,"  *  from  all  parts  of  the  State  in  aid  of  the  revolutionary  war. 
They  were  received  and  appraised  by  committees  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  forwarded  to  general  depots,  in  lieu  of  money  taxes. 

The  standard  of  specie  value  adopted  in  the  vote  of  this  year  was  a 
wise  and  equitable  one.  By  taking  wheat  at  the  price  ruling  in  1774, 
and  regulating  other  articles  at  proportionate  values,  the  difficulty  of  de- 
termining what  amount  of  a  depreciated  and  fluctuating  currency  would 
be  equal  to  the  salary  originally  voted  Mr.  Knapp,  was  obviated  in  an 
equitable  manner. 

On  the  1 9th  of  September  of  this  year,  for  the  first  time,  freemen  were 
admitted,  preparatory  to  an  election  of  the  first  Representative  sent  by 
the  town  to  the  General  Assembly,  as  appears  by  the  following  record: 

"  This  certifies  that  Eliphaz  Alvord,  Adam  Mott,  Capt.  John  Hills,  Lt. 
Ozias  Brownson,  Samuel  McCune,  Seth  Griswold,  Lent  Mott,  David 
Austin,  Ens".  Josiah  Everitt,  David  Crissey,  Phinehas  Potter,  John 
Miner,  Ebenezer  Preston,  Robert  Coe,  Roswell  Coe,  Samuel  Preston, 
Reuben  Tucker,  Dea. '  Seth  Hills,  Ens".  Elisha  "Wilcoxson,  Robert  Mc- 
Cune, Andrew  Everitt,  Martin  North,  Dea.  Samuel  Wetmore,  David 
Alvord,  Thomas   Spencer  and  Abel  Wetmore,  are  persons  of  quiet  and 

*  Gov.  Jonathan  Trumbull  —  Washington's  sheet-anchor. 


144  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

peaceable  behaviour  and  civil  Conversation,  and  qualified  to  take  the 
Freeman's  oath,  and  had  said  oath  administered  to  them  September  19th, 
A.  1).  1780. 

Seth  Hills,  ) 

Robert  McCcne,       y  Select  Men." 

Elisha  Wilcoxson,  ) 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  were  Stephen  Spencer,  Simeon  Hurlbut, 
John  Church,  Thomas  Cannon,  Stephen  Schovil,  Benjamin  Woodruff, 
William  Barnstable,  and  Prince  Negro. 

Stephen  Spencer, — a  relative,  probably  a  cousin  of  Thomas,  —  is 
supposed  to  have  come  from  Saybrook.  He  owned  and  lived  on  the 
farm  recently  owned  by  William  F.  Hatch,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Lit- 
tle Pond,  in  a  house  on  a  road  now  discontinued,  which  turned  out  of  the 
Winchester  road,  nearly  opposite  the  Stabell  House,  and  extended  north- 
westerly to  the  Little  Pond  road.  This  house,  the  two  barns  and  cider 
mill  around  it,  have  now  disappeared,  together  with  all  the  cherry, 
damson  and  peach  trees  which  once  profusely  abounded.  A  few  antiquated 
apple  trees  alone  indicate  the  location. 

Mr.  Spencer  also  owned  lands  extending  down  to  Mad  River,  along  the 
north  side  of  the  pond  stream,  and  built  a  saw-mill  on  the  site  of  Lathrop 
and  Barton's  Cutlery  Works.  In  1800  he  sold  his  farm  to  Jenkins  and 
Boyd,  and  removed  to  Westmoreland,  Oneida  County,  New  York.  He 
married,  January  18,  177G,  Elizabeth  Turner. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,  h.  Nov.  30,  1777. 

II.  Lovisa,  b.  Dec.  29,  1779  ;  m.  Nov.  28,  1795,  Zuclieus  Munsill. 

III.  Suumit,  b.  Nov.  15,  1781. 

IV.  Sarah,  b.  Sept.  1,  1783. 
V.  Ai  (son),  b.  April  25,  178G. 

VI.  Tempeeanc^      b.      ''     20,  1789. 
VII.  Hannah,  b.  Oct.  10,  1795. 

Simeon  Hurlbut,  u  of  Wethersfield."  was  owner  of  lands  in  Winches- 
ter as  early  as  1776,  and  is  named  of  Winchester  in  1780,  when  he  sold  his 
home  lot  on  which  he  then  lived,  lying  south  of  the  south  end  of  Long 
Lake,  and  bordering  on  Torrington  line.  He  probably  then  removed  to 
Torrington.  His  wife's  name  was  Mary,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter, 
Olle,  born  in  Winchester,  August  "4,  1780. 

John  Church,  from  Chatham,  was  a  raw-boned,  grim-visaged  man, 
who  served  under  Arnold  at  Quebec  and  Saratoga.  The  precise  time 
of  his  coming  to  Winchester  is  not  ascertainable.     His  first  deed  is  dated 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  145 

July  7,  1780.  He  built  and  lived  and  died  in  the  ancient  red  lean-to 
house  on  the  Little  Pond  road,  recently  occupied  by  Sylvester  Huiibut. 
He  was,  during  his  early  residence,  a  zealous  religionist  of  some  hardshell 
order,  and  preached  on  his  own  hook,  from  house  to  house.  He  married, 
March  29,  1780,  Deborah  Spencer.  He  died  December  6,  1834,  aged 
79.     She  died  December  5,  1834,  aged  75. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hannah,2  b.  July  25,  1781;  m.  Ansel  Shattuck;  she  d.  April  10, 
1847. 

II.  Eunice,-  b.  July  18,  1783  ;  m.  Jan.  7,  1808,  John  Storer. 

III.  Jonathan,2  b.  Sept.  17,  1785. 

IV.  David,2  b.  June  1,  1788;  moved  to  Beaver  Dam,  Erie  Co.,  Penn. 
V.Isaac,2  b.  Sept.  11,  1790;     "       "        "  "        "      " 

VI.  Uri,2  b.  Aug.  4,  1792. 

VII.  Lucy,2  b.  Sept.  5,  1794. 

VLII.  Wealthy;2  b.  Jan.  20,  1796. 

IX.  Wealthy,2  b.  Jan.  14,  1799  ;  m.  Dec.  1,  1834,  Rensellaer  Sheldon. 

X.  Simeon,2  b.  March  5,  1801. 

Jonathan  Church2  was  a  blacksmith,  and  lived  in  a  house  now  torn 
down  on  the  east  side  of  Green  Woods  turnpike,  nearly  opposite  the  Mad 
River  bridge  leading  to  the  Little  Pond  road.  He  died  in  this  town. 
He  married  Lucy  ,  and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Timothy  Charles,3  b.  Oct.  25,  1809. 
II.  Amos  Charles,3         b.  July  3,  1812. 

III.  Mary,3  b.     "     2,  1814. 

IV.  Wealthy,3  b.  Oct.  25,  1816. 
V.  Sarah,3                          b.  July  7,  1818. 

VI.  Lucy,3  b.  Nov.  15,  1820 ;  d.  Aug.  30,  1831. 

VII.  Jonathan  Seth,3  b.  Oct.  12,  1822;  was  graduated  at  the  Wesleyan 
University  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  died  while  engaged  in  teaching  in 
one  of  the  Western  States. 

Uri  Church2  lived  in  the  red  house  next  north  of  his  father's,  on  the 
Little  Pond  road,  where  he  died  August  12,  1856,  aged  64,  leaving  a 
wife,  who  died  in  1861  ;  and  a  daughter,  Amanda,  their  only  child,  who 
still  lives  on  her  father's  homestead.  He  was  a  well  educated,  industrious 
and  worthy  man. 

Thomas  Cannon,  and  Mary,  his  wife,  are  named  on  the  records  of  this 
year  as  residents  of  the  town,  and  addicted  to  hard  swearing,  breaking  the 
peace  and  other  explosions.     They  seem  to  have  lived  not  far  from  the 
old  society  burying-ground.     No  trace  of  them  is  found  after  1781. 
19 


146  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Of  Stephen  Schovil,  nothing  is  ascertained,  save  that  he  was  this 
year  appointed  "Key-keeper"  of  the  Pound,  and  had  been  a  soldier  in  the 
Continental  service,  hired  by  the  town  as  one  of  its  quota  ;  —  as  appears 
by  a  certificate  of  the  Select  Men  on  file  in  the  Comptroller's  office.  In 
1784  he  is  named  of  Torriugton,  as  defendant  in  a  suit  before  Justice  Al- 
vord.     He  married  Elizabeth  ,  and  had  a  daughter,  Lucy,  born 

August  19,  1781. 

There  was  also  a  Stephen  Schofield,  Jr.,  of  Winchester,  in  1781, 
as  appears  by  Justice  Alvord's  records,  who  "  personally  appeared  and 
confessed  himself  guilty  of  a  breach  of  the  Sabbath,  by  striking  Martin 
Hurlbut  on  the  ham,  and  laughing  and  playing  in  an  undecent  and  unlaw- 
ful manner,  on  y"  Sabbath,  or  Lord's  Day,  being  ye  25th  day  of  March, 
1781,  in  y"  Meeting  House,  in  sd.  Winchester,  in  ye  time  of  publick 
worship,"  whereupon  he  was  fined  3  shillings  and  cost  four  shillings,  State 
money. 

Benjamin  Woodruff  was  colleague  "  Key-keeper "  of  the  Pound 
with  Mr.  Schovil,  and  lived  near  the  first  meeting  house. 

William  Barnstable  leaves  no  record  except  the  birth  of  Pede  his 
daughter,  by  his  wife  Hannah,  March  4,  1780. 

Prince,  a  negro,  who  seems  to  have  had  no  surname,  died  in  the  town 
this  year,  leaving  several  State  Notes  received  for  military  service  in  the 
Continental  army,  on  which  administration  was  granted  to  Robert  Mc- 
Ewen  by  the  Norfolk  Probate  Court. 

1781. 

The  records  of  the  town  in  these  years  afford  many  striking  analogies 
to  the  war  of  1861.  The  patriotic  ardor  of  the  earlier  years  of  the  revo- 
lution had  become  chilled  by  the  protracted  struggle  and  sad  reverses  of 
the  war.  The  continually  succeeding  drafts  of  militia-men  for  short  terms 
of  service,  rendered  it  nearly  impossible  for  the  towns  to  raise  their  allotted 
quotas  of  men  for  the  Continental  army.  Substitute  brokerage  was  a  re- 
finement of  baseness  then  unsystematized.  The  people  were  too  poor  to 
furnish  means  for  hiring  middle-men,  to  buy  up  on  speculation  New  York 
roughs  and  Canadian  Frenchmen,  to  do  the  fighting  for  able-bodied,  well- 
dressed,  stay-at-home  patriots. 

The  following  votes  of  town  meetings  in  1781,  would  not  seem  strange 
if  found  in  the  records  of  the  third  year  of  the  slave-owners'  rebellion  : 

Voted,  to  appoint  Capt.  Benj.  Benedict  and  Dea.  Seth  Hills,  to  hire  the 
two  men  now  required. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  147 

Voted,  to  give  forty  shillings  State  money  to  Aaron  and  Joseph  Agard 
for  securing  Joseph  Preston  for  the  town. 

Voted,  Dea.  Seth  Hills,  Eliphaz  Alvord  and  Lt.  Josiah  Smith,  a  Com- 
mittee to  procure  clothing  for  the  Soldiers,  according  to  act  of  Assembly. 

Voted,  to  make  out  our  quota  of  Continental  Soldiers  as  soon  as  the 
number  we  are  deficient  can  be  known. 

Voted,  Capt.  Benedict,  Capt.  Corbin  and  Capt.  Wright  be  a  Com- 
mittee to  procure  Soldiers  to  fill  our  deficiency  in  the  Continental  army. 

Voted,  Lieut.  Brownson  to  represent  the  town  before  the  Committee 
appointed  by  the  Assemhly  to  adjust  matters  respecting  Soldiers. 

Voted,  Lt.  Brownson  go  to  Hartford  to  get  Dolphin's  son*  to  count  for 
Winchester. 

Voted,  Capt.  Corbin  to  make  application  to  Gen'l  Parsons,  or  some 
other  General  Officer,  to  procure  a  pardon  for  Jonathan  Preston  on  ac- 
count of  his  deserting  the  array. 

Voted,  to  raise  a  man  to  supply  the  place  of  George  Hudson  in  the  Con- 
tinental Army. 

Voted,  Lt.  Josiah  Smith  and  Ens".  Jesse  Doolittle  be  a  Committee  to 
hire  a  man  for  the  State  Guard. 

Voted,  to  raise  Sixpence,  hard  money,  on  the  Pound  to  hire  the  soldiers 
now  called  for,  and  to  pay  the  Soldiers  already  procured. 

Voted,  that  Neat  Cattle,  or  Sheep,  or  Pork  or  English  Grain,  or  Indian 
Corn,  shall  be  accepted  in  lieu  of  hard  money  granted  in  the  last  vote,  — 
said  articles  to  be  delivered  in  Winchester,  at  the  house  of  Eliphaz  Al- 
vord at  the  appraisement  of  a  committee  to  be  appointed  for  that  purpose. 

Voted,  to  raise  fourpence  on  the  Pound,  to  purchase  Beef  for  the  use 
of  the  Army,  agreeable  to  the  act  of  Assembly  in  May  last,  with  an 
abatement  of  said  rate  according  to  the  bill  of  form  by  which  Winchester 
is  taxed. 

Voted,  Robert  McCune,  Sam'l  Hurlbut  and  Jesse  Doolittle  a  Commit- 
tee to  procure  Barrels,  receive  and  salt,  pack  and  secure  the  Beef  and 
Pork  that  shall  be  brought  in  and  necessaiy  to  be  salted,  and  to  store 
other  articles  delivered  in  payment  of  State  Taxes. 

Voted,  Dea.  Wetmore  to  receive  the  Cattle  and  Sheep  into  his  pasture, 
that  may  be  delivered  in  payment  of  aforesaid  Taxes. 

The  following  freemen  were  admitted  and  sworn,  April  9th  of  this 
year :  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp,  Capt.  Benj.  Benedict,  Capt.  Abraham  Andrews, 

*  This  "  Dolphin's  son  "  was  one  of  the  small  number  of  colored  men,  then  resident 
in  the  town.  Two  of  his  grand-sons  recently  went  from  here  to  Rhode  Island,  and 
enlisted  into  one  of  the  colored  regiments  there ;  —  there  being  at  the  time  no  organi- 
zation  for  colored  volunteers  in  this  State.  One  of  them,  James  Dolphin,  died  in  the 
service  at  Plaquemine,  La.,  August  5,  1864  ;  the  other,  Edward  H.  Dolphin,  returned: 


148  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

John  Beach,  Jonathan  Coe,  Eleazer  Smith,  Gershom  McCune,  Jr., 
Phineas  Griswold,  Aaron  Cook,  Timothy  Benedict,  Jr.,  Abram  Filley, 
Nathan  Blackmail,  John  Walter,  Joel  Beach  and  Samuel  Hurlbut. 

The  town  was  for  the  first  time  represented  this  year  in  the  General 
Assembly,  by  Deacon  Seth  Hills  and  Robert  McEwen. 

In  Society  meeting  December  4,  1781,  Mr.  Knapp's  salary  was  voted 
"to  be  paid  in  Specie  as  things  went  in  1774,  or  Cash  equivalent,"  and 
exempting  such  persons  from  payment  thereof  as  could  not  in  conscience 
support  Mr.  Knapp. 

It  was  also  voted,  that  the  women  singers  sit  in  the  cross  foi'e-seats, 
and  the  men  singers  as  usual. 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were  Elijah  Andrews,  and  his  son,  Elijah, 
Jr.,  James  Adkins,  Isaac  Adkins,  Richard  Coit,  Aaron  and  Joseph 
Agard. 

Elijah  Andrews,  with  his  son  Elijah,  Jr.,  came  from  Windsor,  and 
lived  on  the  east  side  of  the  Colebrook  road,  on  land  now  a  part  of  the 
farm  of  William  E.  Cowles.  He  was  fined  by  Esq.  Alvord,  in  1784, 
twenty  shillings  for  traveling  on  the  Sabbath  —  and  not  long  afterward 
removed  to  Colebrook.     Had  wife  Mary. 

Elijah  Andrews,  Jr.,  lived  from  1810  to  about  1815,  in  the  late 
homestead  of  James  Crocker,  on  the  Green  Woods  turnpike. 

James  Adkins  came  from  Middletown,  and  bought  the  homestead  of 
Capt.  John  Hills,  on  the  Old  Country  road,  near  the  Hurlbut  Cemetery. 
He  is  described  by  a  contemporary  as  "an  old  man  with  broad  coat 
skirts,  and  beaver,  old  and  smooth."  —  "  He  brought  with  him  a  famous  cali- 
co Narraganset  pacing  mare,  which  he  said  he  once  rode  on  a  single  day, 
between  sun-rising  and  sun-setting,  one  hundred  miles'  from  Middletown 
up  the  Connecticut  River  valley."  Being  asked  if  he  stopped  to  bait  his 
horse,  —  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  had  my  eoat  pockets  full  of  ears  of  corn,  — 
and  going  up  hills,  I  now  and  then  reached  round  and  gave  her  a  nubbin." 

One  of  his  daughters  married  David  Austin,  Jr.,  and  another  Daniel 
Hurlbut  Cone. 

Isaac  Adkins,  probably  a  son  of  James,  owned  lands,  and  lived  in  a 
house  on  the  east  side  of  Blue  Street,  until  1788,  when  he  sold  out  to 
Hewitt  Hills,  —  after  which  his  name  disappears  from  the  records : 

Richard  Coit,  a  shoemaker,  came  from  New  London,  and  lived  two- 
thirds  of  a  mile  northwest  of  the  center,  on  the  Old  Country  road,  in  the 
house  recently  owned  by  Nelson  T.  Loomis.    He  served  in  the  unsuccess- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  149 

ful  siege  of  Quebec,  and  subsequently  on  the  quota  of  this  town  in  the 
Continental  army.  In  the  words  of  a  contemporary,  —  "  he  was  impulsive 
and  fractious,  —  talked  a  volume  every  day,  —  disciplined  his  children 
and  hogs  severely,  was  not  dainty  about  his  words,  —  was  poor,  until  in 
old  age,  his  brother  bequeathed  him  forty  thousand  dollars,  which  was 
nearly  squandered  before  his  death."  He  was  born  in  New  London, 
December  25,  1752;  married,  August  27,  1778,  Hepzibah  Smith,  born  in 
Middletown,  August  9,  1750;  she  died  March  15,  1828,  aged  77;  he 
died  March  25,  1834,  aged  81. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joseph,  b.  Aug.   29,  1780;  m.  Nov.  13,  1807,  Francis  Ursula  Adams,  and 

had  children  :  1.  Lucy,  b.  Jan.  5,  1809  ;  2.  Joseph  Richard,  b.  March  28, 
1811.  In  1807  he  was  "  of  Trumbull  Co.,  Ohio."  In  1809  and  10,  he 
owned  and  occupied  the  Luman  Munsill  house,  a  little  south  of  the  cen- 
ter; and  soon  after  removed  to  Monticello,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died. 

II.  Sarah,  b.  May  16,  1785;  m.  Feb.  13,  1815,  William  S.  Marsh;  d.  s.  p. 

March  10,  1833. 
III.  Lucy,     b.  Dec.  2,  1790;  d.  June  7,  1794. 

Aaron  and  Joseph  Agard  are  named  in  the  record  of  a  town 
meeting  this  year.  They,  or  one  of  them,  lived  in  the  Noble  J.  Everitt 
house,  half  a  mile  south  of  the  center.  They  came  into  the  town  prob- 
ably earlier  than  1776,  but  were  not  land  owners.  Elizabeth,  probably 
wife  of  Aaron,  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Church. 

Joseph  and  Tabitha  Agard,  his  wife,  had 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Joseph,        b.  May  11,  1776.  II.  Tabitha,  b.  May  17,  1779. 

Benajah  Abrew,  or  Abro,  is  mentioned  in  a  vote  of  this  year  as  a 
Continental  soldier,  claimed  as  serving  on  the  quota  of  Winchester.  His 
name  is  on  the  list  of  1785  as  a  resident  tax-payer.  By  another  vote  in 
1788  the  tax  was  given  up  as  un collectable. 

1782. 

In  Town  Meeting  February  26,  1782,  it  was  voted  "  to  hire  the  men 
now  called  for,  for  the  Guard  at  Horse  Neck,  and  to  fill  the  deficiencies 
in  the  Continental  Army  'til  December  next."  Also  "  to  raise  fourpence 
on  the  pound  in  money  or  specie  at  money  prices,  in  the  specific  articles 
of  neat  cattle,  sheep,  wool,  flax,  wheat,  rie,  and  indian  Corn,  at  the  price 
the  said  articles  were  valued  at  in  1774 ;  and  that  the  above  rate  be  appro- 
priated to  the  sole  purpose  of  procuring  the  soldiers,  if  needed,  that  are 
or  may  be  called  for  by  the  Assembly." 


150  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

November  7,  1782,  voted  to  build  a  bridge  over  Mad  River  in  the 
most  convenient  place  in,  or  near,  the  road  now  leading  to  the  Society  of 

Winsted, and  Lt.  Uriah  Seymour,  Col.  Seth  Smith  and  Samuel 

Mills  were  appointed  as  an  indifferent  committee  from  other  towns,  to 
view  and  report  which  place  is  the  best  on  the  whole,  for  the  public  and 
private  interest,  for  a  road  to,  and  a  bridge  over.  Mad  River  ;  — whether 
the  road  now  established  and  traveled  to  and  over  said  river,  or  a  new 
proposed  place  east  of  Mr.  Austin's  mill. 

The  traveled  road  here  referred  to  probably  crossed  the  river,  either 
near  Rockwell's  tannery  or  on  the  site  of  Dudley's  Block ;  —  and  the 
proposed  route  was  Lake  street  as  it  now  runs. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were  Reuben  Miner,  William  Barbour, 
Jonah  Woodruff,  and  Jonathan  Alvord. 

The  new  comers  were  Daniel  H.  Cone,  John  Deer,  Jonathan  Deer, 
John  Marshall,  Levi  Norton,  Samuel  Roberts,  Chauncy  Smith,  Elijah 
Thompson,  and  David  Ward. 

Daniel  Hurlbut  Cone,  from  Middletown,  first  lived  on  a  part  of 
the  John  Hills  farm,  near  the  burying-ground,  and  afterward  on  a  new 
farm  near  the  Leonard  Hurlbut  place,  where  he  died  May  17,  1842, 
aged  88.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  died  February  27,  1829,  aged  74.  He 
was  by  trade  a  shoemaker ;  —  had  served  nearly  the  whole  war,  as  an  ar- 
tilleriest  in  the  Continental  army ;  —  was  a  good  man  in  every  sense  of 
the  word. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Susanna,2  b.  June  22,  1781. 

II.  Daniel,2  b.  Oct.  14,  1782. 

III.  Elizabeth,2  b.  Jan.  29,  1784. 

IV.  Samuel,2  b.  Oct.  18,  1785  ;  lived  and  died  in  Norfolk. 
V.  Hurlbut,2  b.  Jan.  5,  1788. 

VI.  Warren,2  b.  Aug.  19,  1789;  lived  and  died  in  Norfolk. 

VII.  Sullivan,2  b.  Jan.  14,  1793. 

VIII.  Silas,2  b.     "     27,  1795;  lived  and  died  in  Granny. 

Two  twin  sons  of  Samuel,2  James  and  John,  and  a  daughter  of  Silas, 
are  now  residents  of  Winsted. 

John  Deer,  from  Goshen,  this  year  bought  a  tract  of  land,  now  com- 
posing mainly  the  farms  of  Orren  Tuller  and  Dudley  Chase.  He  lived 
on  the  discontinued  part  of  the  Blue  Street  road  which  extended  north  of 
the  road  passing  the  houses  of  Tuller  and  Chase,  until  his  death.  He 
married,  November  22,  1780,  Hannah  Stow;  she  died  February  28, 
1786 ;  he  married   (2d),  May  6,  1787,  Rhoda  Filley  ;  she  died  April  8, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  151 

1793 ;  and  he  married  (3d),  Lucy  Foresbey,  or  Frisbey.  He  was  a 
soldier  of  the  revolution.  He  died  August  30,  1828,  aged  73  years.  His 
father,  John  or  George  Deer,  was  also  a  soldier  in  the  revolution,  and 
was  killed  by  a  cannon  shot,  while  on  a  boat  on  Lake  Champlain.  His 
mother,  Abigail  Deer,  died  October  5,  1792. 

CHILDREN  OF  JOHN  AND  HANNAH  (STOW)  DEER. 

I.  Ruth,  b.  Jan.  28,  1781. 

II.  Hannah,  b.  Aug.  30,  1782;  d.  same  day. 

III.  Laukanna,  b.  July  19,  1784. 

IV.  Abigail,  b.  Feb.  5,  1786  ;  d.  same  day. 

CHILDREN    OF   JOHN    AND    RHODA    (FILLEY)    DEER. 

V.  Hannah,        b.  April  15,  1788. 
VI.  Abigail,        b.  Aug.  11,  1789. 
VII.  Roger,  b.  Oct.  3,  1791. 

VIII.  Aman,  •  b.  Feb.  3,  1793. 

Jonathan  Deer,  supposed  to  be  brother  to  John,  bought  of  him  the 
south  part  of  his  lot,  and  first  lived  in  a  log  house  on  Hall  Meadow 
Road,  near  its  junction  with  the  Tuller  and  Chase  road ;  and  in  1796, 
lived  a  little  west  of  the  center  on  the  Old  Country  road,  near  the  school 
house.  In  1797  he  is  described  as  "absconded  to  parts  unknown,"  in 
Esq.  Alvord's  Justice  Records.  He  married,  January  26,  1785,  Mary 
Reed  ;  they  had  one 

CHILD. 
I.  Jonathan  Wheeler,  b.  Aug.  14,  1786. 

John  Marshall,  from  Torrington,  owned  lands  between  the  Norfolk 
and  Brooks  roads,  and  is  supposed  to  have  lived  on  or  near  the  latter 
road,  above  Nelson  T.  Loomis.  He  probably  died  in  the  town  before 
1800  ;  —  as  his  widow  married  Andrew  Everitt  in  December  of  that  year. 
He  married,  March  31,  1780,  Statira  Hills,  daughter  of  Deacon  Seth. 

CHILD. 
I.  Oliver,  b.  Aug.  3,  1780.     (Removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.) 

Levi  Norton,  youngest  child  of  Samuel  and  Mabel  Norton,  of 
Goshen,  Connecticut,  was  born  May  13,  1759.  At  sixteen  he  entered  the 
Continental  army  under  Putnam,  and  served  until  late  in  the  fall  of  1779, 
a  period  of  nearly  five  years.  Li  1780  he  made  a  rude  cabin  under  a 
chestnut  tree  between  the  two  lakes,  and  began  clearing  the  land  of  his 
future  farm,  and  studying  Dilworth's  arithmetic  by  the  blaze  of  his  cabin 
fire.  In  1782  he  built  his  first  dwelling,  a  few  feet  north  of  the  red  one 
and  a  half  story  house,  which  he  erected  in   1795,  and  thence  occupied 


152  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

until  1812.  In  this  first  dwelling,  he  introduced  his  newly  married  wife 
on  the  23d  of  January,  1783  ;  —  and  here  labored  day  and  night  in  clear- 
ing and  cultivating  one  of  the  largest  and  best  farms  of  the  town. 

In  May  1812  he  removed  to  the  wilderness  of  Wayne  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  foreclosed  5,000  acres  of  land  and  gathered  an  un- 
mixed Yankee  settlement  around  him.  He  died  January  21,  1823,  aged 
64  years. 

He  was  a  prominent,  intelligent,  and  influential  man  of  the  town,  and  a 
zealous  JefTersonian. 

He  married,  January  21,  1783,  Olive  Wheeler,  born  in  Bethlem, 
Connecticut,  September  19,  1759;  she  died  May  25,  1838. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Warren  Wheeler,  b.  Nov.  12,  1783;  m.  Oct.  26,  1800,  Polly,  daughter 
of  Martin  and  Mary  North,  of  Winchester.  Children :  Hiram,  Sid- 
ney M. 
II.  Alva  W.,  b.  Aug.  10, 1791  ;  [living  in  1872],  m.  Nov.  21, 1816,  Sallie  Free- 
man, of  Chester,  Mass.  Children:  Emily  A.,  Olive  A.,  Maria  S.,  Har- 
riet C,  and  Lucius  F. 

III.  Sheldon,  b.  Nov.  26,  1793  ;  m.  Sept.  14,  1818,  Harriet,  daughter  of  Grin- 

nell  Spencer,  of  Winchester,  Ct. ;  he  d.  Sept.  15,  1838.  Children:  1. 
Edmund  Kirby ;  2.  Oscar  Montgomery ;  3.  Abigail  Catlin ;  4.  Mary 
Elizabeth;  of  whom  Edmund  K.  and  Abigail  C.  were  living  in  Wayne 
Co.,  Pa.,  in  1872.  He  was  an  early  clerk  of  Wayne  Co.,  and  afterwards 
during  his  life  an  Agent  of  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  in  Mis- 
souri, Iowa,  and  Wisconsin. 

IV.  Clarissa,  b.  March  28,  1796  ;  m.  in  1821,  Hon.  Isaac  Dimick,  of  Ottawa, 

111.,  in  1872.     Children:    1.  Levi    Norton;    2.  Philo  J.;    3.  Ann;  4. 
Olive. 
V.  Samuel,  b.  June  11,  1799;  m.  in  1822,  Jerusha  Tracy.     Children:  1.  Levi; 
2.  Philander;  3.  Phebe;  4.  Luther;  5.  Tracy;  6.  Washington. 

Samuel  Roberts,  probably  from  Torrington,  bought  of  the  executor 
of  Joel  Roberts,  deceased,  the  farm  of  said  Joel,  and  lived  in  the  house 
above  mentioned  as  the  subsequent  residence  of  Warren  W.  Norton,  until 
1802.  His  name  appears  as  plaintiff  or  defendant  in  Justice  Alvord's 
Records  more  than  fifty  times  during  the  years  1796  and  1797,  from 
which  it  is  inferred  that  he  was  not  of  the  most  amiable  disposition.  We 
extract  a  single  record  in  1799  as  a  sample  of  many  others. 

Stephen  Carter,  one  of  the  grand  jurors  of  Winchester,  complained 
"  that  Samuel  Roberts,  of  said  town,  did,  at  Winchester  aforesaid,  on  the 
17th  day  of  September  last  past,  in  an  angry  manner,  sinfully  and  wickedly 
curse  or  damn  the  person  of  Preserved  Crissy  of  said  Winchester,"  where- 
upon he  was  found  guilty  and  fined  one  dollar  with  costs,  amounting  to 
two  dollars  and  fifty-nine  cents.  He  married,  December  11th,  1783,  Mary 
Brooks.  He  sold  out  to  Martin  North  in  1802,  and  thereafter  disappears 
from  the  records. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  153 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Naomi,  b.  May  20,  1785. 

II.  Sylvester,    b.  March  30,  1787;  d.  May  20,  1787. 

III.  Warren,        b.  June  27,  1788. 

IV.  Minerva,       b.  October  14,  1790. 

Chauncet  Smith  owned  and  lived  on  lot  36,  3d  division,  on  the 
Brooks  road,  in  a  house,  on  the  west  side,  about  100  rods  north  of  the 
Everitt  House.  The  inventory  of  his  estate  was  returned  to  the  Norfolk 
Probate  Court  November  18, 1794.  He  married,  April  9th,  1783,  Sarah 
Page. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucinda,  b.  October  23,  1784. 
II.  Abel,        b.  December  19,  1785. 

III.  Orilla,    b.  October  3d,  1786. 

IV.  Sarah,     b.  January  21,  1790. 

Elijah  Thompson  owned  and  lived  on  lot  19,  3d  division,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Newman  B.  Gilbert,  Danbury  Quarter.  He  conveyed 
to  his  sons  Daniel  and  Elijah  two  portions  of  the  same  lot,  on  which  they 
are  supposed  to  have  lived. 

Daniel  Thompson  married,  November  2,  1788,  Roxy  Smith. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Huldah,        b.  November  15,  1790. 
II.  Roxalana,    b.  September  20,  1791. 

Samuel  Thompson  married,  March  3,  1788,  Hannah  Wolcott. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel,  b.  May  17,  1790. 

II.  Hannah,  b.  February  5,  1792. 

III.  David  Wolcott,    b.  February  13,  1794. 

David  Ward  came  to  this  town  as  a  schoolmaster,  and  this  year 
bought  lands  on  Blue  street ;  and  the  next  year  bought  a  part  of  the  John 
Hills  farm,  near  the  burying  ground.  He  married,  January  1,  1784, 
Mary,  daughter  of  David  Austin,  senior,  and  soon  after  became  the  owner 
of  the  farm  in  Wiusted.  lately  owned  by  Colonel  Hosea  Hinsdale,  which 
he  sold  in  1796,  and  probably  removed  with  his  father-in-law  to  Vermont. 


CHILDREN. 

I. 

Mary, 

b.  Friday  ^  January  28,  1785. 

II. 

Lucy, 

b.  November  14,  1786. 

m. 

Samuel, 

b.  March  27,  1790. 

IV. 

Daniel, 

b.  May  8,  1792. 

v. 

Laura, 

b.  May  7,  1794. 

VI. 

Austin, 

b.  March  27,  1796. 
20 

154  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1783. 
In  the  record  of  a  town  meeting,  September  26,  1783,  we  are  reminded 
of  modern  war  times  by  a  vote  condemning  the  "commutation"  adopted 
by  the  convention  at  Middletown,  as   "  unconstitutional,  and  altogether 
unjust  and  unreasonable." 

In  society  meeting,  the  project  of  a  new  meeting-house  was  ventilated, 
and  an  application  to  the  county  court  for  a  committee,  to  set  a  stake 
therefor,  was  voted.  The  committee  having  been  appointed,  and  having 
set  a  stake,  another  meeting  was  held,  which  rejected  the  site  selected, 
and  set  another  stake,  in  Sam'l  Hurlbut's  lot,  north  of  Dr.  Everitt's,  and 
about  eight  rods  west  of  the  allowance,  and  near  the  middle  of  said  lot 
north  and  south,  and  appointed  Captain  Brownson  to  go  to  the  county 
court,  to  get  the  doings  of  the  society  established.  These  doings  were  up- 
set by  the  vote  of  a  subsequent  meeting,  reconsidering  the  aforesaid  doings. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were  Captain  Peter  Corbin,  Levi 
Brownson,  David  Ward.  Ichabod  Loomis,  Stephen  Spencer,  Samuel 
Smith,  William  Fay,  David  Austin,  Jr.,  John  Church,  Benoni  Brownson, 
and  Levi  Norton. 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  were  Benoni  Browmson,  William  Cham- 
berlin  and  William  Chamb^rlin,  Jr.,  Jedediah  Coe,  Timothy  Cook,  Joseph 
Elmore  and  Joseph  B.  Elmore,  his  son,  Isaac  Filley,  Benjamin  Judd, 
Joseph  Piatt,  Samuel  Smith  and  Benajah  Smith,  his  son,  Ephraim  Smith, 
Samuel  Stancliff,  Josiah  Wade,  Daniel  Ward,  Hopkins  West,  Nathaniel 
White. 

Major  Benoni  Brownson,  from  Berlin,  distantly  related  to  the 
other  Brownsons  in  the  town,  lived  in  a  house,  now  torn  down,  immedi- 
ately north  of  John  J.  McAlpine's  late  residence,  until  a  few  years  before 
his  death,  when  he  removed  to  the  Major  Seth  Wetmore  house,  then 
standing  immediately  south  of  the  Hurlbut  store,  where  he  died  December 
loth,  1833,  aged  76.  He  is  described  as  "a  man  of  pleasant  temperament, 
tolerably  industrious,  and  a  great  talker."  He  married  Mary  Percival,  of 
Berlin,  and  after  her  death  he  married  (2d)  Mrs.  Lois  Wetmore,  daughter 
of  Colonel  Ozias  Brownson,  and  the  divorced  wife  of  Major  Seth  Wetmore. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Chauncey,  b.  February  26,  1778. 

II.  Orentus,  b.  December  3,  1779. 

III.  Amelia,  m.  Elijah  Blake,  Jr. 

IV.  Polly,  m.  Herman  Munson. 
V.  Parliament, 

VI.  George,  went  South,  d.  unmarried. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  155 

Chatjncey  Brownson  lived  for  some  years  in  the  original  homestead 
of  his  father ;  and  after  the  breaking  up  of  his  family,  in  consequence  of 
his  partial  derangement,  he  lived  mainly  in  Winsted,  until  his  death  in 
1853.     He  married  May  1,  1806,  Fanny  Thrall,  born  August  9,  1783. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Edwin  Worthy,  b.  October  24,  1807;  d.  of  yellow  fever  at  New  Or- 

leans, October,  1841,  unmarried. 
II.  Samuel  John,  b.  April  17,  1809  ;  d.  at  the  South,  unmarried. 

III.  Hiram  Charles,  b.  February  1, 1811;  d.  at  Columbia,  S.  C,  May,  1863. 

IV.  Parliament  Hart,        b.  July  15,  1816;  d.  at  New  Orleans,  of  yellow  fever, 

October,  1841,  unmarried. 
V.  George  Washington,  b.  May  10,  1820;  d.  aged  7  years. 
VI.  Mart  Jane,  b.  April  2,  1826;  m.  lives  in  Missouri. 

Orentus  Brownson  migrated  about  1800  to  Burke,  Vermont,  whence 
he  returned  to  Winchester,  and  at  one  time  kept  a  tavern  in  the  house  of 
Washington  Hatch,  at  the  Centre.  About  1835,  he  built  and  moved  into 
the  house  now  owned  by  Samjuel  Smith,  in  Winsted,  and  followed  the 
business  of  building  through  his  remaining  active  life,  during  which  he 
built,  mainly  by  unassisted  labor,  nearly  twenty  dwellings.  Though 
never  educated  as  a  mechanic,  he  did  all  the  carpenter  and  joiner  work, 
and  not  unfrequently,  the  masonry  and  brick  and  stone  laying ;  selling 
the  house,  when  finished,  to  buy  the  lot  and  materials  for  building  another ; 
changing  his  own  residence  from  time  to  time,  and  closing  his  laborious 
and  inoffensive  life  in  the  house  now  owned  by  Samuel  A.  McAlpine, 
August  19,  1859,  aged  80.  He  married,  October  ,  1804,  Abiah,  daugh- 
ter of  Wm.  R.  Case.  She  died  June  20,  1836,  aged  56.  He  married, 
May  15,  1848,  widow  Huldah  Munson.  He  had  one  child,  Huldah  L., 
born  January  29,  1818;  died  March  18,  1838. 

Hon.  Parliament  Brownson  removed  in  early  life  to  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
where  he  became  a  lawyer  of  some  eminence,  and  a  man  of  great  upright- 
ness and  independence  of  character.  He  married,  about  1847,  a  Miss 
Wood,  and  died  childless  some  years  afterwards. 

William  Chamberlin,  from  Colchester,  settled  on  the  farm  late 
owned  by  James  L.  Bragg,  and  occupied  it  until  his  death,  January  6, 
182 1,  at  the  age  of  86.     His  wife  Mary  died  December  26, 1820,  aged  87. 

William  Chamberlin,  Jr.,  owned  and  occupied  a  farm  immediately 
north  of  his  father's,  now  owned  by  Harlow  Fyler,  until  1809,  when  he 
migrated  to  Hudson,  Ohio,  where  his  descendants  now  reside.  He  mar- 
ried May  4,  1780,  Joanna  Skinner. 


156  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anna,  b.  June  13,  1782. 

II.  Joseph,  b.  November  12,  1784. 

III.  William,  b.  December  9th,  1786. 

IV.  Mart,  b.  December  15,  1788. 
V.  Ltdia,  b.  January  11,  1791. 

VI.  Amos,  b.  July  2-1,  1793;  d.  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  April  14,  1861.     An  obit- 

uary notice  says,  "  He  has  contributed  a  large  share  towards  the  improvement 
of  this  township  for  the  last  fifty-two  years.     He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest 
honesty,  and  of  unswerving  integrity.     He  leaves  a  wife  and  eight  children, 
besides  a  large  circle  of  relatives  and  friends,  to  mourn  his  loss." 
VII.  Asahel,         b.  August  13,  1795. 
VIII.  Reuben,        b.  December  23,  1797. 
IX.  Samuel,        b.  April  9,  1800. 
X.  Lucy,  b.  March  17,  1802. 

XI.  Philemon,    b.  January  31,  1804. 
XII.  Hiram,  b.  December  27,  1807. 

Jedediah  Coe  is  on  the  assessment  list  of  this  year.  He  owned  land 
adjoining,  or  a  part  of,  the  Bragg  farm,  which  he  sold  to  John  Nash  in 
1809,  and  then  migrated  to  Burke,  Caledonia  county,  Vermont,  where 
some  of  his  descendants  now  reside. 

Timothy  Cook,  from  Windsor,  owned  a  lot  and  built  a  house  on  Wal- 
len's  hill,  where  he  resided  some  years,  after  which  it  became  the  property 
of  his  father-in-law,  Simeon  Moore,  of  Windsor.  In  1792,  he  bought  a 
sixty-acre  lot  on  Colebrook  line,  west  of  Green  Woods  turnpike,  on  which 
he  afterwards  resided.     His  wife's  name  was  Hannah. 

Capt.  JosErn  Elmore,  a  blacksmith  from  Danbury,  owned  and  occu- 
pied the  place  afterwards  owned  by  Silliman  Hubbell,  and  now  by  Norris 
Coe's  widow,  on  the  Norfolk  road,  a  third  of  a  mile  west  of  Winchester 
Centre.  His  will  was  proved  in  Norfolk  Probate  District,  December  26, 
1801.  He  had,  by  wife  Lucy,  a  son,  Joseph  Benedict,  born  in  Danbury, 
November  16,  1769. 

Doctor  Joseph  B.  Elmore,  son  of  the  foregoing,  owned  a  house  and 
lot  previously  owned  by  Dan'l  Grover,  on  the  discontinued  north  and  south 
road,  west  of  Orrin  Tuller's,  which  he  sold  in  1799  to  John  Beecher,  soon 
after  which  he  removed  to  Granville,  Massachusetts. 

Isaac  Fillet,  son  of  Abram  and  cousin  of  Remembrance,  is  on  the 
list  as  a  resident  tax  payer.  Nothing  further  is  known  of  him  except  the 
following  town  legislation,  recorded  on  January  7,  1787: 

"  Voted,  that  Isaac  Filley  shall  mend  and  make  good  the  gun  he  broke, 
belonging  to  James  Hale,  as  good  as  when  he  received  the  gun." 

He  married,  December  9,  1782,  Elizabeth  Curtis,  of  Winchester. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  157 

Benjamin  Judd's  name  is  on  the  list  of  this  year,  but  his  residence 
and  history  are  unknown.  His  marriage  to  Dinah  Filley,  April  24, 1783, 
is  recorded  in  the  Church  Records,  and  he  is  there  described  as  of  Dan- 
bury. 

Joseph  Platt,  from  Danbury,  uncle  to  Deacon  Levi  Piatt,  lived  on  a 
lot  north  of  the  Edward  Rugg  Farm.  He  was  a  clothier,  and  had  a  fid- 
ling  mill  on  the  brook,  a  little  south  of  the  Potter  negro  house.  He  sold 
out  in  1787,  and  afterwards  moved  to  Ohio. 

Samuel  Smith  owned  and  resided  on  land  near  Winchester  Centre, 
and  was  assessed  as  a  tavern  keeper  this  year.  It  is  not  easy  to  locate 
his  residence,  or  to  ascertain  how  long  he  dwelt  in  the  town.  In  1795, 
he  is  described  in  a  deed  of  land  as  of  Litchfield. 

Benajah  Smith,  son  of  Samuel,  is  grantee  in  1784,  of  the  above- 
mentioned  land  of  his  father,  which  he  conveyed  in  1787,  to  Roswell  Coe. 

Ephraim  Smith,  known  as  "  Deaf  Smith,"  is  on  the  list  of  this  year. 
In  1794,  Chauncey  Smith  conveyed  to  him  his  homestead  above  the 
Everitt  house,  which  he  sold  to  Levi  Brownson  in  1796.  He  is  described 
as  of  Kent  in  a  Recognizance  dated  June  27,  1797. 

Josiah  Wade,  of  Litchfield,  bought,  November  11,  1783,  a  wedge  lot 
in  the  second  tier,  first  division,  bordering  on  Torrington  line,  on  which 
he  afterward  resided,  and  which  he  sold  to  Amasa  Wade,  April  23,  1786, 
when  he  probably  left  the  town. 

Daniel  Ward,  from  Middletown,  owned  a  lot  on  Blue  Street,  on  which 
he  probably  lived  until  1789,  when  he  bought  and  lived  on  land  near  the 
parting  of  the  Norfolk  road  and  the  Brooks  road.  He  had  a  rough  tongue, 
which  he  kept  in  vigorous  exercise,  in  wordy  contests  with  his  neighbor- 
in-law,  Richard  Coit,  who  was  an  able  combatant  in  this  species  of  war- 
fare. Squire  Alvord's  records  show  that  he  was  somewhat  addicted  to 
profanity  and  breaches  of  the  peace. 

Hopkins  West,  from  Chatham,  owned  land  near  the  Leonard  Hurlbut 
place,  and  probably  resided  there  until  about  1785,  when  he  is  described, 
in  his  conveyance  of  the  same  land,  as  of  New  Cambridge  district,  Albany 
county,  New  York. 

Nathaniel  White,  from  Chatham,  owned  land  east  of  the  little  pond, 
now  a  part  of  the  farm,  late  of  Wm.  F.  Hatch.  Where  he  lived,  or  when 
he  left  the  town,  is  not  ascertained. 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

CLOSE  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR— RESUME. 

The  close  of  the  revolutionary  war  is  a  fitting  period  for  summing  up 
the  growth  of  our  infant  settlement  since  its  incorporation  as  a  town  in 
1771. 

The  population  at  that  period,  as  given  in  the  petition  of  April  4, 1771, 
was, 

In  the  Society  of  Winchester,  28  families,  embracing 

In  the  township  and  out  of  the  Society,    4       "  estimated  at 


179  souls. 
26     " 


Total, 


32 


205 


The  census  of  1782,  in  the  Comptroller's  office,  gives  the  population  at 
that  period  as  683  whites  and  5  blacks ;  Total,  688. 

The  oldest  complete  Assessment  Li*t  of  the  town  now  to  be  found,  is 
that  of  1783,  which  has  the  names  of  109  resident  male  tax-payers  in 
Winchester  Society,  and  thirty-nine  in  Winsted ;  making  the  total  of  the 
town  148. 

We  copy  this  assessment,  as  showing  who  were  then  the  inhabitants  of 
the  town,  —  their  relative  condition  as  property  owners,  —  the  amount  of 
improvements  and  accumulation  of  property. 


WINCHESTER  SOCIETY. 


Amount  of 
NAMES.  Taxable  Property. 

£.     S.  d. 

Daniel  Andrus, 50:    5:  0 

Abram  Andrus, 31:    8:  6 

David  Alvord, 33:11:  6 

Thcophi  lus  Andrus, 15:   0:  0 

Abram  Andrus,  Jr., 26:    5:  6 

Eliphaz  Alvord, 68  :    0 :  0 

Isaac  Adkins, 49  :  11  :  0 

Jonathan  Blackman, 38  :  13  :  9 

Levi  Brownson, 59:15:  9 

Timothy  Benedict, 49  :    7  :  6 

Capt.  (Ozias)  Brownson, 98:    4:  0 


Amount  of 
NAMES.  Taxable  Property. 

£.     s.  d. 

Wm.  Benedict, 26:    5:  6 

Benoni  Brownson, 39  :    2  :  6 

Peter  Blackman, 40  :    3  :  0 

Joseph  Bown, 21:    0:  0 

Lemuel  Basset, 6  :    2  :  6 

Capt.  Benedict, 81  :    8  :  6 

Timothy  Benedict,  Jr., 48:    1:  6 

Joel  Beach, 44  :   0  :  0 

Elijah  Castle, 22:    8:  0 

Aaron  Cook, 51  :    7  :  6 

Richard  Coit, 3:    8:  3 


FAMILY  RECORDS. 


159 


Amount  of 
NAMES.  Taxable  Property. 

£.      S.  A. 

Aimer  Coe, 30:    3:  0 

Capt.  (Peter)  Corbin, 56  :  16  :  0 

John  Church, 35:    1  :  6 

Peter  Corbin,  Jr., 21:    0:  0 

Jedediah  Coe, 21:    0:  0 

Jonathan  Coe, 70:15:  0 

Sam'l   Clark, 30:14:  0 

Robert  Coe, 52  :    9  :  9 

Sam'l  Castle, 21  :    0:  0 

Daniel  Cone  &  David  Ward,  78:    7  :  3 

Wm.  Chamberlin, 25  :  15  :  6 

Rozel  Coe, 91:17:  6 

Wm.   Castle, 32:    2:  0 

Timothy  Cook, 22  :  16  :  6 

Daniel  Clark, 29:    1:  1 

Joseph  Dodge, 33  :    4  :  6 

John  Dear  &  Salmon  Hoskin,  50:    5:  0 

Eli  Dolphin, 37:14:  0 

Andrew  Event, 36  :  19  :  0 

Hannah  Everit, 14:    1  :  6 

Joseph  Elmer,, 42:    0:  0 

Josiah  Everit, 30  :  10  :  0 

Wm.   Fay/. 24  :  10  :  6 

Rem'b.  Filley, 1:18:  6 

Isaac  Filley, 27  :    0  :  0 

Abm.  Filley, 79:    1:  6 

Joseph  Frisbie, 51:    2:  0 

Daniel  Grover, 23  : 1 9  :  6 

Phineas  Griswold, 47  :    2  :  0 

Seth  Griswold, 51:    0:  0 

Joseph  Hoskins, 39  :    7  :  6 

Stephen  Hurlbut, 20  :  1 5  :  0 

Elijah  Hubard, 23  :  1 5  :  6 

Samuel   Hurlbut, 93  :  1 7  :  6 

Seth  Hills, 83  :    6  :  0 

Widow  Mary  Hills, 5:    7:  3 

James  Hale, 29  :  1 1  :  6 

Benjamin  Judd, 17:    2:  0 

Seth  Kellogg, 38  :    2  :  o 

Ichabod  Loomis, 66:13:  6 

Daniel  Loomis, 34  :    0  :  6 

Widow  Leach, 2:    9:  6 

William  Leach,. 12:15:  0 

John  Marshall, 26  :    8  :  9 


Amount  of 
NAMES.  Taxable  Property. 

£.     S.     d. 

LentMott, 32:    2:    6 

Gershom  McCune,  Jr., 56  :    1  :    0 

Adam  Mott, 22  :    6  :    6 

John  Minor 43:18:    3 

Samuel  McCune, 62  :    2  :    6 

Gershom  McCune, 49  :  13  :    6 

Robert  McCune, 94  :  19  :    6 

Reuben  Minor, 34  :    0  :    6 

Martin  North,  Jr., 23:17:    6 

Martin  North, 49  :  13  :    6 

Levi  Norton, 40  :    8  :    6 

Joseph  Piatt, 37  :    6  :    6 

Benjamin  Preston, 4:16:    0 

Ambrose  Palmer, 51:    0:    0 

Samuel  Preston, 59  :    1  :    0 

Ebenzer  Preston, 34  :    2  :    0 

Moses  Roberts, 21:    0:    0 

Samuel  Roberts, 33:    2:    0 

Ephraim  Smith, 22  :    0  :    0 

Ephraim  Smith  (deaf), 19  :  13  :    0 

Samuel  Stanclift, 0:12:    0 

Eleazer  Smith, 32:19:    6 

Lemuel  Stannard, 27:    3:    6 

Abel  Stannard, 28  :    2  :    0 

Chauncey  Smith, 25:13:    6 

Samuel   Smith, 14:15:    3 

Stephen   Spencer, 37  :    8  :    3 

Thomas  Spencer, 69  :  13  :    0 

William  Stannard, 20:10:    6 

Reuben  Tucker, 45  :  18  :    0 

Elijah  Thomson, 42  :    4  :    6 

John  Videto, 28  :  1 6  :    6 

Jonah  Woodruff, 36:17:    6 

Nathan  White, 38  :       :    6 

Daniel  Waher, 23  :    0  :    0 

Christopher  Whiting, 48 :       :    9 

Samuel  Wetmore, 61:.    0:    9 

Elisha  Wilcoxson, 74:    7:    9 

Abel  Wetmore, 47  :    0  :    0 

Amacy  Wade, 60  :  17  :    9 

Lewis  Wilkinson, 23  :    7  :    3 

Jesse  Wilkinson 27:18:    3 

Levi  Wilkinson, 24  :  12  :    0 

Hopkins  West, 46:    0:    0 


Total  Winchester  Society, £4242  14s.  lOd. 


160 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 


WINSTED   SOCIETY. 


Amount  of 
NAMES.  Taxable  Property. 

£.      S.     d. 

David  Austin,  Jr., 35:18:    6 

David  Austin, 45:13:    3 

Elijah  Andrews, 55  :    5  :    6 

Nathan  Balcam, 27  :    0  :    0 

Jonathan   Balcam, 28  :    0  :    0 

John  Balcam, 43  :    4  :    9 

Samuel  Clark  2d, 21:13:    0 

Uzal  Clark, 28:16:    0 

David    Crisse, 73  : 1 8  :    0 

Silas  Dunham, 25  :    0* :    0 

Jesse  Doolittle, 54  :  14  :    0 

Abijah  Fuller, 21  :  19  :    9 

Comfort  Goff, 19:    8:    0 

Samuel  Hayden, 46  :    4  :    3 

Abel  Hoskin, 55 : 16  :    0 

Stephen    Knowlton, 28:19:    9 

David  Mills, 76  :    6  :    0 

Phinehas  Potter, 30  :  14  :    0 

Lazarus  Palmer, 21:    0:    0 

Reuben  Palmer, 21:    0:    0 


Eleazer  Porter, 36:15: 

Enoch  Palmer, 59  :    5  : 

Benjamin   Palmer, 23  :  14  : 

Samuel  Stanclift, 18:    0: 

Elisha  Spencer, 23  :  10  : 

John    Sweet, 23  :  18  : 

Josiah  Smith, 84  :  14  : 

Comfort  Stanclif, 24  :    0  : 

Simeon   Rogers, 32  :    4  : 

Ebenezer  Rowlee, 46  :  10  : 

Zebulon  Thomson, 4  :    2  : 

Henry  Walter, 37  :  1 7  : 

Freedom  Wright, 42  :  13  : 

John  Wright, 21  :    6:0 

Charles  Wright, 34  :  13  :    3 

John   Wright,  Jr., 45  :    9  :    6 

John  Walter, 31  :    1  :    0 

Lemuel  Walter, 28  :    6  :    6 

David  West, 47  :    2  :    0 


Amount  of 
Taxable  Property. 

£.     s.     d. 

3 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

6 

0 

9 

0 

0 

o 
.1 


Total,  Winsted  Society, £1425  12s.  9d. 

This  list  was  made  up  of  the  following  items  : 

134  Polls  from  21  to  70  years,  at  £18  :  0  :  0. 

40  do.       "     16  to  21     "       at  £9  :  0  :  0. 

122  Oxen,  4  years  old  or  upwards,  at  £4  :  0  :  0. 

271  Cows  and  Steers,  3  years  old  or  upwards,  at  £3  :  0  :  0. 

100  Steers  and  Heifers,  2  years  old  or  upwards,  at  £2:0:  0. 

77  "       "         "         1      "           "         "            at  £1:0:0. 

120  Horses,  3  years  old  and  upwards,  at  £3  :  0  :  0. 

9  "       2     "             "             '.'          at  £2  : 0 : 0. 

7  "       1     "             "             "          at  £1  : 0 : 0. 

154  Swine,  at  £1:0:  0. 

28  Smokes  or  fire  place,  at  £0  :  7  :  6. 

92  do.     "        do.          at  £0:3: 9. 

586  Acres  of  Plow  Lands,  at  £0:10: 0. 

1027  "      "    Meadow  Lands,  at  £0  :  8  : 0. 

51  "      "   Bog  Meadow  Lands,  at  £0  :  5  :  0. 
409       "      "   Bush  Pasture  Lands,  at  £0  :  2  :  0. 

12219  "      "    Timber  Land,  at  £0  :  0  :  6. 

3  Silver  Watches,  at  £3  : 0  :  0. 

5  Taverners  assessed  at  £15  : 0  : 0. 

1  Store,  at  £25  :  0  :  0. 

1  Grist-Mill  and  Saw-Mill,  at  £24  :  5  :0. 

1  Saw-Mill,  at  £8: 15:0. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  161 

2         do.        at  £4  : 0  : 0. 

1  Physician,  at  .£10:0:0. 

2  {Shoemakers,  at  £5  :  0  :  0. 

The  number  of  dwellings  is  not  specified  on  the  list ;  the  tax  being 
levied  on  the  "  smokes  "  or  fire-places.  From  an  examination  of  the  list, 
the  number  of  dwellings  may  be  estimated  at  from  seventy  to  seventy- 
five  ;  and  their  quality  is  indicated  by  the  low  assessment  of  the  smokes, 
which  are  rated  at  7s.  6d.,  or  3s.  Qd.  each,  while  the  rate  for  smokes  in 
houses  in  good  repair  is  los.  each. 

The  cleared  lands  of  all  kinds,  —  bush  pasture  included,  —  amounted  to 
1015  acres;  being  about  one-twentieth  of  the  territory,  and  less  than 
eight  and  a  half  acres  to  each  resident  land-owner. 

The  quantity  of  land  put  in  the  list  falls  short  of  the  whole  territory 
of  the  town  by  more  than  six  thousand  acres.  It  is  difficult  to  account 
for  so  large  an  omission,  except  on  the  ground  that  lands  i(  on  mountains, 
inaccessible  to  teams,"  were  not  considered  as  taxable,  even  at  the  rate 
of  sixpence  per  acre. 

We  have  quoted  largely  from  year  to  year,  the  votes  passed  and  the 
measures  adopted  to  recruit  the  army,  and  aid  the  government  with 
supplies  for  carrying  on  the  war,  as  showing  how  much  the  success  of 
that  struggle  depended  on  the  legislation  of  the  New  England  towns, 
and  how  zealously  it  was  sustained  by  the  efforts  of  our  infant 
settlement. 

It  is  often  said  that  the  settlement  of  this  and  other  neighboring  towns 
was  greatly  accelerated  by  immigration  of  men  of  more  prudence  than 
courage  or  patriotism,  who  hop^d  in  this  remote  region  to  escape  from 
compulsory  military  service.  If  this  is  true,  they  found  it  a  poor  refuge 
for  non-combatant-,  for  it  would  be  difficult  to  find  an  able-bodied  man  of 
that  period  who  had  not  seen  hard  service,  either  as  a  volunteer  or 
detached  militiaman.  Our  infant  town  had  her  representatives  at 
Ticonderoga,  Bunker  Hill,  Quebec,  Long  Island,  Saratoga,  and  many 
oth'jr  battle  fields. 

The  following  soldiers  from  this  town  went  to  Ticonderoga  in  1775, 
in  Captain  Sedgwick's  Company,  Colonel  Hinman's  Regiment: — 

Warham  Gibbs,  Lieut.,  Nathan  Balcom,         William  Stannard, 

Charles  Wright,  Jr.,  Hawkins  Woodruff,   Lemuel  Walter, 

Adam  Mott.  John  Derby,                Noah  Gleason,  Jr., 

Ebenezer  Shepard,  David  Goff,                 Abraham  Wilkinson, 

Stephen   Arnold,  Peleg  Sweet,              Elisha  Smith, 

Freedom  Wright,  Oliver  Coe,  Sen.    • 

Charles    Wright   and  Ebenezer    Shepard    marched    to   the   relief  of 
Boston  on  the  Lexington  alarm. 
21 


162  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Samuel   Hurlbut,  John   Sweet,  and  Lemuel   Stannard  served  in  the 
7th  Regiment  in  1775. 

Daniel  Hurlbut  Cone  and  William   Lucas  served  in  Colonel  Meigs' 
Regiment  in  1775. 

Benoni  Brownson  served  in  Captain  Hooker's  Company  in  1775. 

Stephen  Knowlton  served  5th  company,  3d  Regiment. 

Judah  West.  "       8th         "         2d 

Gideon  Wilcoxson*   "       10th   .    "         7th 

Shubael  Cook,  "       4th         "         8th 

Ebenezer  Rowley,      "       9th         "         8th 

Nathan  Blackman,  Capt.  Smith's  "         8th  " 

David  Beebe,  "  "         8th  " 

Truman  Gibbs,  Major  Weld's  Company. 

Benjamin  Palmer,         "  " 

Josiah  Adkins,  Captain  Arnold's  Company,  Wooster's  Regiment. 

John    Arnold,   Captain    Denny's    Company,    Hosford's    Regiment,    in 
1776. 

William  Leach,  Colonel  Ducher's  (4th)  Regiment,  in  1779. 

Do.  Captain  Converse's  Company,  7th  Regiment,  in  1780. 

Lemuel  Walter,  Captain  Alden's  Company,  Colonel  Butler's  Regiment, 
in  1780. 

Samuel  Roberts,  Captain   Alden's    Company,   Colonel  Butler's  Regt., 
in  1780. 

John  Balcom,  Captain   Alden's  Company,  Colonel   Butler's  Regiment, 
in  1780. 

Daniel  Walter,  Colonel  Swift's  Regiment,  in  1780. 

Oliver  Coe,  Jr.,  Captain  Porson's  Company,  Col.  Butler's  Regt.,  1780. 

Samuel  Mott,  "  "  " 

Peter  Corbin,  Sherman's  Company,  8th  Regiment,  " 

Daniel  Wright,  "  "  " 

Ebenezer  Coe,  "  "  " 

The  following  other  men  served  in  the  continental  army  prior  to  1780, 
as  appears  by  a  certificate  of  the  selectmen  : — 

George  Hudson,  Stephen  Hurlbut,  Gershom  Fay, 

Peabody  Stannard,  Levi  Wilkinson,  William  Fay, 

Jonathan  Preston,  Stephen  Schovil,  Timothy  Fay, 

Prince  Negro,  Adam  Mott,  Seth  Stannard, 

John  Fay,  Remembrance  Filley,  Jesse  Wilkinson. 


*  He  served  in  Captain  Beebe's  Company  in  1776,  and  died  while  a  prisoner  of  war 
in  the  Sugar  House,  New  York. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  163 

Of  these,  Remembrance  Filley,  Gershom  Fay,  and  William  Fay, 
belonged  to  Captain  Beebe's  Litchfield  Company. 

Oliver  Coe,  Jr.,  and  Wait  Loomis,  also  served  under  General  Harmer, 
in  the  Indian  "War  in  Ohio. 

David  Austin,  Daniel  Corbin,  and  William  Leach  belonged  to  Captain 
Medad  Hills'  Company,  enlisted  in  1776. 

William  Stannard  served  in  Captain  Morris's  Company,  Bradley's 
Regiment,  in  1781. 

Richard  Coit  served  in  the  6th  Troop  in  1781,  and  in  various  regi- 
ments during  the  war. 

David  Goff  and  his  sin,  served  in  the  Northern  Army  in  1776. 

The  names  here  given  are  found  on  such  of  the  muster  and  pay-rolls 
and  other  documents  as  are  preserved  in  the  state  archives,  the  series  of 
which  is  very  imperfect,  and  embraces  only  a  limited  portion  of  the 
military  service  performed.  Scarcely  a  vestige  is  found  of  the  seiwice  of 
drafted  militia,  repeatedly  called  out  from  Litchfield  County  to  Danbury. 
Horse  Neck,  Long  Island,  Peekskill,  and  other  points  on  the  North 
River,  during  the  long,  protracted  struggle  for  the  possession  of  the 
Highlands.  Probably  not  an  able-bodied  man  of  the  town  failed  of  being 
called  out  more  than  once  on  this  harrassing  service. 

The  town  records  refer,  in  1777,  to  "  those  who  went  out  with 
Ensign  Ozias  Brownson  last  April,  with  Sergeant  Timothy  Benedict  in 
August,  and  with  Lieutenant  Benedict;"  in  1778,  "to  Sergeant  Free- 
dom Wright,  and  John  Balcom,  Jr.,  for  doing  a  tour  of  duty  last  year  in 
the  Northern  Army;"  in  1780,  "to  those  men  who  are  or  may  be 
detailed  with  the  army  between  the  1st  day  of  June  last  and  the  1st  of 
January  next."  In  1781  it  was  voted  to  try  to  get  Dolphin's  son  (a 
negro)  "  to  count  for  Winchester,"  and  "  to  make  application  to  General 
Parsons,  or  some  other  general  officer,  to  try  to  procure  a  pardon  for 
Jonathan  Preston,  on  account  of  his  deserting  the  army,"  and  "  to  raise 
a  man  to  supply  the  place  of  George  Hudson  in  the  Continental  Army." 
In  1782  it  was  voted  "to  hire  the  men  now  called  for,  for  the  guard  at 
Horse  Neck,  and  to  fill  the  deficiencies  in  the  Continental  Army  'till 
December  next." 

Many  other  inhabitants,  not  named  in  any  of  the  pay  rolls  or  votes  of 
the  town  referred  to,  are  known  to  have  been  in  the  service. 

John  Church  served  in  the  Canada  invasion  under  Arnold,  and  was 
in  the  battle  at  Saratoga. 

Deacon  Seth  Hills'  served  at  Saratoga,  and  was  present  at  Burgoyne's 
surrender. 

Joseph  Hoskin  served  as  a  trooper  on  Long  Island,  and  was  in  the 
rear  guard  at  the  retreat  from  Brooklyn  Heights. 


164  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Captain  Moses  Hatch  enlisted  at  sixteen,  and  served  through  the 
war.* 

A  company  of  which  John  Hills  was  Captain,  and  Ozias  Brownson 
Lieutenant,  served  at  New  York  while  General  Putnam  commanded  in 
that  department. 

We  have  before  us  a  "  Muster  Roll  "  of  Captain  John  Hills'  Company, 
for  the  year  1778,  from  which  we  copy  the  names,  embracing  all  the  sub- 
jects of  military  duty  in  the  town  at  that  period,  though  it  is  not  sup- 
posed that  all,  or  a  major  part  of  them,  were  on  the  special  service  at 
New  York. 

Captain  John  Hills, 
Lieutenant  Benjamin  Benedict, 
Ensign  Ozias  Brownson, 
Sergeant  Elisba  Wilcoxson, 

"       Jonathan  Coe, 
Eliphaz  Alvord, 

"       Joseph  Frisbee, 
Corporal  Samuel  Hurlbut, 

"       Abel  Wet  more, 

"       Josiah  Smith, 

"       John  Wright, 
Fifer  Belah  Hills, 

"  Levi  Brownson, 

Drummer  Joseph  Dodge, 

"        Andrew  Avret, 

"        John  Austin. 


*  The  late  Dr.  T.  S.  Wetmore  informed  the  compiler  that  on  the  passage  of  the 
Revolutionary  Pension  Law,  Captain  Hatch  made  application  for  a  pension,  which 
was  rejected  for  want  of  documentary  proofs  of  his  service.  He  was  theu  advised  by 
the  Doctor  to  make  another  application,  and  to  detail  the  events  connected  with  his 
service,  which  might  lead  to.  his  identification.  It  was  drawn  up  by  the  Doctor,  and 
among  other  incidents  he  related  the  occurrence  of  his  capturing  a  Tory  spy  while  on 
picket  guard,  and  bringing  him  before  his  colonel,  who  instantly  recognized  the  spy, 
and  ordered  him  to  be  taken  out  and  shot,  remarking  that  the  fellow  had  once  betrayed 
him  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  tried  his  best  to  get  him  executed  as  a  spy. 

This  application,  with  many  others,  remained  undecided  on  the  files  of  the  War 
Department,  until  the  Secretaryship  of  John  C.  Spencer,  during  President  Tyler's 
administration,  who  determined  to  bring  them  to  a  final  adjudication.  While, 
examining  Captain  Hatch's  application,  the  identical  colonel  called  on  him  on 
business.  Mr.  Spencer  read  him  the  statement,  and  enquired  whether  he  remem- 
bered the  circumstance.  He  replied,  "  Yes,  I  remember  it  well,  and  the  name  of  the 
captor  of  the  scoundrel  was  Moses  Hatch,  as  good  a  soldier  as  ever  shouldered  a 
musket."     The  pension  was  at  once  awarded. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


165 


PRIVATES 


Daniel  Andrus, 
Eli  Andrus, 
Steven  Arnold, 
Joel  Beach, 
Nathan  Balcona, 
Jonathan  Balcom, 
John  Balcom,  Jr., 
John  Beach, 
Timothy  Benedick, 
Azariah  Bradley, 
Aaron  Cook, 
Hezekiah  Elmer, 
Remembrance  Filley, 
Daniel  Grover, 
Zimri  Hills, 
Chauncey  Hills, 
Seth  Kellogg, 
William  Kies, 
Ichabod  Loomis, 
Samuel  McCune, 
Gershom  McCune,  Jr., 
Reuben  Miner, 
Samuel  Preston, 
Joseph  Plat, 
Philip  Priest, 
William  Fay, 
Phineas  Griswold, 
Ambrose  Palmer, 
Reuben  Sweet, 
Peleg  Sweet, 
William  Stannard, 
Reuben  Palmer, 
Lazarus  Palmer, 
Lemuel  Stannard,  Jr., 
Jesse  Wilkinson, 
Rhuben  Wilkinson, 


Reuben  Tucker, 
David  Alvord, 
Lemuel  Walter, 
John  Walter, 
James  Stevenson, 
Richard  Coit, 
Thomas  Spencer, 
Amasa  Wade, 
Joel  Roberts, 
Timothy  Fay, 
Steven  Hurlbut, 
Phineas  Potter, 
Preserved  Crissee, 
Abraham  Andrews,  Jr. 
John  Austin,  Jr., 
Samuel  Mott, 
Phineas  Smith, 
David  Mills, 
Daniel  Corbin, 
Simeon  Hurlbut, 
Samuel  Roberts, 
Elijah  Castel, 
Benjamin  Palmer, 
Silas  Filer, 
Peter  Corbin,  Jr., 
Samuel  Castel, 
Moses  Derbye, 
William  Leach, 
Isaac  Filley, 
John  Spencer, 
Moses  Roberts, 
Jacob  Palmer, 
Daniel  Loomis, 
Abner  Coe, 
John  Church, 
Palmer. 


This  list  embraces  but  few  of  the  names  of  those  who  served  in  the  early 
part  of  the  war,  —  while  many  of  the  names  copied  have  either  been  can- 
celed or  encircled  with  lines,  to  indicate  that  by  active  service  or  for  some 
other  cause  they  had  become  exempt. 


166  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

It  is  proper  to  say  that  some  of  the  persons  whose  names  have  been  ex- 
ti  acted  from  the  pay  rolls,  performed  the  services  referred  to  before  be- 
coming inhabitants  of  the  town. 

On  a  general  survey  of  the  town  at  this  period,  it  appears  that  the  first 
or  old  Society  was  mainly  settled ;  and  had  nearly  as  large  a  population 
as  it  has  at  the  present  time.  Then,  as  now,  the  southern  portion  had  a 
dejiser  population  than  the  northern,  or  Danbury  quarter. 

The  portion  of  Winsted  on  or  near  the  old  North  Road,  was  in  a  good 
measure  settled,  and  inhabitants  were  thinly  scattered  along  the  Spencer 
Street  Road,  from  Colebrook  line  down  to  the  northern  outskirt  of  the 
Borough  of  Winsted,  and  along  the  Still  River  valley  from  the  crossing 
of  tlvj.  North  road  to  Still  River  Bridge  ;  — and  a  few  families  had  located 
on  the  South  Street  road. 

Deacon  Austin  had  located  himself  and  built  his  mill  at  the  outlet  of 
Long  Lake,  and  a  few  other  families  had  settled  around  him,  but  no  set- 
tler had  yet  ventured  down  the  hill  into  the  savage  and  almost  impene- 
trable valley  now  populated  with  more  than  three  thousand  inhabitants 
and  active  with  a  business  exceeding  that  of  any  other  village  in  the 
County. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

winchester  society  continued. 
1784  to  1791. 

In  annual  town  meeting  of  this  year,  in  addition  to  routine  business, 
it  was  voted  "  That  swine  be  free  commoners,  with  a  good  and  suitable 
yoke." 

The  society  records  show  the  doings  of  thirteen  meetings  during  the 
year,  none  of  which  were  of  special  interest.  Efforts  were  made  to 
collect  arrearages  on  old  rate  bills,  and  a  large  number  of  them  were 
wiped  out  by  excusing  the  delinquents  from  payment.  Six  choristers 
were  appointed,  the  difficulties  between  Mr.  Knapp  and  disaffected 
parishioners  were  ventilated,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Sherman  of  Goshen, 
Mills  of  Torringford,  and  Robbins  of  Norfolk  were  named  as  an  advisory 
council  "  in  matters  between  Mr.  Knapp  and  j'  Society ; "  Mr.  Knapp's 
accounts  were  settled,  and  a  three  and  three-quarter-penny  tax  was  laid 
to  pay  up  the  arrearages  found  due  him.  A  place  for  building  a  new 
meeting  house  had  been  established  by  the  county  court,  which,  not 
proving  acceptable,  a  new  location  was  agreed  on  (by  a  vote  of  33  to  16), 
near  the  burying  ground,  and  then  a  new  locating  committee  was 
appointed,  whose  doings  were  accepted,  but  it  does  not  appear  what 
place  was  designated. 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  1784  were  as  follows  : — 

David  Gaylord  from  Cambridge,  Hartford  County,  had  an  interest 
in  the  two  wedge  lots  adjoining  Colebrook  line,  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  town.  In  1792,  in  his  deed  conveying  away  these  lots,  he  is 
named  of  Bristol.  There  was  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  this  name  who 
kept  a  tavern  in  that  region  in  early  times. 

Samuel  Haw^ley  from  Salisbury,  owned  the  farm  in  Danbury 
Quarter  a  little  north  of  the  burying  ground,  afterwards  occupied  by  his 
son-in-law,  John  Benedict,  and  recently  owned  by  William  Price.  He 
died  on  this  farm,  February  10,  1820,  aged  74.  He  married  July  30, 
1782,  Rebecca  Taylor,  who  died  March  9,  1820,  aged  69. 


168  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Didymus  Shepard,  named  of  Winchester,  was  tried  before  Justice 
Alvord,  February  5,  1784,  for  '4  prophane  swearing,"  and  on  his  plea  of 
guilty  was  fined  6s.,  and  costs  2s.  On  April  26  following,  he  was  again 
brought  before  Esquire  Alvord,  and  tried  for  a  like  offence,  on  his  plea 
of  not  guilty,  whereupon  he  was  acquitted,  and  ordered  to  be  dismissed 
on  paying  the  cost  of  prosecution,  taxed  at  £l  Os.  6d.,  and  to  stand  com- 
mitted until  the  costs  were  paid.  As  his  name  no  where  else  appears,  it 
is  probable  that  he  fled  the  town  through  fear  of  another  acquittal ! 

Pel  kg  Sweet,  named  of  Torrington,  July  10,  1784,  and  of  Win- 
chester, August  24,  1785.  owned  and  lived  on  the  Harry  Brooks  Farm, 
Danbury  Quarter,  until  1807,  when  he  moved  to  Ashtabula,  Ohio.  The 
house  he  occupied  is  believed  to  be  the  wing  of  the  present  residence  of 
Mr.  Brooks.     He  married  November  20,  1777,  Mary  Wilkinson. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lorrain,  b.  September  17,  1778;  m.  October  6,  1799, 

Huldah  Benedict,  and  had  one  child,  Candace,  b.  April  22,  1S00. 
II.  Susanna,  b.  December  6,  1780. 

III.  Isaac,  b.  March  13,  1783. 

IV.  Mary,  h.  March  11,  1785. 

V.  Clarissa,  b.  March  13,  1787;  d.  August  19,  1797. 

VI.  Ara  (twin),  b.  February  13,  1789. 

VII.  Ira  (twin),  b.  February  13,  1789. 

VIII.  Lewis,  b.  April  7,  1791. 
IX.  Frederick  Aldridge,         b.  June  10,  1793. 

X.  Peleg,  b.  August  10,  1795. 

XI.  Clarissa,  b.  August  19,  1797. 

XII.  Willard,  b.  March  13,  1800. 

1785. 

No  business  of  special  interest  was  transacted  in  the  town  meetings  of 
this  year. 

The  Society  held  eleven  meetings  during  the  year,  with  a  view  to 
locating  and  building  a  new  meeting-house.  A  location  would  he  fixed 
at  one  meeting,  and  reconsidered,  and  a  new  one  established  at  another, 
and  then  the  doings  of  the  second  meeting  reconsidered,  and  the  first 
location  re-established.  The  size  of  the  house  to  be  erected  was  first 
fixed  at  46  by  56  feet,  then  it  was  changed  to  50  by  40,  and  then  four 
feet  was  added  to  the  length,  and  then  a  tax  of  one  shilling  on  the  pound 
was  voted,  and  a  committee  appointed  to  apply  to  the  Assembly  for 
power  to  tax  non-resident  landowners  eightperioe  on  the  acre.  A  build- 
ing committee  was  appointed,  who  were  instructed  "to  carry  on  the 
building  forthwith."  At  this  stage  of  the  business,  a  new  meeting  was 
held,  which  reconsidered  the  previous  doings,  and  petitioned  the  Assembly 
to  free  the  Society  from  public  taxes,  until  it  can  build  a  meeting-house. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  169 

A  subsequent  meeting  instructed  Mr.  Hurlbut  "  to  repair  tbe  old  meet- 
ing house,  viz. :  lay  down  boards  on  tbe  joists,  that  people  may  sit  above  ; 
also,  make  a  ladder  or  stairs  to  go  up  into  the  upper  part  of  the  meeting- 
house, and  make  seats  to  sit  on  above,  and  that  he  do  the  same  at  the 
cost  of  the  Society."  The  old  meeting-house,  of  unknown  origin,  and 
located  nearly  a  mile  south  of  the  present  center,  has  been  already 
described.*  It  would  be  incredible  that  such  a  place  "  for  men  to  sit 
above,"  as  was  constructed  pursuant  to  the  foregoing  vote,  could  have 
been  resorted  to,  were  not  the  frame  of  the  structure  stillf  a  standing 
witness  to  the  fact  that  the  attic  gallery  existed,  with  the  rafters  coming 
down  to  the  floor,  the  floor  having  an  opening  of  not  more  than  nine  feet 
square  over  the  pulpit,  through  which  the  good  Parson  Knapp  was 
required  to  throw  up  his  preaching  to  the  hungry  sinners  who  had  made 
their  venturous  way  up  the  outside  ladder,  through  a  gable  door,  into 
this  cock-loft.  It  is  equally  hard  to  conceive  that  three  readers  and  four 
or  five  choristers  should  be  needed  to  conduct  the  psalm-singing  in  a 
building  of  such  modest  dimensions. 

The  conflicting  votes  above  referred  to  were  all  adopted  between  the 
first  of  January  and  last  of  May.  In  September  it  was  voted  "  to  build 
a  meeting  house  near  the  crotch  of  the  roads  by  Mr.  Hurlbut's,  at  a 
stake  and  stones  within  Doctor  Everitt's  home  lot,  about  twelve  or 
fifteen  rods  from  his  dwelling  house,  if  on  application  made  to  the  county 
court  said  place  shall  be  established,"  and  "  if  the  court  do  not  establish 
the  above-mentioned  place,  to  apply  for  a  new  committee." 

October  6,'  five  choristers  were  appointed,  and  the  vote  to  build  the 
meeting  house  on  the  spot  designated  was  reiterated. 

December  12  it  was  voted  to  build,  cover,  and  close  it  in,  and  lay  the 
lower  floor  by  the  first  of  the  following  October ;  also,  "  to  raise  one 
shilling  on  the  pound  of  the  list  of  August,  1785,  to  be  paid  in  good 
pine  boards,  or  whitewood  clapboards,  or  neat  cattle,  or  labor,  or  good 
pine  shingles,  the  boards  and  shingles  to  be  delivered  by  yc'  10th  day  of 
June  next,  and  what  is  not  paid  by  said  10th  of  June,  to  be  paid  in  beef 
cattle  by  y'  10th  day  of  October  next,  and  y"  above  articles  to  be  deliv- 
ered at  ye  meeting  house  spot." 

The  building  spot  selected,  and  on  which  the  new  house  was  erected, 
and  in  process  of  time  completed,  was  on  the  green  nearly  in  front  of  the 
dwelling  of  Theron  Bronson,  Esq.  The  ground  was  then  covered  with 
a  heavy  growth  of  chestnut  trees. 

1785. 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were  as  follows  : — 

Salmon  Hawley  from   Stratford,  who   built  and  lived  in  the  first 

*  Page  78. 

t  This  paragraph  was  written  before  the  building  fell,  in  1867. 
22 


170  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

house  above  the  Dugway,  on  the  old  Winchester  road,  lately  owned  by 
Sophronia  Leonard,  and  now  torn  down.  He  sold  out  in  1795,  and  his 
name  is  not  found  on  the  tax  list  afterwards.     He  married  Jane  . 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Jerusha,  b.  in  Stratford,  January  28,  1778. 

II   Wm.  Salmon,  b.  "  December  25,  1779. 

III.  Eunice,  b.  "  April  20,  1782. 

IV.  Susanna,  b.  "         March  9,  1784. 
V.  James,  b.  in  Winchester,  April  27,  1786. 

VI.  Daniel,  b.  "  February  16,  1789. 

VII.  Avis,  b.  "  May  17,  1793. 

Charles  Kent,  who  lived  in  Hall  Meadow,  near  Rufus  Drake's, 
until  1787,  was  fined  for  profane  swearing  in  1787,  and  is  described  as 
an  absconding  debtor  in  1788. 

Zeba  Meacham  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year,  and  onward  to  1789. 
He  owned  land  on  the  old  south  road,  north  of  the  Everitt  place. 

Simeon  Moore,  Jr.,  son  of  Simeon  of  Windsor,  this  year  received  by 
conveyance  from  his  father  the  James  Crocker  farm,  and  other  adjacent 
lands.  He  lived  in  the  Crocker  house  (now  torn  down),  at  the  parting 
of  the  old  Waterbury  Turnpike  from  the  Green  Woods  Turnpike,  until 
about  1808,  when  he  removed  to  Ohio.  His  wife,  Hannah,  died  October 
22,  1794. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lovina,  b.  April  16,  1786  ;  m.  Elijah  Benedict. 

II.  Wealthy,  b.  March  24, 1789. 

III.  Simeon,  b.  June  8, 1791. 

IV.  Hannah,  b.  January  15,  1794. 

Captain  John  Nash6  came  from  Torrington  to  Winchester  in  early 
life,  and  for  many  years  followed  the  joiner's  trade,  after  which  he  became 
a  highly  respected  and  wealthy  farmer.  He  first  owned  and  occupied 
a  house  at  the  center,  afterward  burned  down,  which  stood  on  the  site  of 
Rev.  Frederick  Marsh's  residence.  He  afterward  built  and  occupied 
during  his  remaining  life  the  house  now  owned  by  his  son,  Alva  Nash, 
Esq.,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  center.  He  was  a  man  of  pure  life  and 
kind  heart,  universally  respected,  and  often  employed  in  the  affairs  of 
the  town. 

He  was  born  in  West  Hartford,  July  18,  1758,  son  of  John5  (born 
December  1,  1728),  and  Mary  (Graves)  Nash  ;  g.  son  of  Moses4  (born 
Hadley,  July  2,  1696),  and  Rebecca  (Kellogg)  Nash;  g.g.  son  of 
Lieutenant  John3  and  Elizabeth  (Kellogg)  Nash  ;  g.g.g.  son  of  Timothy3 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  171 

(born  1626)  and  Rebecca  (Stone)  Nash,  and  g-g-g-g.  son  of  Thomas1  and 
Margery  Nash,  who  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  New  Haven.  He 
married  Esther  Whiting,  born  Torrington,  September  13,  1763,  daughter 
of  Benjamin  and  Esther  Whiting.  She  died  March  4,  1835,  aged  71 
years  ;  he  died  October  21,  1835,  aged  77  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I,  Lucy,7  b.  May  8,  1783  ;  m.  December,  1801,  John  Wetmore. 

II.  Hannah,7  b.  December  23,  1787;  m.  October  22,  1811  ;  Wm. 
Cram. 

III.  Alvah,7  b.  September  26,  1793. 

IV.  Mart  Graves,7  b.  January  21,  1797;  m.  1819,  October  27,  Calvin 

Sage  of  Colebrook. 
V.  Nancy,7  b.  June  2,  1801  ;  m.  May  30,  1827,  Stephen  Monson. 

VI.  Samuel  John,7  b.  September  25,  1806;  d.  Septembers,  1808. 

Alva  Nash,7  Esq.,  a  clothier  and  farmer,  resides  in  the  paternal 
homestead,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  center.  He  has  twice  represented 
the  town  in  the  General  Assembly,  and  has  held  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace.     He  married  March  16,  1819,  Rebecca  Sage. 

CHILDREN. 

I    Susan  Rebecca,  b.  October   12,1820;  m.  November  4,  1845,  Isaac  A. 

Bronson.     She  d.  April  7,  1857. 
II.  Lorenzo  Samuel,        b.  December  30,   1823  ;  m.  January,  1852,  Caroline 
E.  Tuller. 

Daniel  Sandiforth's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He  was 
son  of  the  wife  of  Reuben  Miner  by  her  first  husband,  and  is  believed  to 
have  removed  to  New  Hartford. 

Nathan  L.  Wade's  name  is  also  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year. 

Justus  Wright,  a  cai'penter,  who  was  of  Torrington,  December  29, 
1783,  was  named  in  the  tax  list  of  1785.  He  owned  and  occupied  the 
former  homestead  of  Aaron  Cook  in  Blue  Street,  which  he  sold  in  1795  ; 
he  married  December  2,  1784,  Abigail  Blackman ;  had  son,  Calvin, 
born  October  5,  1785. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were  William  Castel  and  Bela  Hills. 


1786. 

The  following  vote  in  town  meeting  this  year,  indicates  a  prudent  care 
of  the  people  to  prevent  improper  allowances,  by  the  Selectmen,  of  claims 
against  the  town. 


172  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Voted,  that  not  any  person  whatever,  who  shall  do  any  service  for  the 
town  the  present  year,  shall  be  allowed  to  receive  any  reward  therefor, 
nntil  he  shall  exhibit  his  account  before  the  next  annual  town  meeting, 
and  have  his  account  allowed  by  said  meeting. 

Another,  appointing  a  committee  "  to  examine  into  the  debts  due  to 
and  from  the  town,  and  make  out  an  exact  statement  of  accounts  respect- 
ing the  town's  debts  and  credits  and  lay  the  same  before  the  next  town 
meeting,"  seems  to  show  that  the  chronic  tendency  of  the  town's  affairs 
to  get  into  a  snarl,  had  an  early  beginning. 

The  Society,  this  year,  voted  a  tax  of  3  pence  on  the  Pound,  to  enable 
the  meeting  house  committee  to  procure  glass  and  nails ;  —  to  be  paid  in 
beef,  cattle  or  pork,  or  flax  seed,  or  one-quarter  of  it  in  butter  or  cheese,  at 
the  current  market  price,  or  in  cash  at  a  deduction  of  10  per  cent. 

The  electors  admitted- this  year  were  John  Wright,  Martin  North,  Jr., 
and  Richard  Coit. 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  were: 

William  Keyes,  whose  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  1786,  resided  in  the 
town  until  near  the  close  of  the  last  century.  He  is  named  of  Torring- 
,ton  in  1797.  He  owned  in  1786,  for  about  a  year,  nineteen  acres  of  land 
in  the  vicinity  of  Alva  Nash ;  and  afterward  had  an  interest  in  land  on  the 
Green  Woods  turnpike,  near  the  Green  Woods  Hotel.  He  married,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1777,  Seba  Smith. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  William,2  b.  Jan.  12,  1778. 

II.  Prudence,2  b.  Dec.  7,  1779. 

III.  Sally,2  b.     "     24,  1783. 

IV.  Trumbull,2  b.  Oct.  3,  1787. 

William  Keyes,2  married,  November  23,  1797,  Anna,  daughter  of 
John  Sweet;  lived  in  the  house  at  the  east  corner  of  Lake  and  Rockwell 
streets,  and  died  about  1800,  leaving  a  son,  William.  She  married  (2d), 
Rev.  Daniel  Coe. 

London,  on  Lunnon,  a  negro,  a  resident  of  the  town,  was,  this  year, 
brought  before  Justice  Alvord  on  a  complaint  for  breach  of  the  peace. 
The  complaint  was  quashed.     He  had  wife  Phillis. 

1787. 

A  petition  was  brought  to  the  October  session  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  1780,  for  incorporating  the  east  part  of  Winchester  and  the  part 
of  Barkhamsted  west  of  Farmington  River  as  a  town,  which  was  continued 
through  the  years  1787  and  1788,  and  finally  rejected.     In  the  annual 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  173 

town  meeting  of  this  year  the  town  voted  its  assent  to  the  prayer  of  the 
petition,  provided  the  new  town  should  not  extend  westerly  beyond  the 
Long  Pond  and  the  west  boundary  of  the  second  tier ;  which  would  have 
excluded  all  the  inhabitants  on  Coe  Street,  north  of  the  Indian  Meadow 
bridge. 

The  following  document  was  entered  on  the  Society  records  of  this 
year. 

Winchester,  October  9th,  1786.  This  may  certify  that  I  have  received 
from  the  Society's  Committee  in  full  all  that  was  due  me  from  the  So- 
ciety, from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  year  1782. 

Witness  my  hand,  Joshua  Knap  p. 

The  following  freemen  were  admitted  this  year :  John  Marshall,  Abra- 
ham Andrews,  Jr.,  John  Nash,  William  Chamberlin,  Ozias  Brownson,  Jr., 
Lemuel  Bassett,  and  Martin  Hurlbut. 

Only  one  new  resident  of  Winchester  Society  is  found  this  year,  while 
the  new  comers  into  Winsted  were  more  numerous  than  in  any  previous 
year. 

Davjd  Hungerford,  of  that  part  of  Farmington  which  is  now  Bristol, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  French  war,  and  died  near  Saratoga,  New  York,  of 
camp  fever,  aged  45  years.  He  had  five  children,  of  whom  David  died 
about  the  same  time  as  his  father,  of  the  same  disease,  aged  18.  Joel  and 
Jonah  settled  in  Watertown,  Connecticut,  and  had  families.  Ann  mar- 
ried Rev.  Mr.  Tiler,  and  was  the  youngest. 

Reuben  Hungerford,  born  in  Bristol  September  9, 1748 ;  married, 
April  — ,  1776,  Olive  Gaylord,  born  June  24,  1760.  He  bought  land  in 
Winchester,  February  4,  1780,  when  he  was  named  of  Farmington ; 
again  June  14,  1783,  when  he  was  of  Norfolk;  and  September  6,  1787 
he  was  of  Winchester,  and  so  appears  by  frequent  deeds  thereafter.  He 
first  lived  near  the  Norfolk  line,  until  April  6,  1795,  he  bought  of  Moses 
Wright,  of  Colebrook,  the  place  directly  opposite  the  Green  Woods  Hotel, 
where  he  spent  the  rest  of  his  life.*     He  served  three  months  in  the  war 

*Hc  was  a  man  of  great  energy  and  marked  peculiarities.  The  story  is  told  of  an 
assessment  in  old  Winchester  for  building  the  second  meeting  house,  in  which  he  was 
assessed  beyond  all  reason  by  the  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose.  At  the  meet- 
ing to  which  the  committee  reported  their  assessments,  Mr.  Hungerford  protested  in 
his  nervous  Saxon  that  he  wouldn't  pay  such  an  extortionate  assessment,  —  that  they 
might  build  their  own  meeting  house  ;  — and  he  would  go  down  to  Noppit  to  meeting. 
The  meeting  was  adjourned  without  action  on  the  subject  matter  for  a  week.  At  the 
adjourned  meeting  Mr.  Hungerford  entered  another  appearance  with  a  changed  mind. 
"Mr.  Moderator,"  said  he,  "  I  told  you  t'other  day  I'd  go  to  Noppit  to  meeting  before 
I'd  pay  my  tax.  I've  been  thinkin'  it  over  since,  —and  I  now  think,  for  a  man  who 
haint  got  no  religion  to  go  deviling  off  down  to  Noppit  to  get  it,  is  a  mean  business. 
I  won't  do  it,  but  I'll  pay  my  tax  like  a  man." 


174  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

of  the  revolution.  He  died  November  10,  1828.  His  wife  was  the  pro- 
fessional mid-wife  of  the  region,  attending  all  calls,  and  often  riding  six 
or  eight  miles  on  horse  back,  with  one  of  her  own  nursing  babes  in  her 
arms,  until  incapacitated  by  age.  Her  last  professional  service  being  at 
the  birth  of  George  E.  Woodford,  March  27,  1836,  when  she  had  to  be 
carried  in  a  rocking-chair.  She  is  entitled  to  this  notice  for  assisting  the 
compiler  of  these  annals  into  the  world  in  1799.  She  died  in  Winchester 
July  6,  1839,  aged  79. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lois,  b.  in  Winchester,  Jan.  29,  1777;  m.  Nov.  20,  1794,  Joseph 

Cowles;  they  were  among  the  first  settlers  of  Austinbnrgh,  Ohio  in 
1801.     She  d.  March  9,  1841. 
II.  Polly,  m.  Shubael  Coy,  settled  in  Oxford,  N.  Y.,  where  she  d.  in 

1832. 

III.  Amos,  b.  Dec.  17,  1781;  m.  1814,  Betsey  Latourette ;  settled  at 

Mt.  Morris,  N.  Y.     He  d.  May  6,  1861. 

IV.  Chauncey,  b.  ;  d.  aged  7  years. 
V.  Reuben,              b.  June  3,  1786;  d.  Jan.  27,  1809. 

VI.  Olive,  b.  April  19,  1788;  m.  Noah  North;  settled  in  Alexander, 

N.  Y.,  where  he  d.  Sept.  28,  1824,  and  she  March  11,  1849. 

VII.  Sally,  b.  Feb.  12,  1790;  m.  Jan.  23,  1813,  Halsey  Phillips ;  set- 

tled in  Colebrook,  Ohio;  she  d.  Feb.  2,  1867. 

VIII.  Ann,  b.  April  5,  1793 ;  m.  Salmon  Drake ;  she  d.  Aug.  26,  1866, 

leaving  a  son  Henry  Hungerford,  b.  Feb.  21,  1833,  who  m.  May  18, 
1862,  Mariam  Roberts,  b.  in  Colebrook,  Sept.  7,  1840. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  George  F.,  b.  May  12,  1864. 

2.  Anna,         b.  Sept.  8, 1866. 

IX.  Lucinda  (twin),  b.  Dec.  30,  1794;  in.  April,   1825,  Ethan  Pendleton;  she 
d.  in  Norfolk,  June  29, 1829 
X.  Delinda  (twin);  b.  Dec.  30,  1794;  d.  Jan.  10,  1809,  of  hydrocephalus. 
XI.  Candace,  b.  Sept.   5,  1798;  m.  May  19,  1819,  Samuel  D.  Gilbert; 

she  d.  June  17,  1840. 
XII.  Amanda,  b.  Sept.  16,  1801 ;  d.  unmarried,  Feb.  26,  1847. 

XIII.  Chauncey,  b.  March  11,  1803;  m.  April  20,  1825,  Cynthia  Allen,  b. 

Oct.  22,  1804  ;  settled  in  Mt.  Morris,  N.  Y. 


1788. 

The  town  manifested  its  appreciation  of  the  services  of  its  officers  and 
agents,  by  the  following  vote  in  annual  meeting  this  year : 

Voted,  that  none  that  shall  do  business  for  the  town,  in  the  town,  the 
year  ensuing,  shall  have  any  wages  therefoi*,  except  one  meal  of  victuals 
a  day. 

In  Society  meeting,  a  tax  of  1^  pence  on  the  pound  was  laid,  "  to  ena- 
ble the  Meeting  House  Committee  to  pay  the  debts  they  have  contracted 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  175 

for  building  the  meeting  house,  and  also  to  procure  glass  for   the  glazing 
of  the  meeting  house,  to  be  paid  by  the  15th  day  of  December  next." 

This  is  the  only  record  indicating  the  progress  thus  far  made  in  the 
work,  which  by  a  former  vote  was  directed  to  be  finished  by  1st  October, 
1786. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were,  Justus  Wright,  Samuel  Roberts, 
Peter  Blackman,  John  Videto,  Christopher  Whiting,  Levi  Wilkinson, 
Joel  Coe,  Zalmon  Benedict,  and  Jesse  Hills. 

The  new  comers  were  as  follows  : 

Zalmon  Benedict,  son  of  Silas  Benedict,  from  Danbury,  who  was 
killed  in  the  Wyoming  massacre.  He  returned  with  his  mother  to  Dan- 
bury,  and  thence  removed  to  Winchester  this  year  as  is  supposed.  He 
first  lived  in  a  log  house  in  Danbury  quarter,  some  thirty  rods  south  ol  the 
iron  mine ;  afterward  on  Taylor's  Brook  near  Torrington  line,  —  and 
after  1 805,  in  Danbury  quarter,  not  far  from  the  burying  ground.  He  m. 
Chloe  Perry,  of  Danbury. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,2         b.  Oct.  22,  1789. 
II.  Lovisa,2    b.  Nov.  12,  1791  ;  m.  Feb.  2,  1820,  Norman  Baldwin. 
III.  Ruama,2     b.  June  1,  1794;  m.  —  Pratt. 

John  Benedict,2  resided  on  the  Samuel  Hawley  place,  100  rods 
north  of  the  Danbury  Burying  Ground,  till  about  1869,  and  now  lives  in 
Norfolk.  He  m.  Jan.  30,  1811,  Rebecca,  dau.  of  Samuel  Hawley;  she 
d.  May  10,  1857. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel  Hawley,  b.  Jan.  25,  1814;  m.  Lavina  Canfield. 

II.  Laura,  b.  1816;  m.  Samuel  Hart. 

III.  Lyman,  b.  1818;  m.  Polly  Simons. 

IV.  Caroline,  b.  1820;  m.  William  Price. 
V.  William,  b.  1822. 

VI.  Helen.  b.  Aug.  13,  1838;  m.  Newman  B.  Gilbert. 

Nathan  Broughton  lived  until  1792  in  a  log  house  on  Sucker 
Brook  road,  near  the  house  built  by  James  B.  White,  now  owned  by  Fit- 
tus  Stack.  He  probably  left  the  town  before  1800.  He  had  wife, 
Elizabeth. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Charles,  b.  Jan.  23,  1782. 

II.  Mary,  b.  Sept.  17,  1784. 

III.  Darius  Clark,  b.  Aug.  31,  1786;  d.  Sept.  5,  1788. 

IV.  Nathan,  b.  July  31,  1788. 


176  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

V.  Darius  Clark,     b.  Nov.  14,  1790. 

VI.  Uriel,  b.  Oct.  12,  1792. 

VII.  Esther,  b.  Aug.  13,  1794. 

Ephraim  Foot,  from  Colchester,  owned  and  lived  on  the  Edward 
Rugg  Farm,  in  Danbury  Quarter,  from  1788  to  171)5,  after  which  he 
removed  to  Hamilton,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Roswkll  Grant,  son  of  Elijah  Grant  of  Norfolk,  resided  until  1804 
in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  town,  on  part  of  the  Richard  Beckley 
farm,  and  afterward  lived  for  many  years  on  the  same  farm  in  Norfolk. 
He  was  a  large  farmer  and  laborious  man,  honest  and  conscientious  in  a 
way  of  his  own.  Having  carelessly  left  his  barn  doors  open  through  a 
mid  winter  night,  he  punished  himself  the  night  following  by  again  open- 
ing them  and  sitting  in  the  draft  of  a  bitter  northwest  wind  until  morn- 
ing. In  his  declining  years  he  became  poor,  and  worked  in  Winsted  as  a 
hired  man.  Such  was  his  love  for  work,  that  he  would  steal  off  on  Sun- 
days and  hoe  his  pious  employer's  potatoes,  without  his  knowledge,  and 
without  compensation. 

He  joined  the  Continental  Army  when  seventeen  years  old,  and  endured 
hard  service  with  characteristic  fortitude.  When  Baron  Steuben  was 
selecting  his  corps  for  special  discipline,  he  passed  in  front  of  Grant's 
company  while  on  parade.  Grant  was  surprised  to  find  himself  the  only 
man  taken  from  the  company,  being,  as  he  said,  "  such  a  little  nubbin'  of 
a  fellow,  I  had  no  idea  he  would  take  me."  While  in  the  Highlands,  he 
was  posted  as  guard  on  one  of  the  bleakest  points,  in  extremely  cold 
weather ;  the  army  moved,  without  recalling  him,  but  he  stuck  to  his 
post  till  relieved,  two  days  after. 

Going  to  Litchfield  in  his  advanced  life,  on  foot,  a  neighbor  entrusted 
him  with  a  letter  to  be  delivered  there.  He  had  reached  within  a  mile  of 
his  home,  after  dark,  on  his  return,  when  he  discovered  that  he  had  brought 
the  letter  back.  He  immediately  turned  and  walked  fourteen  miles  to 
Litchfield,  delivered  the  letter,  and  came  home  before  daylight  the  next 
morning. 

He  m.  Anna  Coy,  who  d.  March  — ,  1810,  aged  50  years;  and  Its  m. 
(2d)  May  16,  1811,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lawrence.  She  d.  Oct.  6,  1815, 
aged  45.     He  d.  July  7,  1837,  aged  nearly  75  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mahala,  b.  Norfolk,  July  31,  1785;  ra.  Elijah  Pinney. 

II.  Amarilla  Minerva,  b.  N.,  March — ,  1789;  d.  W.,  Ap.  23,  1852,  unm. 

III.  Deidamia  A.,  b.  N.,  May  — ,  1794;  m.  Edwin  M.  Strong. 

IV.  Sage  Washington,  b.  N.,  Aug.  13,  1800;  ra.  Lucy  Spaulding  of  New 

Marlborough,  Mass.     He  d.  W.,  Nov.  4,  18t'.6.     She  m.  (2d)  Roswell 
Smith.     They  had  a  son,  Ward  Grant,  now  living. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  177 


CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

V.  A  Daughter  (twin),  b.  N.,  Feb.  11,  1812. 

VI.  Anna  Elizabeth  (twin),     b.  N.,  Feb.  11,  1812. 


Hewitt  Hills,  son  of  Medad,  of  Goshen,  a  large  farmer,  and  promi- 
nent business  man  of  the  town,  this  year  settled  on  the  farm,  and  built 
the  house  thereon,  now  owned  by  Henry  Drake  on  Blue  Street,  near  Tor- 
rington  line.  He  was  a  representative  to  the  General  Assembly  between 
1790  and  1800,  and  filled  at  various  times  most  of  the  town  offices. 

In  company  with  Thomas  Spencer,  Jr.,  about  1796,  he  built  and  traded 
in  the  building  on  Lake  Street,  where  the  depot  of  the  Conn.  Western 
R.  R.  now  stands.  He  was  a  man  of  good  person  and  address,  shrewd 
in  his  business,  and  influential  in  the  community.  He  removed  to  Ver- 
non, Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  1805.  No  record  of  his  family  is  found, 
except  the  following  marriages  of  his  daughters. 

I.  Lucy  Hills,  m.  May  28,  1795,  Thomas  Spencer,  Jr. 

II.  Mary  Hills,  m.  Nov.  16,  1797,  Abijah  Brownson. 

III.  Eliza  Hills,  m. Isaac  Brownson. 

IV.  Louisa  Hills,  in.  March,  1802,  Stephen  Wade. 

Jacob  Klmberly  is  named  of  Goshen,  in  a  deed  of  January  23, 
1788,  conveying  to  him  a  half  acre  lot,  with  a  house  thereon,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Hall  Meadow  stream  near  Torrington  line,  which  he  there- 
after occupied  until  1791  or  later.  He  was  of  Goshen  in  1794,  of 
Winchester  in  1801,  of  Torrington  in  1802.  when  he  bought  the  farm 
now  owned  by  Amanda  Church,  on  the  Little  Pond  road,  near  Green 
Woods  Turnpike,  and  resided  there  until  1804,  and  then  bought  and 
occupied  the  George  Raymond  farm  on  Wallen's  Hill,  which  he  sold  to 
Jesse  Clarke  in  1805.  He  was  living  in  Otis,  Mass.,  in  1815.  He  was 
a  convivial  man,  of  great  humor.  His  witty  sayings  are  still  quoted  by 
the  old  people  in  this  community. 

Jacob  Kimberly,  Jr.,  in  1800,  became  the  owner  of  the  old  Caleb 
Beach  place,  in  Hall  Meadow,  and  resided  there  until  his  death,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1813.     He  married  June  11,  1797,  Nancy  Pond. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Laura,  b.  April  15,  1798. 

II.  Freelove,  b.  November  2,  1799  ;  d.  September  17,  1801. 

III.  Olive,  b.  April  14,  1801  ;  d.  November  3,  1808. 

IV.  Freelove,  b.  January  21,  1804. 
V.  Horace  Sidney,  b.  July  26,  1805. 

VI.  Esther  Emily,        b.  June  22,  1807. 
.     23 


178  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

VII.  Maiiy  Mkiiitabel,  b.  March  17,  1810. 
VIII.  Silas,  b.  April  29,  1812  ;  d.  December  6,  1812. 

IX.  Jacob  Harvey,        b.  November  8,  1813. 

Joel  and  Elisha  Kimbekly,  sons  of  Jacob,  Senr.,  received  from 
him  a  deed  of  land  in  1 802,  east  of  Green  Woods  Turnpike,  opposite  the 
Little  Pond  Road  Bridge  over  Mad  River,  which  they  parted  with  in 
1804,  and  are  no  more  found  on  the  records. 

David  Murray,  a  Scotch-Irishman,  was  assessed  on  the  list  of  this 
year.  In  1789,  his  wife,  Sarah,  became  the  owner  of  a  lot,  with  a  log 
shanty  thereon,  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Dugway  road,  nearly  opposite 
Mrs.  Sopronia  Leonard's,  in  which  they  lived  until  1793,  or  later.  It  is 
believed  that  they  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Their  son,  William,  had  a  family,  and  lived  in  various  parts  of  Win- 
sted,  until  he  removed  to  Colebrook  about  1840.  He  married,  not  far 
from  1806,  Ann  Hewitt. 

Heman  Smith,  from  Goshen,  this  year  bought  and  moved  on  to  the 
farm  of  Noah  Gleason,  on  the  south  part  of  Blue  Street,  which  he  occu- 
pied until  1801,  when  he  sold  out  to  Isaac  Brownson.  and  removed  to 
Vernon,  N.  Y.  He  was  a  man  highly  esteemed,  prominent  in  town 
affairs,  and  three  times  a  representative  of  the  (own  between  1795  and 
1800.  He  was  a  son  of  Stephen  Smith  from  Farmington,  was  born  in 
Goshen,  and  married  Hannah  Dunning.  He  left  no  record  of  his  family 
in  Winchester. 

1789. 

The  records  of  town  meetings  this  year  embrace  routine  business  only. 
No  freemen  were  admitted. 

Eleven  society  meetings  were  held.  Much  action  was  had  on  the 
matter  of  arrearages  in  the  collection  of  society  rates.  Numbers  who 
were  too  poor  to  pay  were  excused,  and  those  delinquents  not  excused 
were  allowed  to  pay  in  good  merchantable  sheep  at  a  penny  a  pound,  in 
lambs  at  a  penny  and  a  farthing,  in  good  well-washed  wool  at  sixteen 
pence,  to  be  delivered  to  the  Society's  Committee  at  the  parsonage  by  the 
29th  of  June. 

A  bad  habit  of  unpunctual  attendance  at  society  meetings  was 
attempted  to  be  corrected  by  a  vote  "  that  all  society  meetings  to  be 
hereafter  held,  either  by  warning  or  adjournment,  shall  be  opened  within 
one  hour  after  the  time  appointed,"  and  "  that  no  vote  passed  in  such 
meetings  after  sun  setting  shall  be  deemed  a  legal  vc  te." 

The  absence  of  any  allusion  to  discontent  with  Mr.  Knapp  for  a  few 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  179 

years  past  seemed  to  indicate  a  wearing  away  of  old  grudges.     We  are 
therefore  surprised  to  find  the  following  vote  of  July  17  : — 

Voted — That  Lieutenant  Samuel  Hurlbut,  John  Minor,  Levi  Norton, 
Thomas  Spencer,  and  Huitt  Hills,  be  a  committee  to  attend  with  the 
Church  Committee  in  stating  the  matters  of  grievance  with  Rev.  Mr. 
Knapp's  past  conduct.  July  24  it  was  voted,  to  lay  our  matters  of  diffi- 
culty between  Mr.  Knapp  and  the  Church  and  Society  before  the 
Association,  and  to  invite  the  Association  to  meet  at  the  house  of  Levi 
Brownson,  on  Tuesday,  three  weeks  from  next  Tuesday,  at  1 1  A.M. 
August  19  it  was  voted  "that  it  shall  be  lawful  to  transact  business  in 
this  meeting  until  midnight,"  and  before  midnight  it  was  voted  to  accept 
the  advice  of  the  Association 

What  causes  of  grievance  were  presented,  and  what  advice  was  given, 
does  not  appear,  either  on  the  society  or  church  records,  but  probably  a 
dismission  was  recommended,  as  it  was  voted,  September  8,  to  join  with 
the  church  in  calling  the  Consociation  to  dismiss  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp  from 
his  pastoral  charge  on  the  day  appointed  by  the  church,  the  second 
Tuesday  of  October  next.  On  the  church  records  is  entered  a  request 
of  Mr.  Knapp,  and  a  vote  of  concurrence  by  the  church,  passed  on  the 
day  assigned  for  meeting  of  Consociation,  that  the  pastoral  relation  of  Mr. 
Knapp  to  the  church  should  be  dissolved. 

"  Mr.  Knapp  was  a  talented  preacher,  and  a  good  man.  He  retained 
the  affection  of  a  large  portion  of  his  people  as  long  as  he  lived  ;  preached 
to  them  whenever  he  visited  the  town  during  his  labors  in  other  fields ; 
came  back  among  them  to  spend  the  last  years  of  his  life,  and  had  a 
handsome  stone  erected  over  his  grave  by  his  life-long  friends." 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were  as  follows  : — 

Francis  Bacon,  named  "of  Farmington,"  bought,  August  21,  1789, 
a  forty-one-acre  lot  between  Harvey  L.  Andrews'  and  the  Bragg  house, 
on  which  he  probably  lived  until  1794,  when  his  name  last  appears  on 
the  tax  list.     He  is  named  of  Barkhamsted  in  1798. 

John  Bacon's  name  appears  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He  lived 
on  a  lot  immediately  south  of  the  one  owned  by  Francis  Bacon,  which 
came  by  inheritance  to  his  wife,  Sarah,  from  her  father,  Joseph  Foot  of 
Simsbury.  They  sold  out  in  1798,  and  left  the  town.  He  married, 
January  4,  1782,  Sarah  Foot. 

children. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  July  31,  1785. 

II.  Abiah,  (dau.)        b.  April  10,  1788. 

III.  Laura,  b.  August  18,  1790. 


180  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

IV.  John,  b.  November  7,  1792. 

V.  Seth,  b.  December  8,  1794. 

VI.  George,  b.  March  23,  1797. 

Levi  Bkownson  2d,  son  of  Ozias,  before  referred  to,  this  year 
purchased  the  first  portion  of  his  large  farm,  on  which  he  afterwards 
lived  until  his  death,  October  16,  184G,  in  the  red  house  on  the  Norfolk 
road,  near  the  extreme  northeast  corner  of  Goshen.  He  was  connected 
with  his  brothers  Asahel  and  Isaac  in  trade,  at  the  center,  lor  several 
years  early  in  this  century. 

David  Deer's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year,  and  is  not  found 
elsewhere. 

John  Lucas,  son  of  Thomas  Lucas  of  Goshen,  came  from  Norfolk  to 
this  town  this  year,  and  bought  and  occupied  the  Roswell  Coe  farm, 
subsequently  owned  by  Amasa  Wade,  Jr.,  being  lot  42,  second  division. 
He  sold  out  and  moved  to  Blanford,  Mass.,  about  1808,  where  he  died 
three  or  four  years  later.  For  more  than  half  of  the  last  twenty  years 
of  his  life  he  was  so  deranged  as  to  need  confinement.  According  to 
record  of  Deacon  L.  M.  Norton  he  married  Jerusha  Coe  of  Torrington, 
and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Eoxana,  b.  September  12,  1765;  m.  N.  Stanley  Parmelee. 

II.  Esther,  b.  July  — ,  1768  ;  m.  Thadeus  Fay,  and  Ira  Glcason. 

III.  Jerusha,  b.  ,  1770;  m.  Thomas  Porter;  d.  1837. 

IV.  Thomas,  b.  April — ,  1784;  m.  Hannah  Turner. 

Deacon  Levi  Platt  came  from  Danbury  to  this  town  when  a  boy, 
with  Joseph  Elmer,  of  whom  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He  was 
a  schoolmaster  in  his  early  manhood.  In  1790  he  bought  of  Martin 
Hurlbut,  land  now  composing,  it  is  believed,  part  of  the  farm  of  Harvey 
Andrews,  —  on  which  he  lived  until  about  1794,  when  he  bought,  and 
occupied  during  his  remaining  lile,  the  farm  recently  owned  by  his  son, 
Sylvester  Platt,  Esq.,  now  deceased.     He  died  August  14,  1856,  aged  91. 

Deacon  Platt  was  a  Puritan  of  the  Puritans ;  firm  as  the  everlasting 
hills  in  his  political  and  religious  principles ;  and  withal,  a  man  of  hum- 
ble, sincere  piety,  faithful  to  every  duty  as  a  father,  a  church  member, 
and  citizen  of  the  town.  He  succeeded  his  father-in  law,  Eliphaz  Alvord, 
as  Town  Clerk  and  Register,  and  as  Deacon  of  the  Congregational 
Church,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Convention  of  1818,  which  formed 
our  State  Constitution. 

His  Pastor,  Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  thus  speaks  of  him  in  1852  :  "  This 
truly  venerable  and  patriarchal  man  still  lives  among  us.     At  the  age  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  181 

86  he  enjoys  good  health,  retains  in  an  unusual  degree  his  mental  powers, 
reads  much,  and  converses  sensibly  and  interestingly.  It  is  now  68  years 
since  he  joined  the  church  by  profession.  In  the  education  of  his  family, 
in  his  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  attendance  on  public  worship,  regard 
for  the  institutions  and  duties  of  religion,  and  general  course  of  life, 
Deacon  Piatt  has  been  a  striking  representative  of  the  Puritan  character. 
He  and  his  wife  both  united  with  the  church  before  they  were  19  years 
old,  and  six  or  seven  of  his  children  became  hopefully  pious  before  they 
were  twenty-three  years  old."  He  m.  Feb.  5,  1792,  Esther  Alvord,  dau. 
Eliphaz,  Esq.     She  d.  March  28,  1840.     He  d.  Aug.  14,  1856,  aged  91. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abi,  b.  July  25,  1793;    m.  Jan.   7,    1850,  Hiram  Royce  of 

Norfolk. 
II.  Eliphaz  Alvord,  b.  May  3,  1796;  d.  May  7,  1807. 

III.  Ezra  Hart,  b.  Sept.  18,  1798. 

IV.  Sylvester,  b.  May  17,  1800. 

V.  Levi,  b.  April  11,  1802;   m.  Parmela  R.  Munger;   went  to 

Colliiisvillc,  Conn.,  and  thence  to  Hartford,  where  he  now  resides. 
VI.  Lucy,  b.  Oct.  31,  1804;    m.  March  10,  1847,  Hiram  Royce  of 

Norfolk. 
VII.  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  19,  1806. 

VIII.  Eliphaz  Alvord,   b.  Feb.  6,  1809. 
IX.  William,  b.  Dec.  16,  1816;   d.  Feb.  28,  1840. 


Sylvester  Platt  resided  on  the  farm  owned  by  his  father,  until 
some  three  years  before  his  death ;  he  filled  the  office  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Town  P.epresentative,  besides  other  minor  stations,  and  died  at 
Winsted,  Sept.  18,  1870.  He  in.,  Norfolk,  Sept.  4,  1833,  Mary,  dau.  of 
Wilcox  Phelps. 

CIIILDREN. 

I.  Levi  Wilcox,  b.  Aug.  27,  1834;  d.  Dec.  9,  1844. 

II.  Helen  Rebecca,        b.  Sept.  6,  1837  ;  d.  Jan.  19,  1840. 
III.  Edwin  Sylvester,  b.  Sept.  30,  1839;  m.  Feb.  12, 1863,  Elizabeth  Brooks. 


Levi  Platt,  Jr.,  m.  Pamelia  R.  Munger. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Helen  Esther,. b.  Dec.  27,  1824. 
II.  Ruthy  Sjiith,     b.  Oct.  10,  1826. 

III.  Elizabeth,  b.  Sept.  5,  1828. 

IV.  Mary  Jane,         b.  Aug.  22,  1831. 


Daniel  Thompson,  named  of  Wethersfield,  in  a  deed  of  land  to  his 


1  2  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

wife,  Hannah,  lived  on  the  Brooks  street  road,  above  the  old  Everitt  house, 
until  1793.     He  m.  Nov.  2,  1788,  Roxy  Smith. 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Huldah,       b.  Nov.  15,  1790. 
II.  Roxalana,  b.  Sept.  20,  1791. 


1790. 

The  matter  of  incorporating  the  Society  of  Winsted,  as  a  Town,  was 
again  ventilated  in  Town  Meeting  this  year;  and  a  vo;e  of  acquiescence 
was  passed,  in  case  the  dividing  line  should  run  northerly  along  the  res- 
ervation in  the  second  tier,  to  Mad  River,  and  thence,  along  the  east  line 
of  the  tier,  to  Colebrook.  This  line  would  cross  the  Pond  Stream,  near 
Hurlbut's  Forge,  thence  diagonally,  through  Meadow  Street,  to  Mad 
River,  a  little  east  of  Dudley's  Tannery,  and  thence  along  the  Street  Hill 
range,  a  division  "not  fit  to  be  made."  The  General  Assembly  failed  to 
pass  the  act  of  incorporation  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  no  petition  has  since 
been  carried  to  the  Legislature  for  a  division  of  the  town.  No  freemen 
were  admitted  this  year. 

The  Society  of  Winchester,  being  without  a  Pastor,  devoted  itself  as- 
siduously to  finding  and  settling  a  successor  to  Mr.  Knapp.  Fortunately 
they  were  spared  the  calamity  of  a  succession  of  candidates,  and  the  con- 
sequent dissensions  growing  out  of  divided  preferences.  Parish  hunters 
were  rare  in  those  days ;  for  the  supply  of  ministers  was  hardly  equal  to 
the  demand ;  and  the  salaries  given,  or  promised,  in  the  new  towns, 
offered  small  inducements  to  the  class  of  men  caring  more  for  the  fleece 
than  for  the  flock. 

It  was  the  custom  of  those  days  for  a  vacant  parish  to  apply  to  neigh- 
boring ministers  for  advice  in  the  selection  of  a  candidate  for  settlement, 
and  to  employ  only  such  as  were  thus  accredited. 

Fathers  Mills  of  TorringforJ,  and  Robbins  of  Norfolk  were  repeatedly 
called  in  during  the  year,  to  help  on  and  guide  the  church  and  society  in 
wooing  their  new  spouse.  Early  in  January,  Rev.  Publius  V.  Booge 
(pronounced  Bogue),  a  graduate  of  Yale,  in  the  class  of  1787,  was 
applied  to,  "  to  preach  with  us  on  probation."  This  application  was 
repeated  in  April,  and  Messrs.  Robbins  and  Mills  were  invited  to  come 
and  counsel  with  them  on  the  26th.  On  that  day  the  society  voted  "  to 
continue  Mr.  Publius  Virgilius  Booge  to  preach  with  us  longer  with  a 
view  for  a  settlement,  if  hereafter  he  and  we  should  agree."  Another 
very  pi-ovident  vote  was  passed  at  the  same  meeting  in  these  words : 
"  that  the  Committee  be  directed  not  to  contract  with  Mr.  Booge,  unless 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  183 

he  will  agree  to  receive  for  his  pay  not  more  than  one  quarter  part 
thereof  in  cash,  and  les.-,  if  the  committee  can  agree  with  him  to  take 
less,  —  and  the  remainder  in  the  produce  of  our  farms." 

June  21  and  25,  it  was  voted,  "to  invite  Mr.  Booge,  to  preach  with 
us  four  Sabbaths,  after  the  time  expires  for  which  lie  is  now  engaged  at 
New  Cambridge."  and  "  that  the  committee  invite  the  inhabitants  of  the 
north  part  of  Torrington  "  (the  "  Noppit,"  or  "  Newfield  "  people)  "  to 
apply,  if  they  see  cause,  to  the  General  Assembly  to  annex  them  to  this 
society. 

September  1st,  it  was  voted  to  give  Mr.  Booge  a  call,  with  a  "  settle- 
ment" of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  a  salary  of  seventy-five 
pounds  a  year.  This  vote  was  modified  September  6th,  so  as  to  make  the 
Settlement  payable  in  three  successive  annual  installments  of  fifty  pounds 
each,  —  and  to  be  payable  in  neat  cattle,  good  merchantable  shipping 
horses,  and  sheep,  at  current  market  prices  ; —  the  settlement  to  be  abso- 
lute in  case  he  continued  in  the  pastorate  fifteen  years  ;  —  if  not,  then  he 
was  to  refund  ten  pounds  a  year  for  such  time  as  falls  short  of  fifteen  years  ; 
—  and  that  the  salary  should  be  paid,  four-fifths  of  seventy  pounds  in  farm 
produce,  and  one-fifth  thereof  in  cash,  —  the  remaining  five  pounds  to 
be  paid  in  wood  at  four  shillings  (67  cents)  a  cord,  in  eight  feet  lengths, 
delivered  at  the  parsonage. 

October  8th,  Messrs.  Robbins  and  Mills  were  again  called  in  to  the 
meeting,  and  the  proceedings  of  the  two  previous  meetings  were  laid  be- 
fore them  for  their  advice  thereon  ;  —  after  which  a  formal  vote  was  taken 
to  settle  Mr.  Booge  according  to  the  modified  terms  above.  The  result 
was,  twenty-eight  affirmative,  five  negative,  and  four  "neuter"  votes.  It 
was  then  voted  to  send  to  the  Association  for  advice  and  to  desire  Messrs. 
Robbins  and  Mills  to  write  to  Mr.  Booge  to  meet  a  Committee  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  wait  on  the  Association  for  their  advice. 

It  was  voted,  October  21st,  to  accept  the  advice  of  the  Association  and 
that  the  Committee  wait  on  Mr.  Booge  as  quick  as  may  be,  and  see  if  he 
is  suited  with  the  proposals,  and  ascertain  what  alteration,  if  any,  he 
would  choose. 

November  15,  the  terms  of  the  settlement  were  so  altered  as  to  ex- 
clude horses,  and  stand  for  cattle  and  sheep  only, : — and  that  the  time 
and  mode  of  delivery  should  be  made  more  specific.  The  farm  products 
were  specified  to  be  Wheat,  Rye,  Indian  Corn,  Oats,  Flax,  Beef,  Pork, 
Tallow,  Butter,  and  Cheese.  The  refunding  of  a  portion  of  his  settlement 
was  to  be  contingent  on  his  failing  to  serve  in  this  ministry  fifteen  years, 
by  reason  of  death  or  otherwise,  if  he  be  the  blamable  cause  of  separa- 
tion ;  —  this  question  to  be  determined  by  a  mutual  council. 

November  30th,  the  several  votes  respecting  settlement  and  salary,  as 
amended  and  modified,  were   consolidated   into  one  clear,  formal   vote, 


184  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

which  was  duly  passed,  and  all  former  votes  in  reference  thereto  were  re- 
considered, annulled  and  made  void,  —  and  the  Committee  were  directed 
to  lay  before  Mr.  Booge  the  doings  of  the  meeting.  They  were  also  di- 
rected to  furnish  Rev.  Mr.  Robbins  with  copies  of  the  votes  of  the  Church 
and  Society,  to  be  laid  before  the  Examining  Committee  of  the  Associ- 
ation. 

December  27th,  the  provisions  of  the  amended  vote  were  so  altered  as 
to  change  the  time  of  delivery  of  the  form  products,  —  and  so  to  change 
the  wood  contract  as  to  make  the  supply  twenty-five  cords  per  year  with- 
out reference  to  price  ;  —  and  the  Committee  were  directed  to  lay  the 
newly  amended  vote  before  Mr.  Booge,  —  and  in  case  of  his  approval 
thereof,  to  invite  him  into  the  meeting  to  agree  with  them  on  a  time  for 
ordination.  The  result  of  these  votes,  and  the  conference  with  Mr. 
Booge  were,  that  the  12th  of  January,  1791,  was  fixed  on  for  the  ordina- 
tion, and  that  the  Consociation  meet  at  the  house  of  Major  Brownson,  and 
that  he  make  provision  for  their  entertainment. 

The  ordination  did  not  come  off  on  the  12th  of  January,  as  voted  ; 
probably  by  reason  of  Mr.  Booge's  hesitation  to  accede  to  the  terms  of 
settlement,  so  painfully  and  carefully  elaborated.  On  that  day  it  was 
voted  "  that  the  Committee  wait  on  Mr.  Booge  and  request  his  answer 
whether  he  will  settle  with  us  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,"  —  an  adjournr 
ment  of  half  an  hour,  —  and  then  another  of  eight  minutes,  —  waj  had  ;  — 
after  which  the  26th  of  January  was  fixed  for  the  ordination  —  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer  was  appointed  for  the  18th,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Robbins 
and  Mills  were  invited  to  attend  ;  —  Capt.  Elmer  was  directed  to  make 
provision  for  the  ordaining  council,  and  Robert  McCnne  Major  Ozias 
Brownson,  Levi  Brownson,  Esq.  Alvord,  Dr.  Everitt,  Richard  Coit,  iiuitt 
Kills,  John  Nash,  Jesse  Hills,  Capt.  Wilcox  and  Andrew  Everitt  were  ap- 
pointed to  be  tavern-keepers  on  the  day  of  ordination. 

The  Church  records  make  up  in  brevity  for  the  prolixity  of  the  Society 
records  of  this  event.  They  simply  contain  a  vote  passed  November  30, 
1790,  "to  give  Rev.  Mr.  Publius  V.  Booge  a  call  to  take  the  pastoral 
charge  of  this  Church." 

No  record  of  the  ordination  council,  or  of  the  exercises,  is  to  be  found  ; 
- — and  it  is  impossible  to  ascertain  whether  the  new  meeting  hou-e  was 
so  far  completed  as  to  be  used  for  the  occasion,  or  whether  the  exercises 
were  in  the  old  house. 

The  conclusion  naturally  arrived  at  by  inspecting  the  interminable 
proceedings  of  seventeen  Society  meetings  from  which  we  have  quoted,  is 
that  the  Society  and  its  minister  were  keen  at  a  bargain,  and  were  de- 
termined to  understand  each  other  fully.  The  nature  of  the  arrange- 
ments also  shows  the  extreme  scarcity  of  money,  and  the  rigid  economy 
necessarily  practiced  in  those  days.     Long  as  the  quotations  are  we  trust 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS. 


185 


they  will  interest  the  reader  of  the  history  of  our  little  commonwealth,  as 
an  illustration  of  the  customs  of  the  times  in  regard  to  the  hearing-,  callinsr, 
and  settling  of  a  life-long  minister.* 

The  only  new  comer  of  this  year  in  Winchester  seems  to  have  been 
Isaac  Skinner,  named  of  Colchester  in  his  deed  of  land  from  Martin 
Hurlbut.  This  land,  on  which  he  probably  lived,  is  supposed  to  be  now 
a  part  of  the  farm  of  Harvey  Andrews ;  but  no  conveyance  of  it  by  Mr. 
Skinner  can  be  found.  He  is  assessed  on  the  list  of  1795,  and  not  after- 
ward.    He  married,  November  11,  1790,  Mary  Saxton. 


I.  Mary, 

II.  Isaac, 

III.  Alva, 


CHILDREN. 


b.  Oct.  20,  1791. 
b.  April  4,  1793. 
b.  July  10,  1795. 


*  We  find  among  our  papers,  a  memorandum  of  the  names  and  length  of  the  pas- 
torates of  the  ministers  composing  the  council  which  ordained  the  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp. 
which  was  omitted  in  connection  with  that  event.  As  showing  the  permanency  of 
pastoral  settlements  in  the  last  century  we  here  transcribe  it. 


Dr. 

Joseph  Bellamy, 

Bethlem, 

1738  to 

1789, 

51   3 

Rev 

.  Nathaniel  Roberts, 

Torrington, 

1741    " 

1776, 

35 

tt 

Jonathan  Lee, 

Salisbury, 

1743    " 

1788, 

45 

" 

Daniel  Brinsmade, 

Washington, 

1749    " 

1793, 

44 

" 

Daniel  Farrand, 

Canaan, 

1752    " 

1803, 

51 

tt 

Thomas  Canfield, 

Roxbury, 

1744    " 

1795, 

51 

" 

Abel  Newell, 

Goshen, 

1755    " 

1781, 

26 

a 

Noah  Benedict, 

Woodbury, 

1760    " 

1813, 

53 

a 

Jeremiah  Day, 

New  Preston, 

1770    " 

1806, 

36 

" 

Ammi  R.  Robbins, 

Norfolk, 

1761    " 

1813, 

52 

" 

Asaiiel  Hart, 

North  Canaan, 

,  1770    " 

1775, 

5 

" 

Peter  Starr, 

Warren, 

1772   " 

1829, 

57 

Total 

years, 

506 

Average  1 

ength  of  pastorate, 

421 

24 


CHAPTER    XV. 

annals  and  records. 
1791  to  1801. 

The  town  records  of  this  year  are  devoid  of  interest  otherwise  than  as 
showing  that  the  revolting  system  of  bringing  town  paupers  to  the 
auction  block  was  initiated  by  the  following  vote  : — 

"  Voted,  that  the  selectmen  be  directed  to  take  charge  of  Remembrance 
Filley,  and  conduct  with  him  as  they  shall  think  most  for  his  comfort, 
and  will  be  least  expensive  to  tbe  town,  whilst  he  remains  in  his  present 
state  of  delirium,  either  to  set  him  up  at  vendue  to  the  person  who  will 
keep  him  the  cheapest,  or  dispose  of  him  in  any  other  way  which  may 
appear  to  the  selectmen  more  convenient,  and  for  such  time  as  they  may 
think  reasonable,  and  on  the  cost  of  the  town." 

The  record  then  states  that  "  Ensign  Bronson  bid  off  Remembrance 
Filley  at  eight  shillings  per  week,  for  two  weeks,  and  at  ten  shillings  for 
two  weeks  after,"  and  "  Samuel  Wetmore  second  bid  him  off  to  keep  him 
two  weeks  at  ten  shillings  per  week."  In  this  case  the  step  may  have 
been  necessary  and  justifiable,  by  reason  of  the  want  of  lunatic  asylums 
at  that  early  day.  Another  vote  of  the  same  meeting  shows  that  the 
auctioning  of  paupers  had  not  yet  been  fully  adopted.  It  was  voted 
"  that  Daniel  Loomis  take  the  oversight  of  building  the  house  of 
Benjamin  Preston,  and  inspect  the  labor  done,  and  the  stuff  provided  for 
said  house,  and  make  return  to  the  selectmen." 

As  a  specimen  of  the  economical  spirit  of  the  town  we  extract  the 
following  : — 

"  Voted,  to  sell  the  two  Congress  Laws  and  Kirby's  Reports.  Ensign 
Coe  bid  off  one  Congress  Law,  at  ten  shillings.  Samuel  Wetmore  second 
bid  off  second  Congress  Law,  at  six  and  ninepence.  Hewitt  Hills  bid  off 
Kirby's  Reports,  at  thirteen  shillings." 

Adna  Beach  from  Goshen,  this  year  bought  a  farm  on  Blue  Street, 
recently  owned  by  Archibald  Dayton,  on  which  he  lived  until  1811, 
when  he  sold  to  Asahel   Bronson,  and  removed  to  the  farm  on  the  old 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  187 

Waterbury  turnpike,  Danbury  Quarter,  lately  owned  by  John  A. 
Bidwell,  where  he  died  April  20,  1820,  aged  63.  He  was  a  man  of 
standing  in  the  town,  and  executed  many  public  trusts.  His  father, 
Aclna,  was  son  of  Deacon  John  Beach,  one  of  the  thirteen  members  of 
the  Goshen  Church,  at  its  formation  in  -1740.  His  grandmother  was 
Hannah  Miles  from  Waliingford.  He  was  born  at  Goshen,  November 
10,  1757;  married  October  11,  1781,  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain 
Timothy  Stanley  of  Goshen.     She  died  September,  1837. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,        b.  June  4,  1783;  ra.  Samuel  H.  Wetmore. 

II.  Horace  V.,  b.  September  10,  1784;  studied  medicine,  and  practised  at 
Lexington,  N.  Y. ;  afterward  at  North  Goshen,  Conn.,  and  in  1847 
removed  to  Memphis,  Michigan.  He  m.  Harriet  A.  Camp,  and  after 
her  death  he  m.  (2d)  Huldah  H.  Bailey.  He  d.  in  Flint,  Michigan. 
Children  by  first  wife:  1.  Horace  A.  Children  by  second  wife:  2. 
Cicero  B.,  b.  1815;  m.  Semantha  Bailey ;  she  d.  and  he  m.  (2d)  Zelia 
Chamberlain;  3  Albert  Nelson,  b.  January  19,  1818;  m.  April  24, 
1844,  Sarah  Ann  Trafford,  b.  Cornwall,  September  25,  1825;  lives  in 
Winsted,  and  has  children,  Elizabeth  Lucell,  b.  Canaan,  October  19, 
1846;  Delia  Lucelia,  b.  C,  August  18,  1848;  d.  October  11,  1850; 
4.  Adna  S.,  b.  1820;  5.  Joseph  M.,  b.  1822;  6.  Harriet  U.,  b.  1824; 
m.  Royal  Lewis;  7.  Sophronia,  b.  1826;  d.  unmarried;  8.  Sarah,  b. 
1828  ;  m.  and  d. ;  9.  Mary,  b.  1830,  m.  —  Wedge. 

III.  Polly,     b.  July  7,  1786  ;  resided,  unmarried,  in  Liberty,  N.  Y.,  in  1860. 

IV.  Fiske,      b.  March  26,  1788  ;  owned  and  occupied  the  Edward  Rugg  farm, 

in  Danbury  Quarter,  from  1814  to  1827,  when  he  moved  to  Hunter 
N.  Y.  He  m.  February  24,  1S14,  Roxa,  daughter  of  Captain  Stephen 
Fyler  of  Torrington  ;  she  d.  and  he  m.  (2d)  Mrs.  Pryor.  He  had 
children:  1.  Frederick;  2.  George;  3.  Mark;  4.  Charles;  5.  James; 
6.  Roxa. 
V.  Hannah  L.,  b.  November  15,  1789  ;  m.  October  28,  1812,  Harry  Blake. 
VI.  Adna,  b.  December  8,  1791;  m.  at  Hunter,  N.Y.,  Widow  Abigail 

(Bailey)  Showers.     He  moved  in  1826  to  Hunter,  N.Y.,  and  afterward 
to  Liberty,  N.Y. 
VII.  Sibyl,  b  January,  1794;  m.  September  16,  1814,  John  Lockwood 

of  Hunter,  N.Y,,  and  had  children:  1.  Harriet,  m.  Charles  Beach;  2. 
Mary,  m.  Dr.   Robinson ;  3.  Elizabeth,  m.  Alfred  Green ;  4.  Horatio, 
and  5.  John. 
VIII.  Mabel,  b.  November  3,  1795;  m.  October  28,  1812,  Deacon  Allen 

Blake  of  Winchester. 
IX.  Silas,  b.  November  11,   1797  ;   m.  Lovina  Ford.      He  moved  to 

Hunter,  N-  Y.,  in  1826,  and  afterward  to  Liberty,  N.  Y. 

Rev.  Publids  V.  BOoge,  the  second  pastor  of  the  Winchester 
Church,  bought  in  1791  the  lot  on  which  he  built  the  lean-to  house,  west 
of  the  center,  on  the  Norfolk  Road,  now  owned  by  Leonard  Hurlbut. 
He  sold  to  Hon.  Phineas  Miner,  in  1799,  and  followed  a  large  number 


188  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

of  his  parishioners  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.     He  married  Catharine,  daughter  of 
Colonel  Timothy  Robinson  of  Middle  Granville,  Mass. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Decius  Eobinson,  b.  January  29,  1792. 

II.  Huldah  Mat,  b.  August  31,  1793. 

III.  Timothy  Lester,  b.  December  7,  1794. 

IV.  Horace  P.,  b.  December  22,  1796. 
V.  Sophia,  bapt.  June  12,  1799. 

Nathan  Brown,  named  "  of  Winchester,"  this  year  bought  a  thirty- 
acre  lot  south  of  the  Edward  Rugg  place,  in  Danbury  Quarter,  which  he 
conveyed  to  Ambrose  Palmer  in  1792. 

Levi  Cot  married  Anna,  daughter  of  Ensign  Daniel  Andrews.  He 
lived  on  the  north  side  of  Mad  River,  near  the  Danbury  School-house, 
and  sold  out  to  Phineas  Griswold  in  1802. 

Silas  Ftler  bought  land  in  Torrington,  came  to  make  a  clearing 
preparatory  to  moving  his  family,  and  while  so  engaged  he  lived  with 
Chauncey  Hills,  where  he  was  taken  sick,  and  died  April  12,  1779,  aged 
69  years.  He  was  born  about  1710 ;  son  of  Zerubabel  and  Rachel 
(Gillett)  Fyler ;  g.  son  of  Zerubabel  and  Experience  (Strong)  Fyler, 
and  g.g.  son  of  Lieutenant  Walter  Fyler,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
Windsor,  and  Jane,  his  wife.  He  married  about  1747,  Catharine  Drake, 
who  was  born  about  1730.  She  settled,  with  her  family,  on  the  farm 
he  was  preparing  in  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abi,  b.  1748  ;  m.  1782,  Josiah  Everitt. 

II.  Cathvrine,  b.  1750;  married  1770,  Samuel  Rowley. 

III.  Silas,  b.  1752;  m.  Lucy  Drake. 

IV.  Jane,  b.  1754;  m.  Ephraim  Loomis  [mother  of  Oliver]. 

V.  Stephen,  b.   May   27,   1755;  m.   1779,   Polly   Collier.     He  d.  Tor., 

July  15,  1836. 
VI.  John  (twin),      b.  May  27,  1760  ;  m.  December  27,  1787,  Esther  Bacon. 
VII.  Bethursda  (twin),  b.  May  27,  1760;  m.  Asahel  Bronson. 
VIII.  Sabra,  b.  April  24,  1764  ;  m.  May  18,  1804,  Juna  North. 

IX   Roman,  b.  August  12,  1769. 

Roman  Ftler  from  Torrington,  bought  from  Martin  North,  Jr.,  the 
Noble  J.  Everitt  place,  a  third  of  a  mile  south  of  the  Winchester 
Meeting-house.  In  1794,  in  company  with  Reuben  Marshall,  he  built 
the  Washington  Hatch  house  at  the  center,  in  the  north  wing  of  which 
they  kept  a  country  store,  while  Mr.  Fyler  kept  a  tavern  in  the  body  of 
the  house.     About  1800  he  removed  to  Burke,  Caledonia  Co.,  Vt.,  where 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  189 

he  resided  during  his  remaining  life.  He  was  a  prominent  and  influen- 
tial man  of  the  town,  and  was  a  pioneer  settler  of  Burke,  to  which  a 
large  number  of  families  from  this  and  the  neighboring  towns  migrated 
with  him.  During  his  residence  there  he  laid  down  the  first  aqueduct  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  opened  the  first  road  through  the  White  Mountains  of 
New  Hampshire,  which  became  the  thoroughfare  of  travel  from  Vermont 
to  Boston.  He  married  February  8,  1793,  Hannah  Barton,  born  April, 
1770;  she  died  November  15,  1795,  and  he  married  (2d)  1797,  Mrs. 
Sally  (Bray)  Lyman  of  Goshen. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Orsemus  Roman,    b.  Nov.  4,  1793  ;  d.  unm,  at  Harlow  Fyler's. 
II.  Barton  Nichols,   b.  Oct.  19,  1795  ;  had  a  twin  sister  d.  at  birth. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Alfred  Brat,  b.  Jan.  17,  1799. 

IV.  Horace  R.,  b.  1801. 
V.  Marcus  W.,  b.  1805. 

VI.  Calvin,  b.  1808. 

VII.  Minerva,  b.  1810;  d.  1811. 

VIII.  Carlton  C,  b.  1812. 


Theodore  and  Russell  Goodwin,  hatters,  from  Hartford,  this 
year  bought  the  homestead  of  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp,  a  mile  east  of  the 
center  near  the  intersection  of  the  Easterly  and  Dugvvay  roads. 

Theodore  Goodwin  sold  his  interest  in  this  property  to  his  brother 
Russell  in  1795,  and  bought  the  Noble  J.  Everitt  place,  which  he  ex- 
changed in  1798  with  Dr.  Josiah  Everitt  for  the  old  yellow  store  build- 
ing and  lot,  until  recently  occupied  successively  by  Isaac  Bronson,  and 
Theron  Bronson,  as  a  country  store,  and  which  has  recently  given  place 
to  the  new  store  building  of  the  latter.  This  one  story  building  Mr. 
Goodwin  occupied  as  a  tavern  and  hatter's  shop  until  1809,  when  he 
removed  to  Granville,  Mass.,  where  he  died  at  a  good  old  age.  He  was 
a  man  of  keen  intellect  and  immor,  whose  sayings  are  often  quoted  by  the 
old  people  of  the  town.  He  was  Town  Clerk  and  Register  in  1798.  He 
m.  Nov.  11,  1792,  Lucy  Adams.  She  d.  March  6,  1804,  aged  31  ;  and 
he  m.  (2d)  June  24,  1805,  Harriet  Prior. 

children  by  first  wife. 

I.  Laura,  b.  Nov.  23,  1793. 

II.  Abigail,  b.  Sept.  11,  1796;  d.  June  26,  1810. 

III.  Lucy,  b.  Apr.  11,  1800. 


190  ANNALS  OF  WLNCHESTEK, 


BY     SECOND    WIFE. 

IV.  Harriet  Prior,  b.  Aug.  17,  1806. 

V.  Sidney  Wadsworth,    b.  April  13,  1809. 

VI.  Theodore. 

Russell  Goodwin  removed  in  1795  to  a  house  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Dug  way  road,  now  torn  down,  nearly  opposite  the  junction  of  the 
East  and  West  roads ;  and  thence  in  1808,  to  the  old  Thomas  Spencer 
farm  on  the  Sucker  Brook  road,  next  north  of  the  Rufus  M.  Eggleston 
place,  and  resided  in  the  old  house,  the  chimney  of  which  now  remains 
standing,  until  about  1825,  when  he  removed  to  Litchfield,  Conn.,  where 
his  son  Leonard  (now  deceased)  then  resided.  He  too,  was  a  humorist, 
enlivening  every  social  circle  which  he  entered,  by  his  genial  wit  and 
hearty  laughter. 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence,  that  both  of  these  brothers,  and  their 
brother  George,  the  venerable  printer  of  Hartford,  should  have  lived  to 
the  ordinary  age  allotted  to  man  in  religious  indifference,  and  should  at 
their  extreme  age  have  become  humble  and  trusting  followers  of  their 
Saviour,  and  exhibited  undoubted  evidence  of  their  acceptance  as  his 
disciples.     He  m.  Ruth  Church;    she  d.  in  1881. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Clarissa,  m.  Erastus  Hurlbut;  d.  in  Ohio,  1864. 

II.  Leonard,  m.  Mary  A.  Galpin ;  he  d.  Sept.,  183-. 

III.  David  Elmore,  d.  when  less  than  ten  years  old. 

IV.  Hepzibah,  d.  under  ten  years  of  age. 

V.  Marana,  m.  Austin  Fuller;  d.  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  1828. 

VI.  Philena,  m.  Philo  Whitrnore. 

VII.  Hiram,  m.  Nancy  Jones  ;  he  d.  Aurora,  111.,  Aug.  — ,  1864. 
VIII.  Harriet,  m.  Jesse  Sehovill. 

IX.  Emily,  m.  Frederick  McNeil. 

X.  Hepzibah,  m.  Parker  Sedgwick,  living  in  111.,  1867. 
XL  David  Elmore 

XII.  Jeremiah,  b.  Feb.  21,  1815  ;  m.  Mary  D.  Sedgwick. 

Zepheniah  Hatch,1  father  of  Capt.  Moses,  came  from  England,  and 
settled  in  Wethersfield.     He  had 

children. 

I.  Lucy2,  b.  May  6,  1752. 

II.  Jerusha,2  b.  June  11,  1755. 

III.  James,2  b.  Oct.  26,  1757. 

IV  Moses,2  b.  March  15,  1760. 

V.  Mary,2  b.  April  13,  1762. 

VI.  John,2  b.  Aug.  22,  1764. 


AND  FAMILY  BECOKDS.  191 


VII.  Simeon,2  b.  Nov.  26,  1766. 

VIII.  Samuel,2  b.  Feb.  19,  1768. 

IX.  Levi,2  b.  Oct.  13,  1770. 

X.  Esther,2  b.  Sept.  10,  1772. 

XL  Elias,2  b.  March  19,  1775. 

XII.  Daniel,2  b.  Aug.  26,  1778. 


Capt.  Moses  Hatch,2  from  Wethersfield,  was  for  many  years  a  sea 
captain,  in  the  employ  of  Justus  Riley,  the  Wethersfield  merchant. 
Prior  to  this,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  be  enlisted  into  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  and  served  in  various  capacities  during  the  war.  In  1791,  he 
removed  to  this  town  and  took  charge  of  a  large  tract  of  wild  land,  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Riley,  at  the  south  end  of  the.  Long  Lake.  He  built  the 
house  which  he  occupied  during  his  remaining  life,  some  fifty  rods  south 
of  the  house  of  his  son,  Elias  T.  Hatch,  on  a  road  now  discontinued, 
leading  from  the  center  down  to  the  Still  River  valley.  He  d.  Dec.  21, 
1837,  aged  77,  a  kind-hearted  whole-souled  man.  He  m.,  Wethersfield, 
Abigail  Loveland,  b.  March  16,  1763.  She  d.  Winchester,  Nov.  3, 
1850. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Levi  L.,8  b.  Dec.  13,  1785. 

II.  Abigail,3  b.  Oct.  21,  1787. 

III.  PollYj3  b.  April  5,  1790;  d.  Feb.  10,  1791. 

IV.  Polly,3  b.  Nov.  4,  1792. 

V.  Esther,3  b.  Feb.  7,  1795;    m.  May  8,  1829,  Silas  Crocker,  Jr., 

of  Vernon,  N.  Y. 
VI.  Washington,3  b.  March  H,  1797;  d.  March,  1872. 

VII.  Wji.  Franklin,3      b.  March  4,  1801 ;  m.  Sept.  28, 1832,  Emeline  Baldwin  ; 
she  d.  Sept.  22,  1870,  aged  62  years  and  2  days.     He  m.  (2d)  Sept.  20, 
1871,  Lizzie  M.  Eells  ;  lives  in  Winsted. 
VIII.  Trumbull,3  b.  May  11,  1803  ;  d.  June  1,  1807. 

IX.  Elias  T.,3  b.  Oct.  6,  1805  ;  m.  Cornelia  M.  Foote,  and  lives  at  the 

south  end  of  Long  Lake. 
X.  Lucy,3  b.  June  3.  1807. 

Simeon  Hatch,2  came  to  Winchester,  with  his  brother  Moses,  and 
probably  lived  with  him  until  about  1800,  when  he  removed  to  Vernon, 
N.  Y. 

Josiah  Hull,  from  Hartford,  a  shingle  splitter,  owned  land  on  both 
sides  of  the  Little  Pond,  from  1791  to  1794,  and  his  name  is  found  on 
the  tax  lists  until  1804. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  this  year  were  John  Spencer,  Elijah 
Frisbee,   Levi  Brownson,  Salmon  Brownson,  Silas  Hurlbut,  Roman  Fy- 


192  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ler,  Jonathan  Deer,  Ezra  Stannard,  Elisha  Hills,  Peter  Corbin,  Jr., 
Noah  Benedict,  Zebina  Smith,  Chauncey  Mills,  Nathan  Wheeler  and 
Benjamin  Wheeler. 


1792. 

In  Town  Meeting  this  year,  the  town  tax  was  made  payable  in  wheat, 
Indian  corn,  beef,  pork,  oats  or  flax,  if  delivered  at  the  house  of  Captain 
Samuel  Hurlbut,  or  the  mill  of  Deacon  Austin,  by  the  first  of  May  fol- 
lowing at  prices  to  be  set  by  the  Selectmen. 

In  Society  Meeting,  a  tax  of  one  penny  on  the  pound  was  laid  "  to  hire 
a  Singing  Master  four  months,  to  instruct  in  singing  psalm  tunes  and  an- 
thems." 

John  B.  Hall,  of  New  Fairfield,  became  joint  owner  with  Eliud 
Taylor,  of  the  farm  on  Mad  River  adjoining  Norfolk  line  in  Danbury 
quarter,  and  half  of  the  saw-mill  afterwards  owned  by  Micajah  Hoyt,  and 
now  by  Nelson  Brooks.  They  sold  out  in  1796  to  Deacon  Hoyt,  and 
Mr.  Hall  afterward  left  the  town.  In  1810  the  Church  voted  him  a  let- 
ter of  dismission  to  the  Church  in  Durham,  New  York.  He  was  grand- 
father to  Hon.  Highland  Hall,  late  M.  C.  from  Vermont. 

Eliud  Taylor,  from  Danbury,  continued  to  reside  in  Danbury  quar- 
ter until  1799,  when  he  sold  his  dwelling-house  and  adjoining  land  to 
Luther  Holcomb,  being  the  premises  recently  owned  by  John  J.  Fanning. 
He  afterwards  lived  from  1803  to  1806  in  the  Widow  Leach  house  in  the 
same  vicinity.  In  1807  the  Winchester  Church  voted  him  a  letter  of  dis- 
mission to  the  Union  Society  Church  in  New  Haven.  By  wife  Mary,  he 
had  Polly,  born  January  25,  1794. 

Wait  Hill,  a  blacksmith,  was  admitted  a  voter  this  year.  In  1795 
he  built  the  house  on  the  Waterbury  turnpike  a  little  south  of  the  center9 
now  owned-  and  occupied  by  Luman  Munsill.  In  1797  he  bought  and 
lived  in  Winsted,  on  the  Spencer  street  road,  a  house  that  stood  near 
Widow  Lucy  Coe's  dwelling,  and  worked  in  a  shop  long  since  burned  down, 
which  stood  on  Main  street  near  the  dwelling  of  Samuel  W.  Coe.  He 
removed  to  Vernon,  New  York,  in  1798,  or  1799.  He  married,  June  26, 
1794,  Hannah  Hills,  of  Winchester. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  this  year  were  Rev.  Publius  V. 
Booge,  Jonathan  Coe,  3d,  Thomas  Spencer,  Jr.,  Harvey  Marshall,  Theo- 
dore Hoskin,  Daniel  Russell,  Elisha  Spencer,  John  Church,  Samuel  Clark, 
Truman  Blackman,  Wait  Hill,  and  Joseph  Elmore,  Jr. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  193 


1793. 

The  records  of  Town  and  Society  meetings  this  year  are  of  little  inter- 
est. It  appears  by  the  Society  records  that  the  interior  of  the  new  meet- 
ing house  was  not  yet  finished. 

Daniel  Andrews,  Jr.,  a  native  of  the  town,  whose  record  has  been 
given  already,  came  of  age  this  year ;  built  and  occupied  through  life  the 
red  house,  at  the  parting  of  the  Danbury  school-house  road  from  the 
Green  Woods  turnpike. 

William  R.  Case,  from  the  Society  of  Wintonbury,  now  the  town  of 
Bloomfielc),  this  year,  bought  and  thereafter  occupied  until  1799,  a  lot  of 
land  now  composing  a  part  of  the  Harvey  Andrews  farm  ;  he  returned  to 
Wintonbury  after  1810.  He  was  born  February  20,  1751  ;  married 
Huldah  Loomis,  born  December  12,  1756.  He  died  November  29> 
1828.     She  died  January  1,  1835. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  William,        b.  Aug.  20,  1775;  d.  April  9,  1793. 
II.  Huldah,  b.  Nov.  17,  1777  ;  d.  Aug.  16,  1800. 

III.  Abiah,  b.  Sept.  1,1779;  m.  OrentusBronson ;  d.  June 

20,  1836. 

IV.  Ruth,  b.  April  4,  1782;  d.  Sept.  27, 1853'. 
V.  Horace,            b.  July  5,  1784  ;  d.  Oct.  29,  1823. 

VI.  Asher,  b.  Dec.  12,  1786;  m.  Nov.  13,  1826,  Charlotte  Pettibone ;  he 

d.  Sept.  7,  1858  ;  had  children  George  and  Edward. 
VII.  William,         b.  April  25,  1794;  grad.  Yale  College  1821  ;  Cong,  minister 
at  Chester,  Ct. ;  d.  April  28, 1858. 
VIII.  Chester,         b.  Sept.  20, 1796  ;  d.  in  Penn.,  Oct.  2,  1857,  a  bachelor. 

Reuben  Marshall,  son  of  Thomas  and  Desire  Marshall,  born  at 
Torrington,  May  19,  1765  ;  came  to  Winchester  this  or  the  preceding 
year,  and  became  a  trader  in  company  with  Roman  Fyler.  In  1810  he 
bought  the  farm  near  the  center  of  the  town,  lately  owned  by  Daniel 
Murray,  now  deceased,  which  he  occupied  until  his  removal  to  Granville, 
Mass  ,  about  1811.  During  the  last  ten  years  of  his  residence  here  he  was 
largely  engaged  in  purchasing  cheese  for  the  Southern  market.  He  mar- 
ried Widow  Hills,  of  Torrington,  who  had  a  son  Reuben,  by  her 
first  husband,  —  and  two  or  more  daughters  by  Mr.  Marshall,  —  one  of 
whom,  Orpha,  married   Patrick   Boice,  Esq.,  of  Westfield,  Massachusetts. 

John  McAlpine,  Jr.,  son  of  a  Scotchman,  is  named  "of  Hartford" 

in  his  first  deed  of  land  in  Winchester.     He  was  a  joiner  by  trade,  and  a 

man  of  great  industry  and  energy,  —  was  a  Selectman  for  many  years,  — 

and  highly  esteemed  as  a  neighbor  and  citizen.    He  built,  and  occupied  dur- 

25 


194  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ing  his  remaining  life,  the  house  about  sixty  rods  east  of  the  center,  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  John  McAlpine  ;  he  married,  May  16, 
1794,  Margaret,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hurlbut,  Esq.  He  died  August  30, 
1850,  aged  81.     She  died  February  28,  1845,  fi.sed  72. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Silas  Hurlbut,        b.  Sept.  2,  1794. 

II.-Elizabeth  Ann,      b.  Feb.   18,  1798;    m.  March  11,  1819,  Horace  Jay 
Humphrey. 
III.  Samuel  Aveut,         b.  Nov.  15,1802;  m.  ;  d. 

he  lived  for  many  years  in  Penn.,  and  after  the  death  of  his  wife  returned 
to  Winchester  ;  m.  (2d),  May  15,  1845,  Mary  S.  McAlpine,  widow  of  his 
brother,  Silas  H.  ;  row  lives  in  Winsted. 
IV.  John,  b.  Nov.  1.  1805;  m.  Aug.  6,   1845,  Harriet  E.  Wet- 

more,  and  has  since  resided  on  his  father's  homestead  at  the  center ;  she 
d.  Dec.  — ,  1869,  childless. 
V.  Lemuel,  b.  Oct  21,  1808  ;  a  physician,  lives  in  Illinois. 

Silas  H.  McAlpine,  oldest  son  of  John  and  Margaret,  married,  Jan. 
11,  1842,  Mary  S.  Wetmore,  and  lived  on  the  Waterbury  turnpike,  half 
a  mile  south  of  the  center.  He  was  a  man  of  literary  and  scientific  tastes, 
—  a  poet,  and  a  warm  philanthropist.  Standing  as  he  did  in  the  front 
rank  of  the  despised  little  band  of  early  Abolitionists,  it  is  fitting  that  his 
name  should  be  identified  with  the  once  feeble,  but  now  triumphant,  cause 
which  he  advocated.     He  died  childless,  August  12,  1842. 

Solomon  Wheadon,  from  Branford,  owned  and  occupied  until  his 
death,  the  farm  of  Harvey  Ford  in  Hall  Meadow,  adjoining  Goshen  line. 
He  died  December  12,  1814,  aged  65.  His  wife  Sarah  died  January 
10,  1821,  aged  73. 

No  record  is  found  of  the  births  of  Mr.  Wheadon's  children.  The 
death  of  Lomisa,  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  Wheadon,  Jan.  8, 
1799,  and  the  marriage  of  Benjamin  Wheadon,  their  son,  to  Deborah 
Merriman,  April  21,  1803.  are  recorded.  This  Benjamin  Wheadon  is 
named  "  of  Hudson,  Portage  County,  Ohio,"  in  a  deed  of  January  28, 
1826,  conveying  his  interest  in  land  of  Stephen  Wheadon,  deceased,  by 
which  it  would  appear  that  Stephen  died  childless,  leaving  a  widow,  not 
named,  and  sisters,  Sally  Wells,  Mercy  Bronson  (wife  of  Salmon), 
Esther  Pond,  and  heirs  of  Lucretia  Griswold. 

Lucretia  Griswold  was  the  first  wife  of  Roswell  Griswold  of  Cole- 
brook,  and  the  mother  of  Wyllys,  Lucretia,  and  Hon.  Hiram  Griswold, 
formerly  of  Canton.  Ohio. 

Deacon  Stephen  Wheadon,  son  of  Solomon,  owned  and  occupied 
the  paternal  homestead  until  his  death,  December  2,  1824,  aged  40.     He 


AND  FAMILY  RECOEDS.  195 

was  chosen  Deacon  of  the  Winchester  Church  in  1823.  The  family  of 
Wheadons  was  held  in  high  esteem  in  the  community.  His  wife,  Polly, 
was  sister  of  Moses  Drake,  Jr.,  and  afterwards  married  successively 
Deacon  Humphrey  of  Goshen,  and  Deacon  Rogers  of  Cornwall ;  died  in 
1867,  a  widow. 

Rufus  Crank,  from  Killingworth,  this  year  bought  of  David  and 
Sarah  Murray,  a  house  and  lot  on  the  Dugway  road,  nearly  opposite 
the  Sophronia  Leonard  house,  which  he  occupied  until  after  1796. 

John  Joes  is  on  the  Winchester  tax  lists  of  1793  and  1794. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were  Daniel  Marshall,  Laurence 
Barber,  and  Levi  Piatt. 

1794. 

The  prices  of  labor  in  payment  of  highway  taxes  were  this  year 
established  as  follows  : — 

For  a  man's  work  in  May  or  June,  three  shillings  and  sixpence  per  day. 
"     a  man  and  team,  "  seven  shillings  " 

"     a  man  in  October  or  November,  three  shillings  " 

"     a  man  and  team,         "  six  shillings  " 

The  new  comers  of  the  year  were  as  follows  : — 

Major  Lloyd  Andrews,  a  joiner,  from  Meriden,  purchased  land 
in  the  town,  November  20,  1794.  He  first  lived,  after  his  marriage,  in 
the  old  homestead  of  his  father-in-law,  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe,  in  the 
south  part  of  the  society,  since  owned  by  Samuel  Mills  Munsill.  About 
1799  he  bought  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  son,  Harvey  Andrews,  and 
there  resided  until  his  death,  October  23,  1833,  aged  60,  an  unassuming 
industrious,  and  worthy  man*  He  was  born  in  Meriden,  February  10, 
1773;  married  May  16,1796,  Huldah  Coe.  She  died  December  27, 
1866. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Orson,  b.  February  16,  1798  ;  d.  November  29,  1836, 

unmarried. 

II.  Hiram,  .  b.  December  22,  1799  ;  d.  March  15,  1808. 

III.  Huldah,  b.  January  8,  1802;  d.  September  8,  1808. 

IV.  George,  b.  March  19,  1805  ;  m.  in  New  York. 

V.  Samuel  Lloyd*,  b.  October  22,  1811  ;  m.  May  23,  1839,  Sophia 

Case  of  Canton  ;  has  a  son  Geo.  L,  who  served  as  1st  Sergt.,  Co.  F., 
28th  Regt.  Conn.  Volunteers. 
VI.  Harvey,  b.  July  13,  1814;  m.  Susan  (Merwin)  Sage. 

VII.  Helen,  b.  May  1,  1S21  ;  d.  September  13,  1823. 

Francis  Bacon  owned  from   1794  to   1798  a  part  of  the  farm  now 


196  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

owned  by  Harvey  Andrews.  In  his  deed  of  sale  of  this  land  in  1795,  he 
is  named  "of  Barkhamsted."  In  1795  he  is  named  in  a  record  of  judg- 
ment as  of  Simsbury. 

David  Beebe,  "  of  Winchester,"  a  blacksmith,  this  year  bought  a  lot 
of  land  in  the  Jacklin  neighborhood.  In  1795  he  bought  a  house  and 
lot  on  Danbury  Hill,  northwest  of  William  Price's,  and  there  resided 
while  he  remained  in  town.  In  1808  the  Church  in  Winchester  voted 
him  and  his  wife  a  letter  of  dismission  to  the  Church  in  Coventry,  N.  Y. 

DodToR  Nathaniel  Elmore  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He 
was  a  native  of  Sharon,  a  schoolmaster  and  physician.  He  lived  in  the 
town  a  few  years,  and  then  removed  to  Granville,  Mass.  He  was  lather 
of  Harvey  B.  Elmore,  now  of  Wiusted. 

Gillett  Hinklet  this  year  bought  38  acres  of  land,  which  now  forms 
a  part  of  the  Harvey  Andrews  or  Wm.  H.  Rood  farm,  which  he  sold  in 
1801,  and  then  moved  to  the  West. 

Epaphras  Loomis,  married,  Torrington,  September  9,  1755,  Mary 
Hills.  They  came  to  Winchester  to  live  with  their  son  Lorrain,  about 
1809.  He  died  September  10,  1812,  aged  80;  she  died  February  12, 
1813,  aged  78. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Epaphras,  b.  March  31,  1756;  m.  December  1,  1777,  Phebe  Bacon. 

He  d.  in  Hannibal,  N.  Y.,  in  1850. 
II.  Remembrance,     b.  February  27,  1759;  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  British 
at  Fort  Washington  in  the  Revolution  ;  was  poisoned  by  the  water,  and 
d.  January  — ,  1777. 

III.  Jerusha,  b.  February  6,  1761  ;  m.  Noadiah  Bancroft;,  d.  October, 

1827. 

IV.  Lorrain,  b.  June  9,  1764. 

V.  Wait,  b.  November  23,  1765. 

VJ.  Arah,  b.  July  7,  1767. 

VII.  Ira,  b.  September  14,  1770. 

Deacon  Lorrain  Loomis  from  Torrington,  became  a  resident  of 
Winchester  this  year.  He  bought  the  Truman  Blackmau  farm  and  other 
lands,  now  composing  the  farm  owned  by  the  children  of  Asher  Case, 
and  built  and  lived  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  them.  About  1818  he 
removed  to  Cornwall,  and  acted  as  steward  of  the  Foreign  Mission 
School  during  its  continuance  there,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  old 
homestead  in  Winchester.  Pecuniary  losses  came  upon  him  in  later  life. 
He  gave  up  all  his  property  to  his  creditors,  and  worked  as  a  farm 
laborer  for  several  years,  paying  his  earnings  to  his  creditors,  until  the 
larger  part  of  their  claims  were  satisfied.  Age  and  infirmities  compelled 
him  to  relinquish  his  cherished  design  of  paying  in  full,  out  of  his  hard 
earnings,  the  balance  of  his  indebtedness. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  197 

In  his  later  years,  until  his  death,  he  lived  with  his  son,  Nelson  T. 
Loomis,  on  the  Richard  Coit  place,  near  the  south  end  of  the  Brooks 
road.  He  died  July  7,  1857,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years  and  six 
months. 

Winchester  has  had  hundreds  of  men  richer  in  worldly  goods  and 
popular  talents,  but  probably  not  one  combining  in  so  high  a  degree  all 
the  qualities  of  a  good  man  and  humble  Christian.  He  was  the  loved 
schoolmaster  of  a  large  portion  of  the  youth  of  the  town  from  1788  to 
1810.  The  writer  of  these  annals  remembers  him  as  his  first  male 
teacher,  with  an  affection  accorded  to  no  other.  With  the  sick  he  was 
ever  the  welcome  visitor  and  kind  watcher ;  with  the  afflicted,  the 
sympathizer  and  consoler ;  in  the  Church  an  example  of  faith  and  good 
works  ;  in  the  world,  a  humble  follower  of  Him  who  went  about  doing 
good.  He  married  Abigail  Rainsford  of  New  Marlboro,'  Mass.;  she 
died  August  26,  1832,  aged  65. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lophelia,  b.  July,  1790;  d.  January,  1791. 

II.  Dorrance,  b.  September,  1792;  d.  March,  1793. 

III.  Nelson  T.,  b.  March,  1799;   m.  November,   1827,   Abigail   Hills   of 

Goshen.     He  livod  near  the  parting  of  Brooks  str  et  and  the  Norfolk 
road. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Sarah  L.,  b.  January,  1S29. 

2.  Frederick  L.,    b.  August,  1834. 

IV.  Edward  R.,  b.  August,  1806;  lives  in  Napiersville,  Illinois. 

Orange  Mott,  son  of  Adam,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  and  the  follow- 
ing year.  In  1798  he  is  described  in  a  deed  as  of  Bridgewater, 
Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Daniel  Wells,  probably  from  West  Hartford,  a  tanner,  bought  a 
quarter  acre  lot  west  of  the  Booge  Parsonage,  on  the  Norfolk  road,  on 
which  he  built  a  tannery,  and  two  years  after  built,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  road,  the  dwelling  house  since  owned  by  Sage  W.  Grant.  In 
1798,  he  sold  out  to  Asahel  Wells,  and  removed  to  Augusta,  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y. 

Erastus  Thrall,  son  of  Reuben,  was  admitted  a  voter  this  year, 
and  soon  after  went  into  trade  at  the  center,  buying  dairies  and 
other  farm  products,  and  exchanging  them  for  goods  in  the  New  York 
market  and  elsewhere.  He  is  said  to  have  gone  with  his  products 
to  the  West  Indies,  and  brought  home  his  sugai",  molasses,  etc.,  for  home 
trade.  He  was  a  young  man  of  fine  person  and  address,  active  and  fast. 
He  ran  through  his  business  in  1798,  —  left  the  town, — and  died  soon 


198  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

after  in  prison,  before  his  trial,  on  a  charge  of  forgery,  of  which   he  was 
believed  to  be  innocent.     He  died  unmarried. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  this  year  were  Erastus  Thrall, 
Theophilus  Andrews,  Benjamin  Benedict,  Jr.,  Jedediah  Coe,  Caleb 
Munson,  Abijah  Benedict,  and  Abiel  Loomis. 


1795. 

In  special  Town  Meeting.  April  27  of  this  year,  the  following  vote 
was  passed :  '•  That  this  meeting  disapprove  of  the  appropriation  of  the 
avails  of  the  Western  Lands,  belonging  to  this  state,  as  passed  in  the 
Honorable  Upper  House  of  Assembly,  in  October  last." 

This  vote  probably  refers  to  the  project,  well  nigh  carried  out,  to  appro- 
priate the  proceeds  of  the  lands  in  Ohio,  reserved  by  Connecticut  in  her 
cession  to  the  general  government,  to  the  support  of  the  churches  of  the 
standing  order.  The  measure,  after  passing  the  Upper  House,  sitting 
with  closed  doors,  was  resisted  in  the  Lower  House,  and  after  a  severe 
struggle  of  the  friends  of  common  schools  with  the  adherents  of  the 
clergy,  was  defeated ;  and  the  lands  were  subsequently  appropriated  to 
the  endowment  of  our  School  Fund.  They  were  eventually  sold  to  the 
Connecticut  Land  Company  for  one  million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  constituted  the  basis  of  the  splendid  endowment  from  which  our  com- 
mon schools  have  ever  since  been  mainly  supported. 

It  is  doubted  by  many,  whether  our  common  schools  have  been  really 
benefited  by  this  gratuitous  aid,  which,  while  it  relieves  the  people  in  a 
great  measure  of  the  burden  of  educating  the  children,  at  the  same 
time  makes  them  careless  as  to  the  management  of  the  schools,  sustained 
without  their  immediate  contributions.  The  fact  is  unquestionable,  that 
our  common  schools  have  fallen  far  behind  those  of  some  of  the  neigh- 
boring states  with  smaller  endowments,  in  the  efficiency  of  their  manage- 
ment, and  the  results  of  good  education.  But  whatever  may  have  been 
the  effect  on  our  common  schools,  no  one  can  doubt  that  a  diversion  of 
this  fund  to  the  support  of  our  churches,  would  have  deadened  whatever 
of  vital  piety  then  existed ;  and  it  is  creditable  to  the  fathers  of  our  town 
that  they  set  their  faces  against  the  measure. 

A  vote  of  the  society  this  year,  giving  permission  to  other  denomina- 
tions of  Christians  to  use  the  new  meeting  house,  now  completed,  on  any 
days  when  not  wanted  by  the  church  or  society,  indicates  a  catholic 
spirit. 

Roger  Coe  (see  1765)  son  of  Ensign  Jonathan,  this  year  became 
the  owner  of  his  father's  homestead  in  the  south  part  of  the  society, — ' 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  199 

his  father  removing  to  Winsted.  He  lived  here  from  his  birth  to  the 
year  1857  or  1858,  wh^n  he  came  to  Winsted  with  his  adopted  son,  Rev. 
James  R.  Coe,  third  son  of  his  brother  Daniel.  He  was  for  many  year? 
a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town,  which  he  represented  in  the  Legislatures 
of  1814  and  1815.  find  was  much  employed  in  town  affairs.  He  m. 
March  5,  1797,  Anna  Hurley;  she  d.  June  26,  1857.  He  d.  Winsted, 
Jan.  14.  1859,  aged  84  years ;  s.  p. 

Joshua  Beach,  son  of  Joel,  came  of  age  this  year,  and  is  entered  on 
the  Tax  List  as  a  resident  of  the  society. 

William  Crocker's  name  is  on  the  Tax  List  of  this  year.  He 
came  from  New  London  County;  and  in  1799  bought  the  farm  in  Dan- 
bury  Quarter  now  partly  owned  by  John  J.  Fanning,  on  which  he  lived 
until  about  1825,  and  then  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.  He  m.  Dec  20, 
1796,  Deborah,  daughter  of  Timothy  Benedict,  b.  Aug.  29,  1774;  she  d. 
Sept.  18,  1823  ;  they  had  a  son,  Silas,  and  perhaps  other  children.  Silas 
removed,  at  or  about  the  same  time,  with  his  father,  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 
His  wife's  name  was  Mary  Breen.  They  had  a  son,  Lemuel,  born  in 
Winchester,  June  27,  1825.  The  father  (Joseph)  and  two  brothers 
(Joseph  and  James)  of  William  Crocker,  became  inhabitants  of  the  town 
after  1800,  and  all  of  them  died  here. 

Phineas,  Jr.,  and  Matthew  Griswold,  sons  of  Phineas  of  Win- 
chester, are  on  the  Tax  List  of  this  year.  Matthew  removed  to  Vernon, 
N.  Y.,  before  1800.  Phineas  was  of  Beaver  Dam,  Erie  Co.,  Penn., 
in  1822. 

Luther  Holcomb,  from  Danbury,  came  into  the  town  this  year,  and 
in  1797,  bought  the  farm  in  Danbury  Quarter,  on  the  east  side  of  Brooks 
street,  not  far  south  of  Mad  River,  which  he  owned  and  occupied  until 
1803.  His  name  disappears  from  the  Records  after  1804.  He  was  said 
to  be  the  same  Luther  Holcomb  mentioned  in  Barber's  Historical  Collec- 
tions, who  brought  the  British  Army  of  3,000  men  to  a  dead  halt  on  its 
march  through  Bethel  lo  Danbury  in  1777.     By  wife  Joanna,  he  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Friend  Ransley,    b.  Oct.  1,  1795. 
II.  Lloyd  Holmes',      b.  July  27,  1797. 

Levi  Marshall  owned  land  on  the  North  and  West  side  of  Little 
Pond,  and  lived  in  the  Daniel  Beckley  house  until  his  removal  to  Ver- 
non, N.  Y.,  in  1799. 


200  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Loami  Mott,  son  of  Adam,  Jr.,  of  Winchester,  is  on  the  tax  list  of 
this  and  the  following  years  to  1801.  In  1797  he  bought  and  lived  in  a 
house  on  Sucker  Brook,  below  the  Dugway  road,  near  the  Hubbell  Saw 
Mill.  In  1803  he  is  named  of  Stockbridge,  Mass. ;  and  at  a  later  day  he 
removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.  He  married  April  18,  1795,  Polly,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Clark,  of  W. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Merritt,         b.  at  Winchester,  Jan.  3,  1796. 

II.  Willard,        b.  "  June  28,  1800. 

III.  Lodema,  b.  at  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  Feb.  3,  1803. 

Daniel  Phelps,  from  East  Windsor,  purchased,  with  Horace  Higley, 
the  Arteraas  Rowley  farm  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  Society,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1809.  He  afterwards  lived  in  the  house  on  the  west  side 
of  Brooks  Street  next  south  of  the  old  Everitt  place.  He  was  a  sedate 
man,  —  highly  esteemed,  and  often  employed  in  town  affairs.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  Assembly  in  1818  and  1828.  He  died  March  19, 
1850,  aged  83.     His  wife,  Huldah,  died  March  4,  1839,  aged  70  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Daniel,         bap.  in  E.  Windsor,  Nov.  3,  1793. 

II.  Huldah,       bap.     "  "  "      "      " 

III.  Benjamin,    bap.     "  "  Aug.  2,  1 795  ;  he  lived  in  Danbury  quar- 

ter near  the  Everitt  place  until  his  death,  July  12,  1849,  aged  54  ;  he  m. 
Feb.  16,  1826,  Abigail  Brooks,  of  W. 

IV.  Frederick,  b.  Winchester,  June  30,  1795;  m.  May  22,  1826,  Lucy  W. 

Hurlbut,  and  moved  to  Valatie,  N.  Y. 
V.  A  son  (not  named),  b.  July  14,  1803;  d.  Sept.  7,  1803. 
VI.  Jonathan,  b.  March  17,  1S05 ;  d.  July  1,  1822. 

Daniel  Phelps,  Jr..  married,  April  18,  1816,  Lucy  Hurlbut,  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen,  and  lived  in  Winchester  until  after  1826,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Norfolk,  and  after  1840  to  Wellington,  Ohio,  where  he  died  not 
far  from  1860.  His  first  wife  died  in  Ohio,  and  he  there  married  a  second 
wife.     He  seems  to  have  owned  no  real  estate  in  Winchester. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    "WIFE. 

I.  Louisa  Abigail,  b.  March  13,  1817. 

II.  James  Whiting,  b.  April  4,  1819. 

III.  Joseph,  b.  March  26,  1821. 

John  Chester  Riley,  from  Goshen,  came  to  Winchester  this  year 
and,  in  company  with  Seth  Holmes,  commenced  trade  as  a  country  mer- 
chant in  a  house  south  of  Jonathan  Blake's,  near  the  center.  In  1800  he 
bought  of  Fyler  and  Marshall  the  Washington  Hatch  place  at  the  center, 
where  he  traded  and  kept  a  tavern.  In  1807  lie  built  a  store  at  the 
parting  of  the  Old  Country  road  and  the  Waterbury  turnpike,  in  which  he 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  201 

did  an  extensive  business  until  his  failure  in  1816.  Being  a  Jeffersonian  in 
politics,  while  most  of  the  traders  of  his  day  and  vicinity  were  of  the  Feder 
al  School,  he  drew  in  to  a  large  extent  the  trade  of  those  of  his  own  faith  in 
this  and  the  neighboring  towns.  After  his  failure,  he  was  confined  on  the 
jail  limits  at  Litchfield  for  a  considerable  time,  and  continued  to  reside 
there  during  his  remaining  life.  Me  lived  a  bachelor  until  past  middle  age, 
and  married  at  Litchfield. 

Seth  Holmes,  from  Torrington,  came  to  Winchester  with  John  C. 
Riley  this  year,  and  for  one  or  two  years  they  were  partners,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Holmes  &  Riley.  He  lived  while  in  town  on  the  discon- 
tinued road  west  of  Waterbury  turnpike,  near  the  site  of  the  first  meeting 
house.  He  removed  to  Vernon,  New  York,  prior  to  1802.  His  wife's 
name  was  Phebe. 

Ezra  Holmes  was  "  of  Winchester  "  in  1801,  and  probably  became  a 
resident  earlier.  In  1802  Seth  and  Phebe  Holmes  conveyed  to  him  their 
late  homestead  above  described.  Three  years  after  he  bought  the  Luman 
Munsill  place,  a  little  south  of  the  center,  which  he  sold  in  1807,  and 
thereafter  owned  and  lived  on  a  farm  two  miles  north  of  the  center  on 
the  Danbury  burying-ground  road,  which  he  sold  in  1809  to  Birdsey 
Norton,  of  Goshen.  He  is  last  on  the  tax  list  in  1810,  and  probably  that 
year  removed  to  Ohio.     By  wife,  Grace,  he  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Polly,  b.  Oct.  21,  1801.  II.  Daniel,  b.  Aug.  27,  1804. 

Silas  Taylor,  from  Danbury,  owned  and  lived  in  the  shingled  house 
that  stood  until  about  1860  on  Taylor's  Brook,  at  the  junction  of  the  old 
highway  south  from  R.  M.  Eggleston's,  with  the  new  road  from  the  cen- 
ter by  Elias  T.  Hatch's.  He  died  April  24,  1819,  aged  67.  He  had 
sons,  Clark,  who  died  January  22,  1826,  leaving  a  widow,  and  Ira,  who 
lived  on  his  lands  until  1827.  He  had  also  a  daughter,  Clarissa,  married, 
November  28,  1816,  Alva  Hyde,  of  Oxford,  or  Guilford,  Chenango  Coun- 
ty, New  York. 

Doctor  Truman  S.  Wetmore,4  whose  record  has  been  given,  ap- 
pears on  the  tax  list  of  this  year. 

Reuben  Tucker,'  Jr.,  a  native  of  this  town,  is  on  the  tax  lists  of  this 
and  the  two  succeeding  years.  He  is  named  of  Elmore,  Vermont,  in  a 
deed  dated  in  1814. 

Miles  Wilkinson,  son  of  Jesse,  born  in  this  town,  is  on  the  tax  lists 
of  this  and  the  following  years.  He  married,  December  2,  1796,  Lydia 
Ives. 

26 


202  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  tax  list  shows  that  there  were  four  licensed  taverns  in  the  town 
this  year,  to  wit :  Samuel  Hurlbut,  in  the  house  that  stood  at  the  center 
on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  house  of  Samuel  Hurlbut;  John  Miner, 
in  the  house  between  Winsted  and  Winchester,  lately  owned  by  Mrs.  Al- 
mira  Coe ;  Zerah  Doolittle,  in  the  old  Pea?e  House  that  stood  where 
North  Main  street  now  runs,  nearly  in  "front  of  the  house  of  Isaac  B. 
Woodruff,  in  Winsted,  and  Freedom  Wright,  in  the  Kelsey  house,  lately 
burned  down,  near  the  small  pond  on  the  Old  North  Country  road. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  were  Abijah  Bronson,  Leonard  Hurl- 
but, Nathan  Elmore,  and  Zaccheus  Munsill. 


1796. 

The  town  records  of  this  year  refer  only  to  routine  business ;  no  free- 
men were  admitted. 

In  Society  meeting,  a  "  Pall  or  Funeral  Cloth  "  was  ordered  to  be  pur- 
chased and  to  be  kept  at  the  house  of  Doctor  Everitt,  when  not  in  use. 

A  committee  was  appointed  with  instructions  to  contract  for  the  finish- 
ing off  of  the  interior  of  the  new  meeting  house,  and,  if  no  offer  could  be 
obtained  more  favorable  than  that  of  Deacon  Dutton,  of  Watertown,  then 
to  contract  with  him. 

By  the  records  of  the  following  year  it  appears  that  the  work  was 
done,  so  as  to  requ;re  the  appointment  of  "seaters"  to  assign  to  the  par- 
ishioners their  respective  pews  and  seats. 

This  edifice  stood  near  the  center  of  the  triangular  green  nearly  south 
of  the  dwelling  of  Theron  Bronson.  It  was  nearly  square,  with  a  steep 
roof,  —  the  gables,  with  a  round  window  in  each,  facing  east  and  west, 
and  without  a  tower  or  steeple,  and  in  all  respects  conforming  to  the 
principles  of  country  church  architecture  of  that  period.  The  pulpit 
stood  in  the  north,  with  an  alley  extending  to  the  south  door;  another 
alley  from  the  east  to  the  west  doors,  gave,  access  to  the  gallery  stairs 
and  wall  pews.  The  pews  were  square  with  paneled  sides,  surmounted 
with  low  banisters.  The  galleries  occupied  the  three  sides  of  the  interior 
in  front  and  at  the  right  and  left  of  the  pulpit.  The  altar  had  a  folding 
leaf  which  was  dropped  down  when  not  in  use  ;  —  an  unfortunate  ar- 
rangement, as  it  proved,  when,  some  forty  years  ago,  a  self-opinionated 
and  partially  deranged  parishioner  conceived  himself  divinely  commis- 
sioned to  testify  against  the  corruptions  of  the  Church,  and  took  an  oppor- 
tunity to  do  so  by  presenting  himself  at  the  altar  at  the  close  of  the  com- 
munion service,  and  reading  the  history  of  the  Saviour's  overturning 
the   tables   of  the   money   changers  in    the  temple ;  —  and  suiting  his 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  203 

action  to  the  words,  knocked  away  the  support  of  the  leaf,  and  scattered 
the  sacred  elements  and  contribution  box  on  the  floor.  The  culprit  was 
tried  for  this  outrage  before  two  Justices  of  the  Peace,  who  decided  that 
he  was  crazy ;  but  lest  an  acquittal  on  that  ground  should  embolden  him 
to  commit  other  acts  of  the  same  nature,  they  found  him  guilty  and  im- 
posed a  fine. 

The  pulpit  had  the  usual  decorations  of  vines  and  clusters  of  grapes 
carved  in  wood,  in  humble  imitation  of  the  gorgeous  adornments  of  the 
Jewish  Sanctuary,  and  an  imposing  sounding-board  set  into  the  wall 
above. 

Here  worshipped  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  town  and  their  off- 
spring, for  about  fifty  years,  a  race  of  honest,  hard-working,  self-denying, 
pious,  rigid  Puritans.  The  like  of  Deacons  Samuel  Wetmore,  Seth 
Hills,  Robert  McEwen,  Eliphaz  Alvord,  Lorrain  Loomis,  and  Levi 
Piatt,  to  say  nothing  of  other  worthies,  who  here  dispensed  the  symbolic 
bread  of  life,  and  digested  the  severe  doctrines  of  the  Calvinistic  creed, 
is  not  to  be  found  in  these  days  of  diluted  orthodoxy. 

Roger  Barber,  a  blacksmith,  plied  his  trade  in  the  shop  vacated  by 
Wait  Hills,  until  1798,  when  he  gave  way  to  William  Bunell,  and  went 
to  Sandisfield,  Mass. 

Ephraim  Bowers  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  and  the  following  year. 

Levi  Daw  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  and  the  following  years  until 
1804.  He  married  August  1,  1796,  Phebe,  daughter  of  Benjamin 
Benedict  of  W. 

William  Gray,  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  and  a  shoemaker  by  trade, 
owned  and  occupied  a  part  of  the  Nathan  Tibball's  farm  in  Danbury 
Quarter,  until  1799. 

Sylvester  Hall,  a  millwright,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He 
married  May  12,  1797,  Lucy,  daughter  of  Captain  Samuel  Hurlbut,  and 
probably  thereafter  lived  with  his  father-in-law,  until  his  removal  to 
Burke,  Caledonia  Co.,  Vermont,  about  1803,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death. 

Their  children,  as  appears  by  the  Probate  Records  of  Winchester, 
were  : — 

I.  A  Daughter,        who  married  —  Lawton. 
II.  Huldah,  "  —  Bemis. 

III.  Electra,  "  —  Trull. 

IV.  David,  a  resident  of  Virginia. 

V.  Eliza,  who  married  —  Bemis. 


204  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

VI.  Silas,  residing  in  Winchester. 

VII.  Harris  B  ,     died  in  Vermont. 
VIII.  A  Son,  who  died  leaving  two  sons,  Elbridge  and  Sylvester. 

Nathaniel  Hoyt  from  Danbury,  owned  and  lived  on  land  in  Dan- 
bnry  Quarter,  between  the  farm  late  of  John  J.  Fanning  and  Mad 
River.  In  1811  the  Church  voted  him  and  Lucretia  his  wife  a  letter  of 
dismission  to  the  Church  in  Locke,  N.  Y.,  where  they  then  resided. 

Deacon  Micajah  Hoyt,  son  of  Nathaniel,  owned  and  lived  on  the 
farm  in  Danbury  Quarter  now  owned  by  Harry  Brooks,  until  1844, 
when  he  removed,  as  is  believed,  to  Locke,  N.  Y.  He  was  chosen 
Deacon  of  the  Winchester  Church  in  1825.  He  was  born  December  12, 
1770;  married  November  1,  1792,  Esther  Trowbridge,  born  October 
22,  1773. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Eliakim  D.,     b.  May  16,  1794. 
II.  Dblia,  b.  October  4,  1796  ;  m.  November  27,  1814,  Robert  Andrews 

of  Danbury. 

III.  James  T.,         b.  December  27,  1798. 

IV.  Orpha,  b.  May  3,  1801  ;  married  —  Curtice  of  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

V.  Sidney,  b.  April  2,  1804 ;  m.  October  9,  1828,  Huldah  A   Starkwether. 

They  settled  in  Barton,   Tioga  Co.,  N.  Y.     Children  :  Harriet,  Julia, 
Louisa,  a  son,  name  not  known,  and  Delia. 
VI.  Loruhama   (fem.),  b.  January  16,  1806;  m.  November  6,   1832,  Charles 
Dunning  of  Whitehall,  N.  Y. 
VII.  Ansel,  b.  October  31,  1809. 

VIII.  Maria,  b.  October  31,  1812. 

Zeri  W.  Hoyt,  son  of  Nathaniel,  lived  successively  on  the  Jacklin 
farm  in  Danbury  Quarter,  next  on  the  Norfolk  Road,  a  little  west  of  the 
Doctor  Wetinore  place,  then  on  Lake  Street,  in  Winsted,  and  last  in  a 
house  near  John  W.  Fanning.     He  left  the  town  after  1803. 

Nathaniel  Hoyt,  Jr.,  lived  on  a  part  of  the  John  W.  Fanning  farm, 
in  Danbury  Quarter,  from  1799  to  1802.  He  afterwards  lived  not  far 
from  the  old  Everitt  house  in  the  same  quarter,  until  1810.  In  1816 
the  Church  voted  him  a  letter  to  the  Church  in  Litchfield,  Conn.,  where 
he  then  resided. 

George  Kingsbury  is  assessed  on  the  list  of  this  year  for  his 
faculty  as  attorney-at-law,  being  the  first  legal  luminary  that  shed  its 
light  on  this  benighted  town.  His  stay  seems  to  have  been  as  brief  as  a 
comet's  visit,  there  being  no  other  note  of  him  extant,  save  a  record  of 
trial  before  Justice  Alvord,  on  a  grand  juror's  complaint,  setting  forth 
that  "  Daniel  Ward  and  George  Kingsbury  did,  at  Winchester,  on  the 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  205 

27th  day  of  July,  1796,  in  a  tumultuous  and  offensive  manner  disturb  and 
break  the  peace,  by  quarrelling,  beating,  and  striking  each  other,"  &c. 
Kingsbury  pleaded  not  guilty,  but  failed  to  sustain  his  plea,  and  was 
fined  one  dollar  and  costs.  Ward  had  been  before  the  Court  so  often,  as 
Sabbath-breaker,  hard  swearer,  &c,  that  he  thought  it  wisest  to  admit 
his  guilt,  and  was  fined  two  dollars,  he  probably  having  fought  hardest, 
or  been  most  blamable.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  our  new  juris  consult 
had  not  left  this  kind  of  pastime  to  Ward  and  his  next  door  neighbor, 
Coit,  who  were  well  matched  and  thoroughly  trained  to  wordy  objurga- 
tions by  years  of  practice. 

David  Strong,  named  of  Charlotte,  Vt,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this 
year.  He  was  born  in  Torrington,  May  31,  1768,  son  of  Asahel ;  mar- 
ried August  28,  1794,  Esther,  daughter  of  Reuben  Miner  of  Winchester, 
and  lived  in  a  house  long  since  torn  down,  which  adjoined  the  house  of 
his  father-in-law,  now  owned  by  Joel  G.  Griswold  and  wife,  at  the 
geographical  center  of  the  town.  About  1808  he  removed  to  New 
Pultz,  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died.  He  had  a  son,  George  D. 
Strong,  who  was  for  many  years  a  liquor  dealer,  prominent  politician, 
and  alderman  of  the  City  of  New  York.  Another  son,  Edwin  M.,  was 
adopted  by  his  grandfather  Miner,  who  left  him  his  homestead,  on 
which  he  lived  until  about  1836,  when  he  removed  to  East  New  York, 
on  Long  Island,  where  he  died  after  1850. 

Edwin  M.  Strong,  born  July  25,  1795  ;  married  September  18, 
1816,  Deidamia  Grant  of  Norfolk. 

CHILD. 
I.  George  Washington,     b.  February  7,  1818. 

Elijah  Starkavether,  son  of  Thomas  of  East  Windsor,  born 
January  7,  1777  ;  married  January  21,  1802,  Anna  Jerusha,  daughter  of 
Deacon  Samuel  Wetmore  of  Winchester,  and  received  a  conveyance  of 
his  homestead,  and  lived  in  a  house  that  stood  between  the  houses  of 
Abel  S.  Wetmore  and-  Widow  Allen  Blake,  until  about  1816,  when  he 
built  a  house  on  the  Waterbury  River  turnpike,  about  a  mile  north 
of  the  center,  in  which  he  died  December  3,  1819.  His  children  have 
abbreviated  the  family  name  to  "  Starks." 

children. 

I.  Jerusha  Ann,  b.  November  12,  1802;  m.  October  31,  1822..  Sheldon 

Miller. 
II.  Laura  Hills,  b.  October  26,  1804  ;  d.  October  26,  1805. 

III.  Huldah   Andrews,   b.  August  28,   1806;   m.   October   9,  1828,   Sidney 
Hoyt  of  Winchester. 


206  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

I"\     Julia  Maria,  b.  January  6,  1809;  m.  May  10,  1841,   Samuel  W. 

Coe  of  Winsted. 
V.  Samuel  Wetmore,     b.  August  31,  1812  ;  m.  May  8, 1839,  Flora,  daughter 
of  Daniel  Murray. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Jane  Flora,  b.  March  18,  1840. 

2.  Darwin  Samuel,*  b.  August  24,  1843. 

3.  Huldah  Annie,        b.  December  11,  1846. 

4.  Hattie  Murray,       b.  March  30,  1856. 

VI.  Sybil  Anderson,     b.  May  14,  1815;  m.  May  14,  1845,  Amos  E.  Hull  of 
Tolland,  Mass. 
VII.  Frederick  Elijah,  b.  November  21,  1819. 


1797. 

The  notable  event  of  this  year  was  the  success  of  the  Jeffersonian  or 
Democratic  party,  in  electing  a  majority  of  the  Selectmen,  and  in  dis- 
placing our  excellent  town  clerk.  The  violent  party  feelings  and  dissen- 
tions  of  that  day  have  long  been  forgotten ;  but  the  changed  ap- 
pearance of  the  records  by  the  substitution  of  the  scrawny  hand  writing 
of  the  new  town  clerk  for  the  clear  and  precise  hand  of  Squire  Alvord? 
marks  a  period  of  change,  but  not  of  improvement. 

It  is  easy  to  find  causes  for  the  growth  of  Democracy  in  the  forced  col- 
lections by  the  "  Standing  Order "  of  parish  dues  from  disaffected  and 
dissenting  members ;  the  frequent  prosecutions  for  profane  swrearing,  sab- 
bath breaking,  and  especially  lor  playing  in  meeting,  not  only  against  young 
men  and  boys,  but  frequently  against  young  women  of  respectable  fami- 
lies, —  all  go  to  show  that  the  reins  of  civil  power  were  held  pretty  taut 
by  our  w7orthy  old  Federal  grandfathers,  and  warrant  the  conclusion  that 
moral  suasion  was  imperfectly  applied  for  the  correction  of  social  evils. 
That  the  Demociatic  ascendency  at  this  time  lasted  but  one  year,  goes  to 
show  that  the  conservative  element  was  yet  too  strong  to  be  effectually 
put  down. 

The  Society  records  show  that  by  change  of  prices  of  provisions,  and 
lax  payment  of  dues,  Mr.  Booge's  salary  had  become  inadequate  for  his 
support ;  in  consequence  of  which  a  vote  was  passed  adding  fifty  dollars 
to  his  salary,  and  increasing  his  allowance  of  firewood  to  thirty  cords  a 
year.  It  was  also  provided  that  notes  of  the  society,  on  interest,  should 
be  given  him  from  year  to  year  for  such  arrearage  of  salary  as  should  be 
found  due  him.     Another  wise  provision  was  adopted  by  which  the  wood.. 


*  The  above-named  Darwin  S.    Starks  was  a  private  in  Company  E,  2d  Conn. 
Heavy  Artillery,  and  died  in  the  service,  at  Alexandria,  August  16,  1863. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  207 

contract  was  taken  by  some  responsible  individual,  at  a  fixed  price.  The 
contract  was  taken  this  year  by  Col.  Brownson,  at  three  shillings  a  cord. 
The  sweeping  of  the  meeting  house  for  the  year  was  also  undertaken  by 
Col.  Brownson  at  three  dollars. 

Eli  Frisbik,  son  of  Joseph,  this  year  bought  land  near  Torrington 
line  on  the  third  tier  road,  which  he  sold  in  1799,  and  coon  after  removed 
to  Vernon,  N.  Y.  He  m.  April  17,  1794,  Sarah  Hills;  had  dau.  Lucia, 
b.  Sept.  1,  1794. 

Clark  McEwen,  son  of  Samuel,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He 
removed  with  his  father  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Stephen  Gaylord  owned  a  house  and  land  near  where  the  two 
chimney  school-house  stood,  at  the  parting  of  the  third  tier  road  from  the 
old  country  road,  which  he  sold  in  1806.  He  m.  May  12,  1797,  Mary 
Rhodes. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,  b.  Nov.  11,  1797. 
II.  Anson,  b.  July  30,  1799;  d.  May  18,  1803. 

The  assessment  of  Trades  and  Professions  this  year,  were  Josiah  Ev- 
eritt  and  Joseph  B.  Elmore,  Physicians,  in  Old  Society. 

Fyler  &  Marshall  and  Holmes  &  Riley,  Traders,  " 

Samuel  Hurlbut,  Tavermkeeper,  " 

Lloyd  Andrews  and  John  Mc Alpine,  Joiners,  " 

Roger  Barber,  Blacksmith,  " 

Amasa  "Wade  and  Daniel  Wells,  Tanners  and  Shoemakers,       " 
Isaac  Wheeler  and  Freedom  Wright,  Taverners,  in  Winsted. 

Hine  Clemmons  and  Wait  Hills,  Blacksmiths,  " 

Jenkins  &  Boyd,  Scythe  Makers,  " 

Asher  Loomis,  Tanner,  " 

John  Sweet  and  Chauncey  Mills,  Millers,  " 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn,  were  Daniel  Corbin,  Thaddeus 
Loomis,  Daniel  Wells,  Sylvester  Hall,  Asahel  Bronson,  Asher  Loomis, 
Eli  Frisbie,  Israel  Douglass,  Roger  Coe,  Amos  Tolles,  Seth  Lucas,  and 
Daniel  Eggleston,  Jr. 

1798. 

Inoculation  for  small  pox  was  regulated  this  year,  by  vote  in  town 
meeting,  "  that  Doctors  or  other  men  may  have  liberty  to  carry  on  inoc- 


208  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ulation  for  the  small  pox  in  this  town,  from  the  20th  of  February  to 
April  10th,  under  such  regulations  as  shall  be  agreed  on  by  the  Civil 
Authority  and  Select  Men;  provided  they  shall  give  a  Bond  of  One 
thousand  Pounds,  with  sufficient  surety,  to  carry  on  the  business  in  such 
a  prudent  manner  as  not  to  expose  any  inhabitant  of  the  town  to  said 
disorder,  and  to  be  continued  at  the  houses  heretofore  occupied,  and 
within  the  same  limits."  The  location  of  the  "  pest  houses,"  as  they  were 
called  in  Winchester  Society,  is  not  known.  In  Winsted,  a  house  was 
built  lor  this  purpose,  near  the  large  spring  on  the  old  Pratt  Road,  which 
was  used  for  a  time,  and  afterward  the  farm  house  of  Mrs.  J.  R.  Boyd  on 
East  Lake  Street  was  appropriated  to  that  purpose.  The  head  and  foot 
stones  of  the  graves  of  several  persons  who  died  of  the  disease,  at  the 
latter  place,  are  still  standing  in  an  adjoining  field. 

The  Pest  Houses,  remote  from  other  dwellings,  were  established  by 
the  civil  authorities,  who  prescribed  certain  limits  around  them,  within 
which  the  patients  should  confine  themselves,  and  all  other  persons  not 
authorized  to  enter,  were  excluded  therefrom  by  fines  and  penalties. 

John  Bissell,  supposed  from  Litchfield,  succeeded  Fyler  &  Mar- 
shall as  a  trader,  and  continued  in  town  but  one  j'ear.  The  last  record 
found  of  him  is  a  complaint  of  the  Grand  Jurors  and  Tithing  Man 
against  him,  dated  May  9,  1799,  for  unnecessarily  and  unlawfully  travel- 
ing on  the  Sabbath,  to  which  he  pleaded  guilty,  and  paid  a  fine  of  $2.50, 
and  costs. 

Elijah  Blake,  a  native  of  Middletown,  came  to  Torrington  in  early 
life,  and  removed  thence  to  Winchester,  in  February  of  this  year.  He 
was  by  trade  a  tanner,  and  lived  and  died  in  the  house  afterwards  occupied 
by  his  son-in-law,  Samuel  Hurlbut,  2d.  He  d.  Oct.  2, 1833,  aged  77.  He 
m.  Sept.  27,  1779,  Sarah  Hamlin,  of  Middletown,  who  d.  Oct.  27,  1811, 
aged  53. 

CHILDREN. 

.,  Dec.  12,  17S0;  d.  June  17,  1798. 
Sept.   15,  1782;   ra.  Feb.   2,  1803,  Timothy  Loonris, 

of  Riga,  N.  Y. 
June  26,  1784. 
Aug.  13,  1786. 
June  29,   1788;    in.  Oct.  28,   1812,  Hannah,  dau.  of 

Adna  Beach. 
Aug.   1,  1790;    m.  March  17,  1812,  Wealthy,  dau.  of 

Benj.  Benedict. 
May  19,  1792;  m.  July  9,  1817,  Mabel,  dau.  of  Adna 

Beach. 
Dec.  16,  1794;    unmarried. 
Oct.  18,  1797  ;  d.  Sept.  21,  1805. 
b.  Winchester,  Oct.  16,  1799 ;  m.  Samuel  Hurlbut,  2d,  of  W. 


I. 

Sally, 

b.  Tor 

II. 

Polly, 

b.      " 

III. 

Elijah, 

b.      " 

IV. 

Jonathan, 

b.      " 

V. 

Harry, 

b.      " 

VI. 

Ithuel, 

b.      " 

VII. 

Allen, 

b.      " 

VIII. 

Sally, 

b.      " 

IX. 

Maria, 

b.      " 

X. 

Lovina, 

b.  Win 

AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  209 

Eltjah  Blake,  Jr.,  m.  Amelia  Bronson,  dau.  of  Benoni,  and  early  re- 
moved to  Springfield,  Mass.,  where  lie  still  resides.  He  had  four  sons 
and  two  daugBters.  Both  of  the  daughters  are  dead.  The  sons,  William 
and  Charles,  are  in  trade  in  Boston,  and  Marshall  and  Hamlin,  in  New 
York. 

Jonathan  Blake,  Esq.,  resided  during  his  married  life  on  the  east  side 
of  the  old  Waterbury  River  turnpike,  in  the  first  house  south  of  its  part- 
ing from  the  Old  Country  road  at  the  center.  He  was  for  some  years  a 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  represented  the  town  in  the  General  Assembly 
in  1851.  He  married,  May  12,  1808,  Sabra  Bronson.  He  died  May  14, 
1868,  aged  81  years  and  9  months.     She  died  March  30,  1870,  aged  86. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Infant  Son,  d.  Aug.  19,  1809. 
II.  Infant  Daughter,  d.  Nov.  30,  1810. 

III.  Marcia,  b.  Feb.  13,  1812;  m.  Jan.  24,  1845,  Silas  B.  Crocker,  of  Ver- 

non,  N.  Y. 

IV.  Mart  Ann,    b.  Jan.  17,  1814  ;  m.  Sept.  8,  1835,  Lorenzo  Mitchell,  of  Col- 

linsville;  he  d.  Sept.   17,   1838,  aged  26.     Their  son,  Ward  Blake,  d. 
July  31,  1837,  aged  1  year  and  1  month. 
V.  Charles  Hamlin,  b.  Oct.  17,  1817;  m.  May  11,  1842,  Jane,  daughter  of 
James  C.  Cleveland. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  James  Cleveland,  b.  Feb.  9, 1847  ;  d.  Jan.  24,  1848. 

2.  James  Cleveland,  b.  July  12,  1849. 

3.  Lorenzo  Mitchell,!).  April  26,  1851. 
VI.  A  Son,  b.  ;  d.  Feb.'  17,  1822. 

ITarut  Blake,  lived  for  twenty  years  or  more  on  the  west  side  of  the 
north  and  south  road  in  (he  third  tier,  in  the  second  house  south,of  the 
Dugway.  He  moved  to  New  Britain  about  1867,  where  he  soon  died. 
He  married  Oct.  28,  1812,  Hannah  Beach,  daughter  of  Adna. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah  Hamlin  (twin),  b.  July  21,  1813  ;  m.  Aug.  12,  1847,  Giles  L.  Gay- 
lord,  of  Tor. 
II.  Mart  Stanlet  (twin),  b.  July  21,  1813;  m.  Dec.  17,   1851,  John  Moore; 
d.  Aug.  5,  1854. 

III.  Ret.  Henrt  Beach,      b.  May  20,  1817  ;  graduate  of  Williams  College  and 

East  Windsor  Theological  Institute.  He  settled  in  the  ministry  at 
South  Coventry,  1845  ;  afterwards  in  Belchertown,  Mass.,  ami  now  lives 
in  Ncwbern,  N.  C.  He  m.  Sept.  2.3,  1845,  Mary  R.,  daughter  of  Harvey 
Wolcott,  of  West  Springfield.  He  delivered  the  historical  sermon  at  the 
Centennial  Celebration,  in  Winchester,  Aug.  16,  1871. 

IV.  Lucius  Doddridge,  b.  Sept.  9,  1819  ;  m.  March  29, 1S43,  Susan  Griswold, 

resides  in  W.  Hartford. 
27 


210  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

V.  Hannah  H.  (twin),  b.  May  6,  1824. 

VI.  Harriet  H.  (twin),  b.  May  C,  1824  ;  d.  April  4,  1825. 

VII.  George,  b.  April  16,  1826;  m.  Julj  8,  1856,  Lucy  Case;  lives 
at  Indiantown,  Iowa. 

VIII.  Dea.  Elijah  F.,  b.  May  22,  1830;  m.  May  1, 1856,  Julia  M.,  daughter 
of  Jared  Clark. 

IX.  Hubert,  b.  Aug.  31, 1832  ;  d.  June  18,  1841. 

Ithuel  Blake,  removed  in  1818  to  Coventry,  N.  Y.  He  has  for 
many  years  been  deacon  of  a  church  in  that  place.  He  married,  March 
17,  1812,  Wealthy,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Benedict,  and  had  ten  children. 

Deacon  Allen  Blake  lived  at  the  parting  of  the  road  running 
north  by  Abel  S.  Wetmore's  from  the  Old  Country  road,  until  his  death, 
March  10,  1850,  aged  58.  He  succeeded  his  father  in  the  tanning  busi- 
ness, which  he  carried  on  in  the  tannery  on  the  stream  southeast  of  his 
dwelling.  He  was  Deacon  of  the  first  Congregational  Church  for  several 
years  before  his  death.  He  married,  July  9,  1817,  Mabel  Beach,  daugh- 
ter of  Adna. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hervey  Vincent,     b.  June  29,  1818;  m.   Nov.   20,  1844,   Catherine  E. 

Caul ;  she  d.  July  13,  1845,  aged  24. 
II.  Maria  Elizabeth,    b.  April  16,  1822  ;  m.  Hopkins  Barber. 

III.  Samuel  A.,  d.  Dec.  6,  1847,  aged  23. 

IV.  Celia  C,  m.  Denison  Lambert;  d.  Sept.  7,  1849,  aged  23. 
V.  Louisa,  d.  Nov.  16,  1851,  aged  18. 

Capt.  William  Bunnell,  this  year,  succeeded  Eoger  Barber  as 
blacksmith  at  the  center.  He  resided  in  the  house  at  the  parting  of  the 
Norfolk  road  and  the  old  Waterbury  turnpike,  west  of  Theron  Bronson's 
store,  until  his  death,  July  27,  1820,  aged  46. 

Chatjncey  Humphrey,  a  native  of  Simsbury,  came  from  Torrington  this 
year,  and  first  lived  on  the  Deacon  Seth  Hills  place  near  Torrington  line. 
In  1802  he  bought  the  Jonathan  Blake  place,  and  built  a  tinner's  shop  at 
the  south  parting  of  the  Old  Country  and  Waterbury  River  roads.  In 
this  shop  he  afterwards  went  into  trade  in  partnership  with  the  Samuel 
Hurlbuts,  Senior  and  Junior.  From  1810  to  1813  he  kept  tavern  in  the 
yellow  store  building  recently  torn  down,  that  stood  in  front  of  the  new 
store  of  Theron  Bronson.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  was  connected 
with  the  introduction  of  British  goods  to  the  States  from  Canada,  a 
quantity  of  which  were  seized  at  Hartford,  as  smuggled,  thereby  reducing 
him  to  poverty.  He  removed  to  Ohio  in  1816.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
activity,  —  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  address,  —  and  filled  a  large 
space  in  the  society  where  he  lived. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  211 

Asahel  Wells,  from  Farmington  (now  Bloomfield),  a  tanner,  this 
year  bought  from  Daniel  Wells,  the  house  west  of  the  center,  recently 
owned  by  Sage  W.  Grant,  and  the  tannery  on  the  north  side  of  the  road, 
a  little  west  of  the  old  parsonage,  now  owned  by  Leonard  B.  Hurlbut, 
which  he  occupied  until  1807,  when  he  returned  to  Farmington.  He 
afterward  removed  to  Winsted  and  lived  some  three  or  four  years  on  the 
hill  road  to  Colebrook,  near  David  N.  Beardsley's,  and  again  left  the 
town.  He  married,  January  27,  1799,  Mine  Loomis,  daughter  of 
Ichabod. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Almira,  b.  Nov.  1,  1799. 

II.  Sibyl,  b.  Jan.  25,  1801 ;  d.  May  3,  1807. 

III.  Asahel  Harlow,  b.  Feb.  16,  1805. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  were  Benjamin  Whiting,  Jr.,  Giles 
Russell,  Asahel  Wells,  Vine  Utley,  Phineas  Miner,  Timothy  Benedict, 
Jr.,  Benjamin  Wheadon,  Ichabod  Loomis,  Benjamin  Carter,  Chauncey 
Hills,  William  Crocker,  John  Miner,  Jr.,  Miles  Wilkinson,  and  John 
Alvord. 

1799. 

The  Winsted  settlement  had  this  year  assumed  such  proportions,  as  to 
induce  a  vote  of  the  town  "  that  the  Select  men  be  directed  to  appoint 
one  third  of  the  town  meetings  to  be  holden  at  the  house  of  Horace  Hig- 
ley  during  the  pleasure  of  the  town." 

The  opening  of  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  this  year,  from  New  Hart- 
ford to  Sheffield,  Massachusetts,  by  a  new  and  more  direct  route,  avoiding 
as  far  as  practicable  the  high  hills,  and  following  the  course  of  the  streams 
diverted  all  the  long  travel  from  the  old  north  road  over  Wallen's  hill 
and  the  old  south  road  through  old  Winchester. 

The  only  new  comer  of  the  year  was 

John  Beecher,  "  of  Cheshire,"  who  bought  a  house  and  lot  on  the 
Brooks  street  road  next  north  of  Nelson  T.  Loomis,  which  he  owned  un- 
til 1807,  when  the  Church  granted  him  a  letter  of  dismission  to  the 
Church  in  Waterbury. 

1800. 

The  town  votes  of  1800  present  no  matters  of  special  interest.  Joseph 
Preston,  Jr.,  had  died,  leaving  it  to  the  towns  of  Torrington  and  Win- 
chester to  decide  by  litigation,  which  of  the  towns  was  liable  for  his  sup- 
port while  living,  —  anil  a  committee  was  appointed  to  compromise  the 
litigation  or  bring  it  to  a  final  issue.    The  two  towns  had  also  a  boundary 


212  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

question  which  Major  Wetmore  was  appointed  to  settle.  Phineas  Miner, 
Esq.,  was  directed  to  oppose,  or  stave  off,  the  appointment  by  the  County 
Court  of  a  committee  to  lay  a  road  from  Winsted  to  Colebrook;  —  and 
rams  were  prohibited  running  at  iarge  from  August  to  November. 

The  Republican,  or  Jeffersoiiian  party,  was  again  in  the  ascendant  this 
year  in  ihe  election  of  Town  Officers.  The  veteran  'Squire  Alvord,  how- 
ever, breasted  the  storm  and  was  le-elected  Town  Clerk.  A  three  per 
cent,  highway  tax  was  laid.  The  tax  for  town  expenses,  —  other  than 
roads,  —  was  five  mills  on  the  dollar,  which,  if  fully  collected,  would  have 
raised  3171.94. 

The  Society  records  of  the  year  mainly  relate  to  the  dismission  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Booge  from  his  pastoral  charge,  on  his  own  application,  concurred  in 
by  the  Church  and  Society,  which  was  ratified  by  Revs.  Robbins  of  Nor- 
folk, Gillett  of  Torrington,  and  Mills  of  Torringford. 

The  following  notice  of  Mr.  Booge  we  extract,  by  permission  of  its 
author,  from  the  manuscript  account  of  the  Winchester  Church,  which  Rev. 
Frederick  Marsh  furnished  to  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society  : 

"Mr.  Booge  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Northington,  now  the  town  of 
Avon,  March  30,  17G4.  His  father  was  a  clergyman,  and  died  in 
Northington  when  his  sou  was  about  two  years  and  ten  months  old.  He 
continued  under  the  care  of  hi-;  mother  until  fourteen  years  old.  Though 
a  good  reader,  his  education  at  this  time  was  very  limited.  He  then 
began  to  act  for  himself,  and  after  laboring  a  short  time  on  a  farm,  he 
entered  the  American  Army,  as  substitute  for  an  older  brother.  He 
served  principally  at  West  Point.  When  about  18,  he  became  anxious 
to  knowr    what  he    should   do    to  be  saved.     His    convictions  issued  in 

hopeful  conversion His  mind  was  thus  turned  to  the  Gospel 

Ministry,  and  after  struggling  with  various  ditlu  ulties,  he  entered  Yale 
College  at  19,  and  graduated  in  1787.  He  became  the  pastor  of  this 
Church,  January  26,  1791.  His  dismission  took  place  March  20,  1800, 
much  to  the  regret  of  his  people.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel 
by  Springfield  Association,  at  Feeding  Fills,  Mass.  After  preaching  a 
while  at  East  Granville,  Mass.,  then  at  Cornwall,  Ct.,  he  came  to  this 
place.  About  the  time  of  his  settlement  here,  he  was  married  to 
Catharine  Robinson,  daughter  of  Colonel  Timothy  Robin-on,  of  Gran- 
ville, Mass.  The  leading  cause  of  Mr.  B.'s  dismis.-ion  from  here  was  the 
failure  of  his  health,  and  a  strong  conviction  on  his  own  mind  that  it  was 
necessary  to  remove  to  a  new  country.  Soon  after  his  dismission,  Mr. 
B.  removed  to  Vernon,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  After  preaching  in  that 
county  about  two  years,  as  his  health  would  permit,  he  removed  to 
Georgia,  Vt.  After  having  the  charge  of  that  people  eleven  years, 
enjoying  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  labors  blessed  to  the  hopeful  con- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  213 

version  of  many  souls,  he  took  the  pastoral  charge  of  a  congregation  in 
Paris,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  called  Union  Society.  Here  he  labored  twelve 
years,  happily  and  successfully,  enjoying  several  interesting  revivals. 
While  enjoying  peace,  and  the  prospect  of  spending  the  remnant  of  his 
ministerial  life  with  that  people,  a  young  man  of  Hamilton  College, 
professedly  very  good,  was  the  means  of  such  difficulties  among  his  people 
as  led  to  his  dismission. 

"Mr.  B.  was  several  times  employed  as  a  missionary  by  different 
societies,  and  aided  in  forming  many  churches.  He  was  able  in  council, 
and  often  employed  in  aiding  others  with  his  advice,  much  respected  and 
beloved.  He  died  suddenly  in  Clinton,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  his  own 
dwelling,  August  28, 1836,  aged  73  years,  and  five  months  after  the  death 
of  his  wife.     He  exercised  his  ministry  about  forty -four  years. 

"  Most  of  the  above  account  of  Mr.  B.  is  taken  from  a  letter  of  his  son, 
Rev.  Horace  P.  Booge  of  Vernon  Village,  N.  Y. 

"  Mr.  B.  was  in  person  above  the  middle  stature  of  men,  handsome,  had 
a  good  countenance,  pleasant  voice,  and  an  unusually  prepossessing 
appearance.     As  a  preacher  he  was  very  acceptable  and  edifying. 

"  The  kindest  feelings  appear  ever  to  have  existed  between  him  and 
his  people.  His  repeated  visits  and  preaching  since  my  settlement  here 
were  apparently  very  acceptable  and  pleasant  to  the  people,  and  gratify- 
ing to  himself.  His  surviving  parishioners  still  remember  him  with 
interest." 

The  Church  applied  to  the  dismissing  council  for  advice  in  reference 
to  a  successor  of  Mr.  Booge,  and  Rev.  Archibald  Bassett,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College,  in  the  class  of  1796,  was  soon  employed  as  a  candidate, 
and  continued  his  ministrations  as  such  through  the  year. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  Selah  Hart,  Loammi  Mott, 
James  Boyd,  Ezra  Andrews,  Daniel  Andrews,  Jr.,  Levi  Andrews, 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  Merritt  Bull,  Ezra  Doolittle,  and  Roswell  Marshall. 

Benjamin  Wheadon,  supposed  to  be  son  of  Solomon,  of  Winchester, 
is  this  year  certified  as  equipped  for  military  duty,  November  5,  1807  ; 
the  Church  voted  him  a  letter  to  the  Church  in  Hudson,  0. 

Eltakim  Benedict,  son  of  Benjamin,  Senior,  and  a  native  of  the 
town,  came  of  age  in  1799,  and  is  this  year  certified  as  equipped  for 
military  duty.     He  married  November  29,  1798,  Anna  Beebe. 

Lent  Mott,  Jr.,  son  of  Lent,  of  Winchester,  and  native  of  the  town, 
was  this  year  certified  as  equipped  for  military  duty.  He  seems  to  have 
had  no  permanent  residence,  though  he  probably  died  in  the  town.  He 
married  November  16,  1798,  Lucy  Ives. 


214  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Ladra,  b.  November  17,  1799. 

II.  Alma,  b.  April  28,  1800. 

III.  Jerusha,  b.  October  28,  1801. 

IV.  Luct,  b.  August  2,  1803. 
V.  Josiah,  b.  March  28,  1805. 

Silliman  Hubbell  came  from  Danbury  to  Winchester  in  1800, 
and  bought  the  house  and  lot  on  the  south  side  of  Cooper-lane,  or 
Norfolk  Road,  about  one-third  of  a  mile  westerly  of  the  center,  now 
owned  by  his  grandson,  Andrew  E.  Hubbell,  in  which  he  resided  until 
his  death,  July  27,  1847,  aged  83.  He  was  one  of  the  last  and  best 
esteemed  humorists  who  abounded  in  Old  Winchester  at  the  close  of  the 
last  century.  His  descent  from  his  immigrant  ancestor  was  in  the  follow- 
ing line : — 

Richard  Hubbell,'   Senr.,  from  England   in  1647,  to   Fairfield  in 

1664. 
Samuel,2  son  of  Richard. 

Jeptha,3  son  of  Samuel ;  married  Sarah  Brindle  or  Brintnell. 
Silliman,4  their  son,  who  married  1st,  April,  1787,  Hannah  Taylor, 

daughter  of  Timothy  Taylor  of  Bethel,  who  died  January 

12,  1814;  2d,  Nov.,  1815,  Polly,  daughter  of  Wm.  Cham- 

berlin,  who  died  s.  p.  May  6,  1864. 

CHILDREN    BY   FIRST    WIPE. 

I.  Chloe,5  b.  January  25, 178S;  m.  1814,  Norris  Coe.     He  died  s.  p., 

June  25,  1866. 

II.  Ammon,5  b.  April  15,  1790;  m.  ;  died  s.  p.,  August  8,  1823. 

III.  Tolly,5  b.  January  17,  1792;  m.  April  18,  1819,  Ira  Dexter.     She 

died  March  25,  1856. 

IV.  Ira,5  b.  October  10,  1794;  m.  (1),  Irene  Strong;  (2),  —  Hart; 

(3),  Urania   Patton.      Children   by  first  wife:    1.  Henry0;  2.  Mary6; 
3,  Laura.6     By  second  wife  :  1.  Silliman  J.6. 
V.  Lira  an,5  b.  August  28,  1797. 

VI.  Andrew,5  b.   January    17,    1800;   m.   November   16,    1826,   Marian 

Eogers.     He  died  s.  p.,  Charleston,  S.  C,  September  14,  1827. 
VII.  McPherson,5      b.   August  24,    1803;   m.   September  27,   1830,  Minerva 
Seymour. 
VIII.  Anna,5  b.  March  8,  1806;  d.  April  20,  1807. 

IX.  Lyman,5  b.  February  18,  1808;  d.  unmarried  April  19,  1833. 

X.  Silliman,5  b.  February  7,  1810;  d.  September  30,  1826. 

Luman  Hubbell,6  son  of  Silliman,4  married  1st,  June  22,  1881,  Jane 
Munro  Boyd,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  (Munro)  Boyd.  She  died 
January  8,  1836,  aged  22;  2d,  Oct.  7,  1837,  Henrietta,  daughter  of  Benj. 
Jenkins. 


E°£r&sr&d.hyJJ 


s/  c*«o    j^7y  e>t--^-<^- c- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  215 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Andrew  Lyman,6        b.  March  5,  1834;  m.  September  10,  1857,  Martha 
W.  Woodworth  of  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  b.  April  15,  1836. 
II.  James  Boyd,6  b.  March  18,   1836;  m.  September  9,  1858,  Katie 

Amelia  Tew,  b.  December  17, 1836. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Louis  Boyd,7  b.  Mankato,  Minnesota,  July  5,  1859. 

2.  Grace,7  b.  Mankato,  July  11,  1860. 

3.  Henrietta  May,7  b.  Winnebago  Indian  Agency,  May  11,  1862. 

4.  James  Boyd,7  b.  Mankato,  December  22,  1866. 

5.  Andrew  Lyman,7  b.  Mankato,  October  8,   1870. 

CHILD    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Luman  Silliman,0    b.  May  24,  1844;  residing  in  1872  at  Mankato,  Min., 
unmarried. 

Josiah  Cowles  lived  near  Colebrook  line  on  the  Jacklin  road,  from 
1800  to  about  1805. 

Augustus  Humphrey,  last  from  Torringford,  this  year  bought  of 
Elisha  Wilcoxson  the  William  Johnson  farm,  above  the  Dugway,  on  the 
old  Winsted  and  Winchester  road,  where  he  lived  until  1810,  when  he 
sold  to  Abiel  Loomis,  and  left  the  town. 


1800. 

Caleb  Beach,  son  of  Joel,  and  grandson  of  Caleb,  (he  first  settler  of 
the  town,  is  on  the  tax  list  this  year,  and  spent  his  life  in  the  town  ;  his 
residence  not  ascertained.  He  died  March  10,  1851,  aged  72.  He 
married  June  25,  1797,  Sarah  Blakesley. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,  b.  July  3,  1798  ;  d.  December  2,  1804. 

II.  Jonathan,  b.  November  19,  1799. 

III.  William,  b.  January  5, 1802. 

IV.  Seba,  b.  January  8,  1804. 
V.  Caleb,  b.  January  6,  1806. 

VI.  Susanna  Serepta,  b.  December  10,  1807. 

VII.  Hezekiah,  b.  July  13,  1810. 

.VIII.  Sarah,  b.  July  31,  1812. 

IX.  Julia,  b.  April  25,  1815. 

X.  Phebe,  b.  May  26,  1817. 

XI.  Clarissa,  b.  June  2,  1819  ;  m.  December  31,  1837,  Major  Thorp 
of  Barkhamsted. 

Arah  Loomis,  son  of  Epaphras,  lived  from  1800  until  his  death 
(September  10,  1844,  aged  77),  in  the  house  now  occupied  by  Samuel 


216 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


W.  Starks,  on  the  road  turning  west  above  the  Dugway,  and  leading  to 
the  center.  He  married  May  15,  1799,  Margaret  Loomis.  She  died 
September  28,  1841,  aged  69. 


I.  Harriet, 
II.  Mary, 

III.  Harry, 

IV.  Abigail, 
V.  Ruby, 

VI.  Harriett, 

VII.  Lucy  (twin), 

VIII.  Luky  (twin), 


CHILDREN. 

b.  February  4,  1800  ;  d.  March  10,  1807. 

b.  January  27,  1802. 

b.  March  14,  1803 ;  d.  March  26,  1803. 

b.  May  9,  1804. 

b.  April  27,  1806. 

b.  March  16,  1808. 

b.  February  5,  1810. 

b.  February  5,  1810. 


Isaac  Wilcox,  Jr.,  from  Simsbury,  in  1799  bought  a  house  and  land 
near  Colebrook  line,  in  third  tier,  third  division,  near  Richard  Slocum's, 
which  he  conveyed  to  Luther  Phelps  by  a  deed  in  which- he  is  named 
"  of  Pompey,  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y."  He  is  assessed  this  year  as  a 
resident  of  the  town. 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

EARLY  SCHOOLS. 

We  have  found  scant  materials  for  a  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  schools,  and  have  made  no  mention  of  them  hitherto  in  our  Annals, 
preferring  to  bring  together  all  that  we  have  learned  of  their  history  and 
condition  in  a  separate  chapter.  The  first  recorded  action  in  reference 
to  schools  is  found  under  date  of  December  17,  1773,  the  year  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Knapp's  settlement ;  it  was  voted  "  to  raise  two  pence  on  the  pound 
of  the  rateable  estate  for  the  support  of  schools  in  this  [1st]  Society." 
It  was  also  voted  that  the  north  district  begin  at  the  house  now  owned 
by  Medad  Hills,  and  contain  all  the  north  part"  (of  the  society),  "that 
the  west  district  contain  all  the  inhabitants  on  the  west  road  from  the 
crotch  of  the  paths  and  all  west,"  and  "  the  east  district  to  contain  all  the 
rest  of  the  Society ;"  "  that  the  money  raised  by  the  tax  be  divided 
according  to  the  list,  and  that  Warham  Gibbs,  Reuben  Thrall,  Ebenezer 
Preston,  Seth  Hills,  Oliver  Coe,  Samuel  McCune,  Benjamin  Benedict, 
Abram  Andrews,  and  Daniel  Piatt  be  school  committee  ;"  "that  money 
[raised?]  in  each  district  be  laid  out  in  each  district  as  shall  best 
accommodate  the  same,  if  it  shall  be  laid  out  in  the  year ;  if  not  laid  out 
in  the  year,  to  be  returned  to  the  society  treasury." 

The  foregoing  votes  promised  an  excellent  provision  for  the  educa- 
tional interests  of  a  community  that  as  yet  had  only  paths  instead  of 
roads  by  which  to  define  the  limits  of  its  school  districts.  But  unfortu- 
nately at  an  adjourned  meeting,  January  6,  1774,  it  was  voted  "  to 
reconsider  all  the  votes  that  have  been  passed  in  this  meeting  concerning 
schooling."  Here  the  matter  rested,  so  far  as  taxation  and  the  organiza- 
tion of  school  districts  was  concerned,  until  December  2,  1777,  when  it 
was  voted  "  to  raise  two  pence  on  the  pound  on  last  August  list,  to  sup- 
port schools,"  and  Deacon  Seth  Hills,  Ensign  Ozias  Brownson,  Philip 
Priest,  Eliphaz  Alvord,  Captain  Gibbs,  Phineas  Griswold,  Lieutenant 
Benedict,  and  Eleazer  Smith  were  appointed  school  committee. 

Whatever  may  have  been  done  pursuant   to  these  votes,  there  is  no 
record  of  their  repeal,  and  at  the  annual  meeting  in  1778  similar  votes 
were  renewed,  and  a  rate  of  sixpence  on  the  pound  was  granted,  and  a 
collector  in  each  district  appointed  to  collect  the  same. 
28 


218  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

We  have  no  means  of  ascertaining  when  or  where  the  first  school 
houses  were  erected,  or  what  teachers  were  employed,  or  for  what  length 
of  time ;  but  we  have  reason  to  suppose  that  schools  were  first  opened  in 
private  houses  by  voluntary  associations,  and  that  these  were  aided,  but 
not  wholly  sustained,  by  taxation. 

The  next  action  appears  on  the  society  records  in  1786,  when  a  new 
school  district  was  organized,  "  beginning  at  Torrington  line,  by  a  stream 
called  the  Branch,  and  to  extend  up  said  Branch  so  far  as  that  an  east 
line  will  include  Captain  Elmer  [now  Widow  Norris  Coe],  from  thence 
down  y  country  road,  including  Doctor  Everitt  [now  Theron  Bronson], 
John  Nash,  and  all  on  the  north  side  of  said  country  road,  and  to  include 
Phinehas  Griswold's,  from  thence  south  to  Torrington  line,"  and  Jonathan 
Coe  and  Levi  Brownson  were  appointed  district  committee.  This 
description  is  not  very  definite,  but  probably  is  intended  to  designate  the 
district  which  built  about  this  time  the  "  Two-Chimney  School  House  " 
that  stood,  until  burned  down,  in  a  southeast  direction  from  the  burying- 
ground. 

In  1788,  on  the  petition  of  Eliphaz  Alvord,  and  others,  another  dis- 
trict, to  be  called  the  Second  District,  was  organized,  beginning  on  Long 
Lake,  at  the  mouth  of  Sucker  Brook,  and  extending  up  said  brook  to 
the  north  end  of  the  third  tier,  first  division  (near  the  Dugway  school 
house),  then  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  tier,  then  southerly  along  its 
west  line  to  the  southwest  corner  of  Gershom  McCune,  Jr.  (late  Sylvester 
Piatt's)  lot,  thence  easterly  along  his  south  line,  direct  to  Long  Lake, 
and  thence  northerly  along  the  shore  thereof  to  the  mouth  of  Sucker 
Brook. 

In  January,  1790,  we  find  the  following  appointment  of  district  school 
committees  : — 

Samuel  Clark,  who  lived  in  the  Daniel  Murray  house,  for  the  north- 
east district,  which  embraced  the  east  part  of  Danbury  Quarter,  and 
extended  south  to  Mr.  Clark's. 

Andrew  Everitt,  who  lived  in  the  old  Everitt  house,  for  the  north- 
west district,  embracing  the  principal  part  of  Danbury  Quarter. 

Amasa  Wade,  for  the  southwest  district,  embracing  the  territory  west 
of  Branch  Brook,  nearly  as  far  north  as  the  Norfolk  road. 

Captain  Joseph  Elmore,  for  the  southeast  district,  embracing  the 
center  and  the  southern  portion  of  the  society,  lying  west  of  Branch 
Brook,  and  southwest  of  Sucker  Brook. 

Captain  Elisha  Wilcoxson,  who  lived  in  the  William  Johnson  house, 
for  the  second  or  Sucker  Brook  District. 

In  1798,  by  vote  of  the  town,  a  new  district  was  established,  partly 
out  of  Winchester  Society,  and  partly  out  of  Winsted  Society,  the 
boundaries  of  which   were  directed  to   be  placed  on   file   in  the   Town 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  219 

Clerk's  Office,  but  as  no  such  file  is  to  be  found,  its  limits  cannot  be 
ascertained.  It  probably  embraced  the  northern  half  of  the  present 
Sucker  Brook  district,  and  extended  easterly  to  the  Austin  Mill,  or  Mad 
River,  in  Winsted.  The  committee  were — Deacon  David  Austin,  Levi 
Norton,  and  John  Miner. 

In  1792  another  district  was  formed,  embracing  essentially  the  terri- 
tory of  the  present  West  Winsted  district,  there  then  being  no  village  in 
existence,  all  the  inhabitants  living  on  the  Coe  and  Spencer  street  roads 
to  Colebrook,  the  two  roads  there  diverging  from  the  original  school 
house,  which  stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  West  Winsted  school  house, 
and  was  burned  down  about  1808  or  1809. 

In  the  records  of  Winsted  Society,  under  date  of  December  27,  1784, 
we  find  a  vote  that  the  districts  set  off  for  schooling  by  a  committee 
chosen  for  that  purpose  be  established  according  to  their  doings,  but  no 
record  of  the  districts  so  established  is  to  be  found.  October  5,  1785,  a 
tax  of  ''one  penny  halfpenny"  on  the  pound  was  laid  for  the  "  use  of 
schooling,"  but  was  reconsidered  and  annulled  at  an  adjourned  meeting 
on  the  26th  of  the  same  month.  December  8,  1788,  Ebenezer  Rowley, 
and  Ensign  Eleazer  Kellogg  were  appointed  school  committee.  No 
further  reference  to  school  matters  is  found  until  December  8,  1794, 
when  it  was  voted  to  divide  the  society  into  school  districts,  and  a  com- 
mittee was  appointed  for  that  purpose,  who  reported  January  12,  1795. 
The  report  was  accepted  and  placed  on  file,  but  not  recorded,  and  the 
file  is  not  to  be  found. 

In  the  foregoing  minutes  and  extracts  we  have  collated  all  of  the 
essential  doings  of  the  town,  and  of  the  two  societies  prior  to  the  act  of 
General  Assembly,  May  Session,  1795,  which  appropriated  the  interest 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  western  reserve  lands  to  the  support  of  schools  in 
the  several  societies  constituted,  or  which  should  thereafter  be  constituted 
by  law,  and  requiring  such  societies  to  hold  distinctive  meetings,  as  school 
societies,  separate  from  their  meetings  for  ecclesiastical  purposes.  This 
act  left  the  ecclesiastical  societies  as  it  found  them  in  respect  to  their 
religious  functions,  but  invested  them  with  new  and  distinct  powers  as 
school  societies,  so  that  persons  qualified  to  vote  on  school  matters  might 
be  disqualified  as  voters  in  ecclesiastical  matters.  As  a  consequence,  the 
meetings  and  officers  of  each  had  a  distinctive  character,  and  distinctive 
records  were  kept. 

Little  of  detail  is  known  in  respect  to  the  schools  supported  in  the  dis- 
tricts prior  to  the  act  of  1795.  We  know,  however,  that  several  school- 
houses  were  built  in  the  old  society,  and  that  they  swarmed  with  pupils. 
We  know,  too,  that  good  teachers  were  employed,  and  that  the  mass  of 


220  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTEK, 

the  people  were  well  instructed  in   all  the  branches  of  common  school 
education. 

We  have  before  us  some  of  the  early  reminiscences  of  a  lady,*  born  in 
178G,  which  illustrate  the  school  customs  and  mental  culture  at  .the  period 
referred  to,  from  which  we  extract  her  notice  "  of  the  great  day  of  exam- 
inations and  exhibitions,  when  eight  district  schools  assembled  in  the 
large,  unfinished  meeting-house  in  the  winter  of  1793-4. 

"  The  reading  and  spelling  of  the  schools  occupied  the  forenoon,  and  the 
afternoon  was  devoted  to  dramas,  comedies,  orations,  etc.  One  corner  of 
the  church  was  enclosed  in  curtains,  and  each  school  took  its  turn  behind 
the  scenes  to  prepare  for  their  special. exhibitions  on  the  stage. 

"  The  late  Deacon  Levi  Piatt  was  the  teacher  of  the  school  to  which  I 
belonged.  Well  do  I  remember  the  directions  given  by  him  to  the  little 
girls,  as  to  dressing  their  hair  for  exhibition,  viz :  The  night  previous, 
our  mothers  were  to  wet  our  heads  with  home-brewed  beer,  and  our  hair 
was  to  be  combed  and  braided  very  tightly  before  going  to  bed.  In  the 
morning,  the  last  thing  after  we  were  dressed  for  the  exhibition,  the  braids 
were  taken  out,  and  the  hair  lay  in  waving  lines  all  over  our  shoulders. 

"  Among  the  variety  of  things  he  taught  us,  was  the  practice  of  spell- 
ing a  whole  sentence,  all  together,  or  more  particularly  the  first  class. 
The  sentence  to  be  publicly  spelled,  was  :  'Abominable  Bumble  Bee,  with 
his  Tail  cut  off';  but  Mr.  Piatt  thought  best  to  shorten  it  to  'Abomina- 
ble tail  cut  off. ' " 

"  Imagine,  if  you  can,  in  soberness,  a  large,  thoroughly  trained  school- 
class,  spelling,  or  chanting,  before  the  assembled  families  of  the  town,  in 
this  wise : 


A —  there's  your  A. 

B-0 —  there's  your  Bo,  and  your  A-bo. 

M-I —  there's  your  Mi,  and  your  Bo-mi,  and  your  A-bo-mi. 

N-A —  there's  your  Na,  and  your  Mi-na,   and  your  Bo-mi-na, 

and  your  A-bo-mi-na. 
" '  B-L-E —      there's  your  Ble,  and  your  Na-ble,  and  your  Mi-na-ble, 

and  your  Bo-mi-na-ble,  and  your  A-bo-mi-na-ble. 
"  '  T-A-I-L —  there's  your  Tail,  and  your  Ble-tail,  and  your  Na-ble- 
tail,  and  your  Mi-na-ble-tail,  and  your  Bo-mi-na- 
ble-tail,  and  your  A-bo-mi  nable-tail. 
" '  C-U-T —  there's  your  Cut,  and  your  Tail-cut,  and  your  Ble- 
tail-cut,  and  your  Na-ble-tail-cut,  and  your  Bo  mi- 
na-ble-tail-cut,  and  your  A-bo-mi-na-ble-tail-cut. 

*  Mrs.  Nelly  M.  Swift,  daughter  of  Dr.  Josiah  Everitt. 


AND  FAMILY  KECOKDS.  221 

"  '  O-F-F —  there's  your  Off,  and  your  Cut-off,  and  your  Tail-cut- 
off, and  your  Ble-tail-cut-off,  and  your  Na-ble-tail- 
cut-off,  aud  your  Mi-na-ble— tail-cut— off,  and  your 
Bo-mi-na-ble-tail-cut-off,  and  your  A-bo-nii-na- 
ble — tail — cut — off. ' 

"In  the  afternoon,  each  school  had  its  oration,  poem,  dialogue,  comedy 
or  tragedy.  One  of  our  dialogues  was  called  '  Old  Gibber,'  in  which 
the  late  Abel  McEwen,  D.D.,  of  New  London,  took  the  part  of  Old  Gib- 
ber ;  his  wife  was  Charity  Bronson.  Oliver  Marshall,  Seth  Hills,  Jo- 
seph Coit,  and  myself,  had  parts. 

"First  Scene.  —  Old  Gibber  and  wife  talking  about  the  war  —  wife 
stirring  the  hasty  pudding  —  daughter  Betty  (myself)  setting  the  table  — 
John,  the  son,  just  home  from  the  war,  etc. 

"  Another  scene  is  a  bar-room,  with  such  talk  as  we  may  suppose  would 
take  place  there  during  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 

"  The  boj  s  of  this  period  were  remarkable  for  their  successful  imita- 
tions of  every  kind  of  business. 

"  The  late  Samuel  Huidbut,  Senior,  was  Justice  of  the  Peace.  Samuel 
Stanley  (son  of  Dr.  Everitt's  third  wife,  who  died  young),  was  a  lawyer, 
also  Sylvester  Griswold.  Lemuel  'Hurlbut  was  constable,  etc.  Mock 
Courts  were  held  in  my  father's  long  kitchen.  Writs,  attachments,  and 
executions  were  all  made  out  in  due  form.  A  statute  book  of  laws  was 
compiled,  specifying  a  great  variety  of  things  contrary  to  law,  for  which 
culprits  would  be  arrested,  tried,  and  punished  by  imprisonment  for  so 
many  hours,  etc.,  etc.  "Witnesses  were  summoned,  examined,  cross- 
examined,  and  impeached,  etc. 

"  A  newspaper  was  edited  and  published  weekly  by  Samuel  Stanley, 
before  mentioned.  It  was  ruled  in  columns,  had  editorials,  news,  anec- 
dotes, advertisements,  etc.  These  boys,  at  that  time,  were  none  of  them 
over  twelve  years  old  ! " 

These  glimpses  of  the  common  schools  of  that  early  day,  before  any 
School  Fund  existed,  and  of  their  results  in  stimulating  the  mental  activ- 
ity of  the  youth,  seem  almost  incredible. 

In  this  connection,  a  sketch  of  the  first  "  General  Training  "  in  Win- 
chester, by  the  same  lady,  seems  appropriate. 

"  Up  to  this  time  (about  1793)  the  '  Green,'  in  front  of  the  Meeting 
House,  was  ornamented  with  quite  a  number  of  chestnut  stumps,  which 
were  (hen  split  down  and  drawn  out  piecemeal,  by  teams  and  chains,  the 
holes  were  filled  up  and  levelled,  all  the  fences  in  every  direction  were 
removed,  and  the  tables  for  dinner  were  set  in  my  father's  orchard.     Nev- 


222  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

er  shall  I  forget  the  array  of  ladies  in  silks,  satins,  damasks,  and  change- 
able lustrings,  of  all  colors,  as  they  stood  in  a  regular  mass,  directly 
opposite  our  house,  on  the  other  side  of  the  road,  for  it  was  a  new  thing, 
and  all  the  towns  near  contributed  largely  to  this  display  of  female 
beauty  and  rich  dresses.  It  should  be  recollected  that  these  robes  were 
not  worn  every  day,  or  even  once  a  week,  as  they  are  now,  and  were  of  a 
far  richer  material  than  those  flaunted  by  modern  butterfly-belles.  Every 
officer,  and  every  soldier  brought  his  wife,  his  lady-love,  or  his  sister ;  it 
was  the  grand  holiday  of  the  year. 

"  Col.  Ozias  Bronson  commanded  the  regiment,  and  I  remember  his 
coming  to  my  father's  to  ask  for  my  black  ostrich  plumes  to  wear  on  his 
hat.  I  also  recollect  that  when  the  regiment  was  formed  in  a  hollow 
square,  the  colonel  tried  to  find  a  clergyman  to  make  a  prayer,  but  found 
none.  He  then  took  off  his  plumed  cocked  hat,  as  he  sat  on  his  horse, 
and  said  :  '  I  will  pray  ' ;  so  he  did,  and  with  great  propriety. 

"  It  was  customary  for  those  who  had  been  officers  and  soldiers  in  the 
then  late  war,  to  ride  on  horseback,  single  file,  past  the  train  band,  take 
off  their  hats  and  bow  to  the  company,  who  returned  what  was  called  the 
'  General  Salute,'  by  fife  and  drum.  Well  do  I  recollect  seeing  my  father 
at  the  head  of  such  a  procession,  riding  pa*t  Captain  Hurlbut's  company. 
To  play  Indian,  dressed  like  savages,  and  sound  the  '  War-Whoop,'  used 
to  fill  one  with  terror,  for  nothing  was  so  dreadful  in  the  minds  of  children 
as  '  Indians  '  and  '  British  Regulars.' " 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

EMIGRATION  WESTWARD— FAMILY  RECORDS. 
From  1801  to  1811. 

At  the  opening  of  the  nineteenth  century  the  old  society  of  Winchester 
had  reached  or  passed  its  culminating  point,  as  to  population  and  wealth, 
as  well  as  social  institutions.  As  we  have  traced  its  slow  growth,  we  have 
found  it  a  hard  struggle  of  energetic  men  encountering  and  subduing  a 
most  forbidding  and  inhospitable  territory.  Victory  has  crowned  their 
efforts.  A  virtuous,  law-abiding,  God-fearing  community  has  been  organ- 
ized out  of  the  heterogeneous  materials  gathered  from  every  part  of  the 
state.  The  roads  have  been  made,  the  mills  built,  the  church  organized, 
the  minister  settled,  the  meeting  house  erected,  the  schools  organized. 
Blacksmiths,  tanners,  shoemakers,  hatters  and  tailors  have  begun  to  ply 
their  trades,  and  even  the  dancing-master  has  found  a  lodgment,  and  held 
his  assemblies  once  a  fortnight,  during  the  winter  of  1793-4,  at  Captain 
Hurlbut's  tavern. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  labor- worn  denizens  should  now  in  comparative 
ease  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  hard  toils  and  privations.  Such  had  doubt- 
less been  the  fond  hopes  that  cheered  their  exhausting  labors :  for  as  yet 
they  knew  of  no  more  fertile  lands  to  be  possessed  and  enjoyed.  The 
Dutch  settlements  along  the  Hudson,  from  New  York  to  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  then  formed  a  barrier  to  the  westward  march  of  the  Yankee  nation, 
and  they  knew  little  of  the  wilderness  beyond.  As  new  and  improved 
roads  were  projected  from  Schenectady  westward  along  the  Mohawk  to 
Utica  and  onward,  enterprising  men  from  this  and  neighboring  towns  con- 
tracted to  build  them.  They  hired  their  laborers  and  teamsters  mainly 
from  the  Greenwoods  towns,  especially  from  Winchester  and  Torrington. 
These  laborers  bore  no  resemblance  to  the  railroad  gangs  of  our  day. 
They  were  the  elite  of  our  young  and  middle-aged  farmers.  They  went 
on  a  service  not  unlike  a  military  expedition,  camping  out  and  working 
their  toilsome  way  through  the  German  Flats  to  the  virgin  soil  of  Oneida 
county.  They  found  it  "a  goodly  land,  a  land  of  brooks  of  water,  of 
fountains  and  depths  that  spring  out  of  vallies  and  hills,  a  land  of  wheat 
and  barley,  a  land  wherein  they  should  eat  bread  without  scarceness,  and 
should  not  lack  anything  in  it." 


224  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

It  was  a  region  of  beauty  and  fertility,  well  calculated  to  excite  the 
desires  of  the  hard-working  and  ill-compensated  farmers  of  Western  Con- 
necticut to  better  their  lot,  and  to  make  them  discontented  with  their  own 
hard-featured,  unproductive  region.  The  spirit  of  emigration  was  again 
aroused.  The  men  who  had  subdued  the  rugged  hill  sides  of  Northern 
Litchfield  county  bad  accomplished  labors,  compared  with  which  the  clear- 
ing and  bringing  into  cultivation  the  rich  rolling  lands  of  "  the  Oneida 
Country  "  was  a  mere  pastime.  They  began  to  sell  their  newly-cleared 
lands  before  the  stumps  had  decayed  from  their  meadows,  and  to  move 
away  to  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  and  to  the  shores  of  Oneida,  Cayuga, 
and  Seneca  lakes. 

All  the  new  towns  of  Litchfield  county  were  seriously  retarded  in  their 
growth  by  this  first  emigration  westward,  and  not  one  of  them  so  irre- 
trievably as  Old  Winchester.  The  old  inhabitants  speak  of  it  as  "the 
Great  Exodus."  The  Banbury  Quarter,  which,  prior  to  this  movement, 
was  thickly  settled,  in  a  few  years  became  almost  deserteil,  and  has  not  to 
this  day  recovered  from  the  exhausting  drain  of  its  inhabitants.  Nume- 
rous old  chimney  places  line  the  lonely  roads  where,  in  1800,  large  fami- 
lies were  reared,  and  school  houses  crowded.  The  late  Dr.  T.  8.  Wet- 
more  is  said  to  have  counted  up  the  remains  of  more  than  sixty  chimneys, 
within  the  society,  where  the  houses  had  never  been  rebuilt. 

While  many  valued  inhabitants  were  thus  abandoning  the  town,  immi- 
grants were,  to  some  extent,  filling  their  places,  whose  names,  residences, 
&c,  we  propose  to  continue  through  another  decade,  connecting  therewith, 
as  heretofore,  the  doings  of  the  town  and  society. 

The  year  1801  is  made  memorable  by  the  election  of  Thomas  Jefferson 
to  the  presidency,  and  also  by  the  occurrence  of  the  great  flood,  which 
took  his  name  in  commemoration  of  the  coincident  events.  The  flood  was 
one  of  unprecedented  magnitude,  carrying  away  nearly  all  the  bridges, 
and  doing  other  heavy  damages  throughout  this  region.  An  extra  tax  of 
five  mills  on  the  dollar  was  laid  for  replacing  and  repairing  the  bridges  of 
the  town. 

In  society  meeting  a  call  was  voted  to  Rev.  Archibald  Ba^sett,  and  a, 
salary  offered  him  of  one  hundred  pounds  ($333.33),  one-half  "in  mer- 
chantable pork,  or  beef,  or  butter,  or  cheese,  or  English  grain,  or  Indian 
corn,  or  Wool,  or  Flax,  if  delivered  by  the  first  of  each  year,  at  current 
market  prices."  This  not  being  accepted,  the  society  proposed  ninety-five 
pounds  and  twenty-five  cords  of  wood ;  and  finally  agreed  to  pay  one 
hundred  pounds,  and  to  furnish  wood  as  they  had  done  to  the  former  pas- 
tor. On  these  terms  the  call  was  accepted,  and  the  union  was  consum- 
mated by  an  ordination,  of  which  no  minute  is  found,  either  in  the  Church 
or  society  records. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  225 

The  Waterbury  River  Turnpike,  running  through  Colebrook  and  Win- 
chester, and  then  down  the  Naugatuck  valley,  was  chartered  this  year,  and 
soon  after  was  opened.  It  crossed  the  Green  Woods  turnpike  at  the 
Crocker  house,  passed  through  Winchester  Centre  village,  and  thence 
southerly  to  and  along  the  Naugatuck  branch  to  Wolcottville.  Much 
benefit  to  stockholders  and  travelers  was  anticipated,  but  was  never  re- 
alized. Its  income  in  course  of  years  ceased  to  pay  expenses,  and  about 
1850  the  company  threw  open  their  gates  and  surrendered  their  charter. 

Richard  Becklet,  from  Berlin,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year;  he  lived 
and  died  on  the  cross-road  or  lane  north  of  the  Little  Pond,  in  the  house 
now  occupied  by  his  son,  Daniel  Beckley.  He  was  father  of  Richard 
Beckley  of  Norfolk,  Daniel  and  Norris  Beckley  of  this  town,  and  a 
daughter,  who  went  West  about  1815.  His  wife  Susanna  (Wilcox),  died 
March  31,  1828,  aged  62 ;  he  died  May  2,  1841,  aged  82. 

Richard  Beckley,  Jr.,  married  October  16,  1825,  Sabrina  Spicer; 
she  died  and  he  married  (2d)  March  16,  1834,  Mary  Cook  of  Colebrook. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Elisha  Morgan,  b.  April  — ,  1827  (son  of  Sabrina). 
II.  Jane,  b.  September  16,  1828  (dau.  of  Sabrina). 

III.  Julia  Sabrina,  b.  March  4,  1833  (dau.  of  Sabrina). 

IV.  William  Edmund,  b.  July  2,  1837  (son  of  Mary). 

Roger  Cook,  son  of  Aaron,  of  Winchester,  is  on  this  year's  list, 
though  according  to  the  record  of  his  birth  only  twenty  years  old.  He 
lived  in  town  —  the  place  of  residence  not  ascertained —  until  about  1810. 

Abel  Tibballs  and  Jane,  his  wife,  this  year,  bought  the  farm  in 
Danbury  quarter  now  owned  and  occupied  by  their  grand-son,  George 
Tibballs.  She  died  on  this  farm,  October  5,  1809,  aged  58,  after  which  he 
married  (2d)  Anna,  daughter  of  Eliphaz  Alvord,  and  lived  until  his  death 
(April  6,  1822,  aged  71,)  in  the  house  that  stood  on  the  east  side  of  the 
north  and  south  Dugway  road,  opposite  the  parting  of  the  road  westerly 
to  the  center. 

Nathan  Tibballs,  son  of  Abel,  occupied  the  original  homestead  un- 
til a  few  years  before  his  death.     He  married  Rebecca  Green. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  George. 
II. 

III.  Huldah  Rebecca,  b.  Jan.  6,  1821  ;  m.  May  20,  1841,  Riley  A.  Grant,  of 

Norfolk. 

IV.  Nathan,  d.  April  1,  1841,  aged  18. 
V.  Sarah,     d.  April  1,  1842,  aged  15. 

29 


226  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Nehemiah  Bailey  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year,  and  owned  and  oc- 
cupied from  1802  to  1803  a  lot  of  land  on  the  old  South  Country  road, 
near  Torrington  line. 

The  severity  of  the  contest  between  the  Federal  and  Republican  parties 
is  indicated  by  the  number  of  new  electors  admitted  this  year.  They 
were  Abijah  Wilson,  Jr.,  Wm.  Filley,  James  Gilbert,  Newell  Haydon, 
Eli  Andrews,  Levi  Daw,  Levi  Filley,  Jonathan  Douglass,  Elijah  Bene- 
dict, Lorrin  Sweet,  Cyrus  Butrick,  Anson  Cook,  Reuben  Rowley,  Joseph 
Ellsworth,  Levi  Fox,  Joel  Wright,  Jesse  Porter,  John  C.  Riley,  Obadiah 
Piatt,  Levi  Hoyt,  Reuben  Scovill,  Joseph  Mitchell,  Luther  Holcomb, 
Daniel  Wilcox,  David  Holmes,  Ebenezer  Rowley,  Stephen  Knowlton, 
Samuel  Wetmore,  3d,  Orrin  Bronson,  Stephen  Hart,  John  C.  Barber, 
Moses  Hatch,  Nathaniel  Hoyt,  Micajah  Hoyt,  John  Wetmore,  Joseph 
Cook,  Isaac  Bronson,  Chauncey  Bronson,  Eden  Benedict,  Joseph  Pres- 
ton, Amasa  Wade,  Andrew  Pratt,  Anson  Allen,  Lyman  Doolittle,  Ozias 
Spencer,  Zenas  Wilson,  Stephen  Hurlbut,  Abel  McEwen,  Levi  Coy, 
Lloyd  Andrews,  Asahel  Morse,  Isaac  Wade,  Eliphalet  Mills,  Nathaniel 
Smith,  Wm.  Westlake,  and  William  Chickley.     Total,  56. 


1802. 

The  political  feature  of  this  year  was  the  defeat  of  the  Jefferson  party 
and  the  restoration  of  the  Federal  party  to  the  supremacy. 

The  town  and  society  records  embrace  only  routine  business. 

Mathew  Adams,  from  Simsbury,  this  year  bought  a  farm  on  both 
sides  of  the  Winchester  and  Torrington  line,  partly  in  the  third  tier,  first 
division,  on  which  he  resided  forty-seven  years.  In  1849  his  house  was 
burned  down,  and  he  soon  after  removed  to  Granville,  Ohio,  where  he 
died  September  24,  1863,  aged  93. 

He  lived  and  died  without  an  enemy  ;  —  yet  he  was  a  man  with  decided 
traits  of  character.  Integrity  and  kindness  marked  all  his  dealings  and 
intercourse.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen,  often  employed  in  town 
affairs,  and  five  times  elected  to  the  Assembly.  He  was  born  in  Sims- 
bury,  October  8,  1770,  son  of  Matthew  and  Keziah  Adams.  Married  Bet- 
sey Coe,  of  Simsbury,  by  whom  he  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mathew,  who  went  while  a  young  man  to  Gayaraas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  d.  on  the  Pacific  Coast  within  ten  or  fifteen  years  past. 
II.  Susan,  ;  m.  Coleman,  of  Ohio. 

III.  Zelotes,  who  lived  and  died  in  Georgia. 

IV.  Gatlord,  who  lived  and  died  in  Granville,  Ohio. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  227 

V.  Betsey,  who  m.  Atwood,  and  died  in  Ohio. 

VI.  Normand,   residing  in  Winsted,  who  m.  Betsey,  daughter  of  Dr.  Luman 
Wakefield. 
VII.  Marcia  Ann,  who  died  in  Winsted  unmarried. 
VIII.  John,  who  lived  and  died  in  Georgia. 
IX.  Oscar,  now  residing  in  Portage,  N.  Y. 

Theodore  Bailey,  probably  from  Goshen,  this  year  bought  the  farm 
lately  owned  by  John  A.  Bidwell,  on  the  Waterbury  River  turnpike,  in 
Danbury  quarter,  and  lived  on  it  a  few  years.  He  was  "  of  Goshen  "  in 
1807,  and  of  Bath,  Steuben  County,  New  York,  in  1817. 

Timothy  Bailey  bought  of  Theodore  above,  part  of  the  Bidwell  farm 
and  other  adjoining  lands,  on  which  he  lived  until  1807,  or  later. 

Ithamar  Bailey,  described  "  of  Winchester,"  this  year  bought  thirty 
acres  of  land  with  a  dwelling-house  thereon,  now  a  part  of  the  Bidwell 
farm,  and  sold  it  in  1803. 

James  Barton,  a  hatter,  resided  in  Winchester,  and  this  year  bought 
the  house  at  the  north  angle  of  the  road  running  east  from  the  center  and 
the  north  and  south  Dugway  road,  and  sold  it  in  1804. 

William  Chickley,  a  blacksmith,  this  year  bought  a  lot  near  Goshen 
line,  in  Danbury  quarter,  and  sold  it  in  1805.  He  afterwards  bought 
and  lived  on  a  place  between  N.  T.  Loomis  and  Asaph  Brooks,  on  the 
east  side  of  Brooks  street,  which  he  sold  in  1813.  He  married,  March 
28,  1802,  Hannah  Moore. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Harriet,  b.  March  16,  1803.  II.  William,  b.  Jan.  1,  1806. 

Jonas  Ell  well,  a  blacksmith,  is  listed  this  year  in  the  old  Society. 
He  afterwards  lived  in  the  "  old  mill  house  "  on  Lake  street,  in  Winsted, 
until  1805  or  1806,  working  in  a  blacksmith  shop  then  standing  on  the 
west  side  of  Lake  street,  nearly  opposite  the  mill  house.  He  removed 
to  Barkhamsted  or  New  Hartford.  One  of  his  sons  was  drowned  by 
falling  from  the  Kingdom  bridge  into  the  Farmington  River  in  New 
Hartford. 

Benjamin  Payne,  named  "of  Bolton,  Tolland  County,"  this  year 
bought  the  house  and  saw-mill  property  on  Mad  River,  immediately  south 
of  the  Danbury  school -house,  and  sold  the  same  in  November,  1803,  to 
Oliver  Smith.  He  probably  then  left  the  town.  The  house  and  saw-mill 
have  long  since  disappeared. 


228  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Phinehas  Warren,  2d,  from  Saybrook,  this  year  bought  of  Samuel 
Clark,  the  farm  on  the  old  Winsted  and  Winchester  road,  late  owned  by 
Daniel  Murray,  and  sold  the  same  to  Reuben  Marshall,  in  November, 
1806, —  probably  then  leaving  the  town. 

Jesse  Horton,  "of  Winchester,"  this  year  bought  the  Jonathan 
Blake  house  at  the  center,  and  sold  it  to  Mr.  Blake  in  1812.  He  then 
bought  and  occupied,  until  1823,  the  Samuel  A.  McAlpine  place,  half  a  mile 
south  of  the  center,  on  the  Waterbury  River  road.  The  Church  voted 
him  a  letter  to  the  Church  in  Trumansburg,  New  York,  May  15,  1825. 
He  had  wife,  Lydia,  and 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia,  b.  July  10,  1804. 

II.  Harriet  Rebecca,  b.  Aug.  6,  1810. 

III.  Willis  Dorrance,  b.  Jan.  11,  1814. 

IV.  Henry  Bishop,  b.  Sept.  1,  1819. 

The  freemen  admitted  and  sworn  this  year  were  Deacon  Josiah  Smith, 
Nathaniel  Balcom,  Michael  Grinnell,  Silliman  Hubbell,  Abel  Stannard, 
Levi  Ackley,  Gideon  Hall,  Asher  Rowley,  Levi  Norton,  Jr.,  John  Wet- 
more,  Jr.,  David  Coe,  Moses  Camp,  Samuel  Camp,  Salmon  Treat, 
Horace  Eggleston,  Reynold  Wilson,  Josiah  Apley,  Arah  Loomis,  John 
Deer,  Elijah  Starks,  Hawley  Oakley,  Fisher  Case,  Rums  Grinnell,  James 
Henshaw,  Ezra  Rockwell,  Truman  Smith,  Phinehas  Warner,  Rufus 
Holmes,  and  Roswell  Grant. 


1803. 

The  records  of  the  town  and  society  this  year  embrace  only  routine 
business. 

Allen  Burr,  who  lived  in  a  hipped-roof  house,  now  torn  down,  on 
the  road  east  of  the  Little  Pond,  nearly  opposite  the  lane  to  Daniel  Beck- 
ley's,  married,  January  27,  1803,  Anna  Wade.  He  died  June  22,  1806, 
aged  27. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Almira,  b.  Dec.  24,  1803;  m.  Oct.  17,  1821,Marova  Seymour. 
II.  Amasa,    b.  Oct.  24,  1805. 

John  Hamilton  from  Goshen,  owned  a  hundred-acre  lot  on  both 
sides  of  Waterbury  River  turnpike,  immediately  north  of  the  J.  A. 
Bidwell  farm,  from  1803  to  1806,  and  is  not  afterwards  found  on  the 
records. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  229 

Jupiter  Mars,  a  colored  man  from  Norfolk,  bought  a  small  lot  at  the 
west  end  of  the  Amanda  Church  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  1805, 
and  then  bought  thirty  acres  of  land  on  the  Waterbury  turnpike,  now 
owned  by  the  heirs  of  Quashe  Potter,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  return 
to  Norfolk  in  1809. 

Jupiter  was  originally  a  slave  in  Dutchess,  or  Ulster  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  bought  as  such  by  a  Reverend  Mr.  Thompson,  a  resident  of  Virginia, 
who  brought  him  to  Canaan,  Conn.,  and  there  married  him  to  a  female 
slave,  whom  lie  brought  from  Virginia,  and  placed  the  married  pair  in 
charge  of  the  farm  on  which  his  aged  parents  resided.  They  took  good 
care  of  the  old  people,  but  did  not  make  the  farm  pay.  Their  reverend 
master  returning,  and  finding  the  state  of  things,  took  measures  for  carry- 
ing them  back  with  him  to  Virginia.  They  found  out  his  design,  and  fled 
with  their  children  to  the  woods  of  Norfolk,  where  the  few  families  around 
their  place  of  refuge  fed  and  concealed  them.  Mr.  Thompson  finding  it 
impossible  to  get  hold  of  them,  or  carry  them  out  of  the  state,  finally 
arranged  that  the  two  oldest  boys  should  be  sold  within  the  county  until 
twenty-five  years  old,  when  by  law  their  slavery  would  end,  and  that 
Jupiter  and  his  wife  should  at  once  go  free. 

Joseph,  the  oldest  boy,  died  before  he  was  twenty-five ;  James,  the 
other  boy,  at  twenty-one  years  of  age  told  his  master  he  would  be  a  slave 
no  longer,  and  finally  arranged  to  pay  him  ninety  pounds  for  his  remain- 
ing five  years  of  slavery,  which  he  earned  and  fully  paid. 

The  family  thus  freed  from  slavery  proved  worthy  of  the  boon. 
Jupiter,  the  father,  was  a  burly,  jovial  man,  fond  of  good  eating  and 
drinking,  and  disposed  to  enjoy  life  as  it  moved  on.  Fanny,  the  mother, 
was  the  best  cook  in  the  region,  and  a  most  estimable  woman.  The 
children  had  a  high  degree  of  self-respect  and  refinement.  James,  the 
slave  boy,  became  deacon,  first  of  the  Zion  African  Church,  at  Hartford, 
and  afterwards  of  the  African  Church,  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.  John,  a 
younger  son,  became  a  Methodist  preacher  in  Worcester  Co.,  Mass.,  and 
afterwards  served  in  the  late  war,  first  as  chaplain  of  a  colored  regiment, 
in  North  Carolina,  and  afterward  as  minister  among  the  freed  men. 
Elizabeth,  one  of  the  daughters,  was  educated  at  Philadelphia,  and  went 
out  as  a  teacher  to  Liberia,  where  she  married,  and  is  still  employed  in 
teaching.  A  daughter  of  her  brother  James  has  since  joined  her  in  the 
same  capacity.  Sherman,  another  son,  was  a  sailor  out  of  Stonington  for 
many  years  before  his  death.  Three  other  daughters,  two  of  them 
still  living,  have  ever  commanded  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  them. 

Oliver  Smith  from  Southwick,  Mass.,  this  year  bought  and  occupied 
a  house  and  lot  on  the  south  side  of  Mad  River,  on  the  road  running 
south  from  the  Danbury  school   house.     He  afterward  bought  and  occu- 


230  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

pied  the  red  house  next  west  of  the  Green  Woods  turnpike  toll  gate, 
until  about  1816,  when  he  removed  to  Tyringham.  He  became  a 
Methodist  exhorter,  but  had  not  attained  to  the  priesthood  when  he  left 
here. 

In  his  zeal  for  purity  and  good  morals,  he  was  so  exceedingly  scan- 
dalized one  day  by  the  sight  of  Old  Holcomb  passing  along  the  road 
with  his  beloved  fiddle  on  his  shoulder,  that  he  incited  a  reckless  neigh- 
bor to  seize  the  profane  instrument  and  dash  it  to  pieces.  Holcomb  sued 
him  as  principal  in  the  trespass,  and  made  him  pay  heavily  for  his 
iconoclasm. 

Daniel  Rice  is  assessed  this  year,  but  probably  lived  in  the  town 
earlier,  as  he  had  by  wife  Anna,  a  son,  named  Chester,  born  October  24, 
1801. 

The  electors  admitted  and  sworn  were  as  follows : — Phinehas  Reed, 
Amos  Hungerford,  Joel  Kimberly,  Elisha  Kimberly,  Samuel  Hoadley, 
Ransley  Bull,  Ithamar  Bailey,  Jacob  Seymour,  Stephen  Wade,  Stephen 
Gaylord,  James  Barton,  William  Phillips,  Nathan  Potter,  Timothy 
Bailey,  and  Eli  Marshall. 

1804. 

The  town  and  society  meetings  of  this  year  were  confined  to  routine 
business. 

The  electors  admitted  were : — Daniel  Coe,  Daniel  Mills,  and  Elihu 
Everitt. 

Elihu  Everitt,  son  of  Andrew  of  Winchester,  came  of  age  this 
year,  and  seems  to  have  lived  on  the  Norfolk  road,  near  the  west  line  of 
the  town,  from  this  year  to  1809  or  later,  and  is  named  of  Vernon,  N.  Y., 
in  a  deed  of  1812.  He  married  Roxy,  daughter  of  John  Marshall  of 
Winchester,  as  appears  by  the  same  deed. 

Isaac  Jackltn  came  into  the  town  this  year,  and  resided  until  his 
death  (May  13,  1834,  aged  90),  on  a  farm  in  Danbury  Quarter,  still 
owned  by  his  descendants,  and  now  occupied  in  part  by  Noah  Barber. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  a  servant  of  Secretary  Wyllys  of  Hartford,  from 
whom  he  ran  away  before  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  took  refuge  in  the 
Ragged  Mountain  region  of  Barkhamsted.  Here  he  won  the  heart  of  a 
daughter  of  Chaugum,  the  head  or  chief  of  the  Narragansett  Indians,  who 
held  their  council  fire  at  the  "  Light  House,"  but  could  not  get  Chaugum 
to  sanction  their  marriage ;  so  they  ran  away,  got  married,  settled  down 
in  Danbury  Quarter,  made  baskets,  and  raised  children,  of  whom  John 
was  the  oldest,  and  lived  and  died  (November  21,  1850,  aged  58),  on  the 
paternal  farm,   leaving   several  children,  among  whom  were   Isaac  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  231 

Colebrook  and  Samuel  of  Pennsylvania,  or  elsewhere.  A  daughter  of 
Mrs.  (Chaugum)  Jacklyn  married  into  the  family  of  Elwells,  who,  in 
conjunction  with  the  Wilsons,  still  linger  around  the  Light  House,  occa- 
sionally lighting  up  the  old  council  fires. 

Seth  Porter  from  Goshen,  this  year  owned  and  lived  in  a  house  on 
the  west  side  of  Brooks  Street,  somewhere  near  the  old  Everitt  place, 
and  the  next  year  removed  to  the  Luman  Munsill  house,  near  the  center, 
and  soon  after  left  the  town. 

Isaac  Sweet,  son  of  Peleg,  and  a  native  of  the  town,  came  of  age 
this  year.  He  owned  twenty- five  acres  of  the  southwest  part  of  his 
father's  farm,  until  1807,  and  probably  removed  soon  afterwards  with  his 
father  to  the  Western  Reserve,  O. 

1805. 

In  society  meeting,  December  30,  1805,  "the  question  being  put  to 
said  meeting  by  the  moderator,  on  motion  made  and  seconded,  does  this 
meeting  feel  satisfied  with  Mr.  Bassett,  as  their  minister  ? — and  it  was 
voted  in  the  negative,"  whereupon  a  committee  was  directed  to  wait  on 
Mr.  B.  and  inform  him  of  this  vote,  and  to  report  the  result  of  their  con- 
ference to  an  adjourned  meeting,  on  January  6,  1805. 

The  freemen  admitted  this  year  were : — Luther  Hoadley,  Oliver  Smith, 
Timothy  Porter,  Jasper  Videto,  and  Benjamin  Johnson. 

James  Beebe,  Esq.,  son  of  Colonel  Bezaleel  Beebe  of  Litchfield,  is 
this  year  assessed  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  town.  He  lived  on  the 
McEwen  homestead  from  this  time  until  1838,  soon  after  which  he 
removed  to  Hartford,  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  where  he  died  in  1865. 
He  was  a  man  of  the  old  puritan  stamp,  prominent  in  town  and  church ; 
was  a  justice  of  the  peace  for  many  years,  a  representative  at  three 
sessions  of  the  assembly,  and  senator  from  the  15th  district  in  1836  and 
1837.  He  married  May  29,  1800,  Abi,  second  daughter  of  Robert 
McEwen. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia  Frances,  b.  May  24,  1801 ;  m.  June  26,  1827,  Darius  Phelps 

of  Norfolk. 
II.  Elizabeth  Garrett,   b.    February    13,    1803;    m.   November  7,    1826, 
Birdsey  Brownson  of  Winchester. 
in.  Sarah,  b.  July  3,   1805;  m.  May  12,  1829,  Doctor  Benj. 

Welch,  Jr.,  of  Norfolk. 
IV.  Robert  McEwen,  b.  August  17,  1807  ;  d.  December  28, 1807. 

V.  Mary,  b.  April  8,  1809  ;  d.  June  23,  1838. 

VI.  Robert  McEwen,  b.  April  28,  1811.     Physician,  Hartford,  O. 

VII.  James  Hervet,  b.  August  8,  1813. 

VIII.  Ebenezer,  b.  May  27,  1818. 


232  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Jared  Curtis,  of  Pompey,  State  of  New  York,  m.  Dec.  27,  1801, 
Submit  Hubbard,  daughter  of  Elijah  Hubbard  of  W.  He  received  a  deed 
this  year,  from  his  father-in-law,  of  his  homestead,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Bronson  &  Rugg  cheese  box  factory,  and  resided  on  the  premises  until 
1816,  when  he  bought  the  Rufus  Drake  farm,  in  Hall  Meadow,  which  he 
occupied  until  1823.     He  died  in  Norfolk,  Jan.  1,  1861,  aged  81. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sylvia,  b.  in  Fabius,  Onondaga  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  17,  1802. 

II.  True  Worthy  (son),  b.  Oct.  14,  1804. 

III.  Jane   Wyllys,  b.  Aug.  17, 1806. 

IV.  Chester,  b.  Aug.  25,  1808. 
V.  Hiram,                             b.  Aug.  19,  1810. 

VI.  Daniel,  b.  Aug.  12,  1812. 

VII.  Emilia,  b.  May  24,  1815. 

VIII.  Lorrain,  b.  Oct.  23,  1817. 

IX.  Berona  (dan.),  b.  Feb.  16,  1819. 

X.  Ledelia,  b.  April  4,  1822. 

Levi  Hoyt  lived  in  a  house  on  the  north  side  of  Mad  River,  and  east 
side  of  the  north  and  south  highway,  near  the  Danbury  School-house, 
until  1807.     In  1811  he  lived  in  Litchfield. 

Elijah  Pinney,  this  year  lived  in  Winchester,  and  was  "  of  Bark- 
hamsted,"  in  1814,  when  he  bought  the  Harry  Blake  farm,  on  the  old 
road  from  Winded  to  Winchester,  on  which  he  resided  until  1835,  when 
he  removed  to  Erie,  Penn.,  and  died  there.  His  widow,  Mahala,  died  in 
Colebrook,  in  January,  1866,  at  the  house  of  her  son-in-law,  Ralzemon 
Phelps. 

Isaac  Tucker,  son  of  Reuben,  of  W.,  and  a  native  of  the  town, 
came  of  age  this  year.  He  m.  Nov.  5,  1805,  Pamelia  Benedict.  In 
1811,  he  became  the  owner  of  his  father's  homestead  on  Mad  River,  near 
Norfolk  line,  which  he  occupied  until  about  1827.  He  died  some  ten 
years  later. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Phinehas  Jddd,  b.  May  17,  1807. 

II.  Anna,  b.  June  8,  1809. 

III.  Timothy  Benedict,  b.  Dec.  29,  1811. 

IV.  Willard,  b.  May  22,  1815. 
V.  Wyllys,  b.  March  26,  1817. 

VI.  Sarah  Pamela,  b.  Oct.  16,  1820. 

VII.  Isaac,  b.  Sept.  26,  1827. 

Chauncey  White,  a  tailor,  lived  until  about   1810,  on   the  Norfolk 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  233 

road,  beyond  L.  B.  Hurlbut's,  and  then  built  and  occupied  a  small  house 
that  stood  near  the  stone  house  of  Isaac  A.  Bronson,  until  about  1813, 
when  he  removed  from  the  town. 


180G. 

Either  the  "  fathers  of  the  town  "  had  heretofore  received  the  honor  of 
their  appointment  as  a  sufficient  compensation,  or  they  had  charged 
a  higher  price  for  services  than  their  constituents  approved,  as  would 
seem  from  a  vote  of  this  year,  "  to  allow  some  compensation  to  select  men 
for  their  services,"  and  another  vote  fixing  the  compensation  at  fifty  cents 
a  day. 

The  geese  of  the  town,  perhaps  by  reason  of  affinity  to  the  selectmen, 
seemed  to  have  been  deemed  worthy  of  "  some  compensation,"  which  was 
provided  for  by  the  following  vote : 

"  Voted,  that  every  goose  found  in  the  highway,  if  any  person  shall 
take  up  such  goose,  and  drive  the  same  to  the  owner,  or  to  pound,  shall 
be  entitled  to  receive  two  cents  for  each  goose  or  gander."  * 

Manifestations  of  discontent,  on  the  part  of  the  Church  and  Society, 
with  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Bassett,  began  to  appear  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1805.  Early  in  1806,  Mr.  B.  was  requested  to  join  in  the  call  of  a 
council  with  reference  to  his  dismission.  Further  steps  were  taken  in 
April,  which  resulted  in  the  call  of  a  council,  consisting  of  Rev.  Messrs. 
Bobbins  of  Norfolk,  Hooker  of  Goshen,  and  Lee  of  Colebrook,  and  Dea- 
cons Norton  and  Frisbie,  "  to  advise  such  measures  as  they  in  their  wis- 
dom should  think  proper."  The  advice  given  does  not  appeal'.  In  May, 
following,  a  vote  of  very  questionable  propriety  was  passed,  appointing  a 
committee  "  to  enquire  of  any  person  they  may  think  proper,  whether 
any,  and  if  any,  what  allegations  can  be  brought  and  substantiated  against 
Mr.  Bassett's  moral  conduct  as  a  gospel  minister  or  a  Christian."  After 
the  report  of  this  committee,  a  series  of  allegations  were  embodied  in  a 
complaint,  and  submitted  to  the  moderator  of  Consociation.  The  Con- 
sociation met  in  August.  Neither  the  charges  exhibited,  nor  the  result  of 
council  thereon,  are  found  on   Record.     Mr.  Bassett  was   dismissed   from 

*  That  this  was  not  a  solitary  instance  of  ambiguous  legislation,  is  shown  by  the 
following  extract  from  the  records  of  Simsbury  : 

'  At  a  Generall  Town  metting  of  the  Inhabetanc  of  Simsbury,  Regulerly  convened 
febuery  twenty-eight,  1718-19,  these  Sundery  acts  were  past :  Imrprs:  Samuel  har- 
bor was  chosen  to  take  care  to  prowide  a  bull  for  hop  meadow  in  the  Room  of  Ephraim 
buell  said  buell  being  dead." 

30 


234  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

his  charge,  but  was  not  deposed  from  the  ministry.  In  the  following  year 
he  brought  before  the  Association  (or  Consociation)  a  complaint  against 
the  Church,  exhibiting  eleven  articles  of  charge  for  immoral  conduct 
toward  him.  The  church  went  into  consideration  of  each  of  the  articles 
of  charge,  and  unanimously  denied  their  being  guilty  of  each  and  all  of 
them.  The  church  records  do  not  show  the  nature  of  the  charges,  nor 
the  result  arrived  at  by  Consociation ;  and  the  record  of  the  trial,  and 
result  of  that  body,  if  in  existence,  has  not  been  accessible  to  the  com- 
piler. 

Rev.  Mr.  Marsh,  in  his  account  of  the  Winchester  Church,  before 
referred  to,  writes  as  follows  : 

"  Mr.  Bassett  removed  to  Walton,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.  How  long  he 
continued  pastor  of  that  church  is  not  known  to  the  writer.  After  his 
dismission  from  that  people,  he  preached  considerably  in  various  places, 
but  continued  his  residence  at  Walton. 

"  He  was  a  man  of  talents,  had  a  high  standing  in  a  good  class  —  wrote 
able,  sound  and  discriminating  discourses,  —  and  merely  as  a  preacher, 
might  have  been  acceptable  to  his  people.  But  unhappily,  in  his  dealings 
with  men,  and  management  of  secular  matters,  he  was  so  indiscreet  as  to 
create  difficulties  which  led  to  his  dismission.  He  married  Kezia,  dau.  of 
Mr.  Zebulun  Curtis  of  Torringford,  a  worthy  woman."  Their  daughter, 
Mary,  was  baptized  June  23,  1805. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  Jared  Curtis,  Samuel  Hurlbut,  Jr., 
Warren  W.  Norton,  Alexander  Cleveland,  Isaac  Sweet,  James  Beach, 
Elizur  Hinsdale,  and  Roger  Root,  Jr. 

Wait  Loomis,  from  Torrington,  brother  of  Lorrin  and  Arah  of  W., 
lived  in  the  old  house  since  torn  down,  at  the  parting  of  the  roads  above 
the  Dugway,  where  he  d.  Feb.  25,  1849,  aged  83.  He  m.  in  1796,  Sally 
Stone,  who  d.  Sept.  25,  1845,  aged  77  years,  leaving  one  daughter,  So- 
phronia,  who  has  had  two  husbands,  Swain  and  Leonard. 

Daniel  Murray,  b.  Torrington,  April  4,  1785,  came  to  Winchester 
when  a  boy,  and  is  on  the  assessment  list  of  this  year.  In  1815,  he  bought 
of  William  Miner,  the  Samuel  Clark  farm,  which  continued  to  be  his 
homestead  until  his  death,  Aug.  27,  1870.  He  m.  March  25,  1810, 
Roxalany  North,  of  Torrington ;  born  Nov.  2,  1785. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Philomela,  b.  July  7,  1811  ;  m.  Sept.  10,  1850,  Wilkes,  of  Norfolk. 

II.  Frederick,  b.    "     28,  1813  ;  m.  June  2,  1847,  Ann  M.  Caul. 

III.  Flora,  b.  Sept.  4,  1815;  m.  Samuel  W.  Starks. 

IV.  Jennett,  b.  April  2,  1818  ;  m.  George  Phelps. 
V.  Lucretia,  b.  Dec.  15, 1820;  m.                   Augustus  Smith. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  235 

VI.  Sabra,  b.  July  24,  1823. 

VII.  Prudence,      b.  Sept.  1826;  m.  (1st),  Lucius  Curtis; 

(2d),  Ralph  I.  Crissey. 

Roger  Root,  from  New  London  county,  a  shoemaker,  came  to  Win- 
chester this  or  the  preceding  year.  He  owned  no  real  estate  in  the 
town,  —  resided  mainly  in  the  Danbury  Quarter,  —  and  died  Nov.  1, 
1820,  aged  84.     His  wife,  Temperance,  died  July  2,  1833,  aged  89. 

Roger  Root,  Jr.,  lived  in  the  house  since  torn  down,  some  thirty 
rods  north  of  Joel  G.  Griswold's,  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  Winsted 
and  Winchester  road,  until  he  removed  to  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  about  1820. 
He  m.  March  26,  1807,  Florinda,  dau.  of  John  Miner. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Caroline  Nancy,  b.  Feb.  9,  1808. 
II.  Harry  Oscar,         b.  Aug.  23,  1810. 

III.  Lucius  Miner,        b.  Feb.  28,  1814. 

IV.  Juliette,  b.  June  26,  1816. 

Gurdon  Root,  son  of  Roger,  and  a  bachelor,  lived  with  his  maiden 
sisters,  Hannah  and  Nancy,  in  a  house  which  was  burned  while  occupied 
by  them,  on  the  old  Waterbury  turnpike,  half  a  mile  south  of  Mad 
River,  and  afterwards  in  the  second  house  beyond  the  toll  gate,  on  the 
north  side  of  Green  Woods  turnpike,  until  his  death,  May  29,  1832,  aged 
50.  Hannah  resided  with  him  and  died  in  the  same  house,  July  26, 1835, 
aged  58.  Nancy,  the  other  sister,  in  1849,  bought  a  house  on  north  side 
of  High  street,  Winsted,  near  Elm  street,  in  which  she  came  to  her  death 
by  the  accidental  burning  of  her  clothes,  while  alone  in  the  house,  Sept. 
24,  1862. 

Asahel  Smith,  from  Torrington,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  He 
m.  Oct.  6,  1809,  Elizabeth,  widow  of  Luke  Case,  deceased,  and  lived  on 
the  east  and  west  road,  bordering  the  Torrington  line,  in  a  house  now 
torn  down,  until  1828,  when  he  removed  to  Winsted,  and  lived  in  the 
Russell  house  on  the  old  Colebrook  road  until  his  death,  May  29,  1832, 
aged  50.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  General  Assemblies  of  1827 
and  1831. 

His  first  wife  dying  he  m.  (2d),  Oct.  27,  1828, 

Widow  Sophia  (Munson)  Rice,  of  Barkhamsted,  who  m.  March  7,  1842, 
Reuben  Brown  of  Norfolk. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Abel  Adams,  b.  March  10,  1811 ;    m.  Nov.  30,  1837,  Ruth  Coe;    d.  child- 
less, May  11,  1841.     She  d.  April  18,  1847. 


236  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

II.  Minerva,  b.  Sept.  1,  1812  ;  in.  Nov.  7,  1825,  Henry  Stanton. 

III.  Elizabeth,  b.  Aug.  14,  1814  ;  m.  March  16,  1836,  Sheldon  A.  Wilcox. 

IV.  Harriet,  b.  June  20,  1826. 
V.  Eveline,  b.  Aug.  19,  1819. 

CHILD    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 
VI.  Ann,  b. 

1807. 

Rev.  Thomas  Robbins,  D.  D.,  son  of  Rev.  Ammi  R.  Robbins,  of 
Norfolk,  was  employed  to  fill  the  pulpit  made  vacant  by  the  dismission  of 
Mr.  Bassett ;  —  and  on  the  20th  of  April  of  this  year,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  ascertain  his  views  of  settling  in  the  ministry  ;  and  to  secure 
the  continuance  of  his  labors  as  a  candidate.  In  May  following  it  was 
voted,  "  that  we  do  earnestly  and  sincerely  wish  that  Mr.  Robbins  would 
agree  to  supply  the  pulpit  personally,  when  he  is  able ;  but  in  case  his 
health  will  not  admit  of  it,  that  he  should  engage  some  one  to  preach  in 
his  absence,  —  and  that  he  be  indulged  the  liberty  of  taking  all  possible 
pains  to  gain  his  health." 

At  the  annual  meeting,  November  2d,  it  was  unanimously  voted  (53 
members  of  the  Society  preseut  and  voting),  to  invite  Mr.  Robbins  to  a 
settlement,  with  a  salary  of  $430.  The  Church,  with  equal  unanimity, 
voted  the  call.  Owing  to  his  feeble  health  Mr.  Robbins  declined  the  call, 
and  soon  afterward  withdrew  from  the  Society. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  Jos.  T.  Cummings,  Stephen 
Wheadon,  Jos.  Chamberlin,  Chauncey  White,  Elisha  Wetmore,  and  Jona- 
than Church. 

Samuel  W.  Baldwin,  from  Goshen,  became  the  owner  and  occupant 
of  the  old  Crocker  house,  at  the  parting  of  the  Green  Woods  and  Water- 
bury  River  turnpikes,  half  a  mile  above  the  toll-gate,  and  succeeded 
Simeon  Moore  as  tavern-keeper,  adding  thereto  the  trade  of  blacksmith. 
In  1810  he  sold  out  and  left  the  town,  but  in  1818  resumed  the  owner- 
ship, and  in  1819  conveyed  the  premises  to  his  son,  Norman  Baldwin,  who 
sold  out  to  James  Crocker  in  1823  and  removed  to  Vernon,  New  York. 
He  had  another  son,  George  W.,  older  than  Norman,  who  was  graduated  at 
Yale  College  in  1811. 

Norman  Baldwin,  married,  February  2,  1820,  Lovisa  Benedict. 

children. 

I.  Moses  Lyman,  b.  Jan.  1,  1822. 

II.  Zalmon  Luman,         b.  March  26,  1824. 

His  name  is  last  on  the  assessment  list  in  1824. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  237 

Levi  L.  Hatch,  son  of  Moses,  of  W.,  is  on  the  list  of  this  and  the 
following  years,  until  1811,  after  which  he  resided  at  Coxsackie,  New 
York,  until  a  short  time  before  his  death.  He  died  in  W.,  August  6, 
1845,  aged  59. 

Zenas  Neal,  from  Harwinton,  owned  and  occupied  a  lot  and  house 
thereon,  near  Norfolk  line,  on  the  southern  border  of  Danbury  Quarter, 
until  1811,  and  thereafter  disappears  from  the  records. 

Lancelot  Phelps,  Sr.,  this  year  built  the  Green  Woods  Hotel 
building,  at  the  parting  of  the  Waterbury  River  and  Green  Woods  turn- 
pikes near  Colebrook  line,  in  which  he  resided  about  a  year  and  then  re- 
moved to  Colebrook.  He  was  father  of  Warren,  and  grandfather  of  the 
late  Wm.  H.  Phelps,  of  Winsted. 

Kooer  Starkweather,  from  Windsor,  bought  and  lived  in  the 
house  at  the  parting  of  the  north  and  south,  and  Old  Country  roads,  be- 
low the  burying-ground,  now  or  lately  owned  by  Nelson  Hart.  He  died 
May  26,  1826,  aged  44.     Wife  Martha. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Emily,      b.  March  5,  1807;  m.  Jan.  17,  1827,  Wm.  Phippenny,  of  Tor. 
II.  Harriet,  b.  Sept.  17,  1809  ;  m.  Oct.  6,  1829,  John  C.  Barber,  of  Tor. 

III.  Thomas,    b.  Jan.  1, 1815. 

IV.  Charles,  b.  March  26,  1817;  d.  Nov.  22,  1850. 


1808. 

In  1799,  one-third  of  the  town  meetings  had  been  carried  to  Winsted 
and  were  held  at  the  old  Higley  tavern,  now  standing  in  the  West  village ; 
—  all  of  the  electors'  meetings  being  still  held  in  the  old  Society.  This 
year  Winsted  had  so  increased  in  population  as  to  claim  that  both  the 
town  and  electors' meetings  should  be  there  holden  each  alternate  year. 
The  result  was  a  vote  to  hold  half  the  town  meetings  in  the  Winsted  (east 
village)  meeting  house ;  —  all  the  electors'  meetings  still  to  be  held  in 
the  old  Society. 

In  Society  meeting,  January  1 1,  1808,  the  committee  were  directed  to 
employ  Rev.  Frederick  Marsh  to  supply  the  pulpit  for  the  future  at  their 
discretion. 

February  12th,  it  was  voted  to  paint  the  meeting  house,  —  the  body 
white,  and  the  roof  red. 

At  the  annual  meeting,  November  7th,  it  was  voted  to  unite  with 
the  Church  in  their  call   to  Mr.  Frederick  Marsh,  to  settle  in  the  work  of 


238  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

the  Gospel  Ministry;  —  33  in  favor  and  1  against  the  vote ;  —  and  to 
give  him  a  salary  of  $430. 

December  19th,  Mr.  Marsh  declined  the  call,  partly  on  account  of  lack  of 
unanimity  and  partly  on  account  of  his  inability  to  procure  a  residence 
without  going  into  debt  therefor  ;  —  whereupon  the  Society  voted  unani- 
mously (42  present  and  voting)  to  continue  their  call,  and  to  ascertain 
whether  his  first  reason  assigned  would  be  insurmountable,  provided  the 
second  were  obviated.  Mr.  Marsh's  answer  to  this  overture  was  laid  be- 
fore a  meeting  on  the  30th  of  December,  and  was  as  follows : 

Brethren  and  Friends  : 

Your  call  to  me  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry  has  re- 
ceived from  me  a  deliberate  and  solemn  attention.  After  a  mature  and 
prayerful  consideration  of  the  call,  and  the  several  subjects  connected 
with  it ;  and  after  taking  the  advice  of  my  particular  friends,  and  others 
whose  situation  and  experience  enable  them  to  assist  me  in  making 
up  my  mind  on  so  important  a  subject,  I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to  ac- 
cept, and  accordingly  do  accept  your  invitation  to  settle  with  you  in  the 
work  of  the  ministry,  provided  at  the  time  appointed  for  the  ordination 
no  difficulty  should  then  exist  in  Church  or  Society,  which  would  render 
it  improper  for  me  to  receive  ordination. 

With  sentiments  of  respect,  and  a  desire  for  the  peace  and  hajopiness  of 
the  people,  I  am  yours  &c, 

Winchester,  Dec.  30,  1808.  Frederick  Marsh. 

The  1st  day  of  February,  1809,  was  appointed  for  the  ordination,  and 
the  previous  Friday  assigned  by  the  Church  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer,  and  one  or  more  neighboring  ministers  were  invited  to  attend  the 
exercises. 

Neither  the  records  of  the  Society  or  Church,  nor  Mr.  Marsh's  histori- 
cal notes  give  any  particulars  of  the  ordination. 

It  took  place  on  the  day  appointed,  and  Mr.  Marsh  entered  on  his 
faithful  and  acceptable  ministrations,  and  still  lives,  the  venerable  and  be- 
loved Patriarch  of  the  ministers  of  Litchfield  County. 

He  was  son  of  Jonathan  Marsh  of  New  Hartford,  where  he  was  born 
September  18,  1780.  He  prepared  for  college  with  Rev.  A.  R.  Robbins, 
of  Norfolk,  —  graduated  at  Yale,  September,  1805,  —  studied  theology 
under  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker,  of  Goshen,  —  was  licensed  as  a  preacher  by 
the  North  Association  of  Litchfield  County,  —  and  was  dismissed  from 
his  pastoral  charge  October  2,  1851,  after  a  laborious  ministry  of  more 
than  forty-two  yeai-s.  He  married,  May  22,  1809,  Parnal  Merrill,  of 
New  Hartford,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Flower)  Merrill,  born 
August  7,  1782  ;  died  March  11,  1860. 


'    v«re--" 


^r~^^^cAr  ^rfo-vtfH 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  239 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Louisa  Merrill,  b.  May  1G,  1810;  d.  May  9,  1831. 

II.  Catharine,  b.  April  3,  1812  ;  m.  June  17,  1835,  Rev.  Geo. 

Carrington,  of  Hadlyme,  who  tl.  in  Rushville,  111.,  Oct.  31,  1843. 

III.  Jonathan  Pitkin  (deaf  and  dumb),  b.  April  26,  1814;  in.  Jan.  24, 1840, 

Paulina  Bowdish. 

IV.  Frederick  Edward,         b.  Dec.  30,   1816;  m.  Jan.   2,    1844,    Matilda 

Marsh;  shed.  Jan.  5,  1860,  and  he  m.  (2d),  May  8,  1862,  Mrs.  Eliza  A. 
Spencer. 
V.  Sarah  Ann,  b.  Dec.  29,  1819;  d.  Sept.  15,  1823. 

VI.  Joseph  Merrill,  b.  Sept.  15,  1823;  m.  May  5,  1848,  Candace  G. 

Eggleston,  of  AVinchester. 
VII.  Howard  Pitkin  (twin),      b.  April  12,  1826;    m.  June  10,  1856,  Harriett 
E.  Hotchkiss,  of  New  Haven  ;  d.  New  Hartford,  Feb.  21,  1864. 
VIII.  Henry  Flower,  (twin),      b.  April  12,  1826  ;  m.  June  11,  1855,  Sarah  E. 
Frissell,  who  d.  Aug.  24,  1870. 


Asaph  B.  Brooks,  from  Chatham,  became  a  resident  this  year.  In 
1816,  in  connection  with  his  brothers,  Samuel  and  Chauncey,  he  bought 
the  Peleg  Sweet  form,  in  Danbury  quarter,  on  Brooks  street,  on  which 
he  died  November  27,  1866,  aged  83. 

Asher  Case,  son  of  William  R.,  once  of  this  town,  this  year  became 
the  owner  of  the  Rufus  Eggle^ton  farm,  on  the  West  side  of  Long  Pond, 
which  he  conveyed  away  in  1820,  by  a  deed  in  which  he  is  named  "of 
Hartford."  He  returned  to  this  town  about  1825,  and  after  1845,  lived 
on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  sons,  Edward  and  George.  He  d.  Sept. 
7,  1858,  aged  67. 

Samuel  Cone  and  Warren  Cone,  sons  of  Daniel  Hurlbut  Cone, 
of  W.,  and  natives  of  the  town,  are  on  the  list  of  this  year.  Samuel 
lived  here  until  about  1810,  and  then  went  to  Norfolk,  and  carried  on 
the  scythe  making  business  until  his  death.  He  was  a  Deacon  of  the 
Norfolk  Cong.  Church,  and  a  man  of  eminent  piety.  His  twin  sons, 
John  and  James,  reside  in  Winsted.  Warren  Cone  went  to  Norfolk  wi(h 
his  brother  Samuel,  and  was  for  some  years  partner  with  him  in  the 
scythe  making  business,  and  afterwards  built  and  carried  on  a  shop  of  his 
own.  He  was  a  prominent  man  of  the  town,  which  he  represented  in  the 
Assemblies  of  1834  and  1838. 

Erastus  G.  Hurlbut,  from  Torrington,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year. 
In  1816  he  bought  the  Frederick  Murray  farm,  adjoining  Sucker  Brook, 
on  the  old  Winsted  and  Winchester  road,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  re- 
moval to  Torrington,  in  1825.  He  m.  Dec.  16,  1812,  Clarissa,  dau.  of 
Russell  Goodwin  of  W. 


240  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Ammi  Murray,  brother  of  Daniel,  of  W.,  son  of  Daniel  of  Torring- 
ton,  b.  July  29,  1787,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident.  In  1822, 
he  bought  the  old  Roberts  farm,  and  lived  in  the  house  thereon  now  torn 
down,  on  the  old  Winsted  and  Winchester  road,  some  thirty  rods  north  of 
Joel  G.  Griswold's,  until  his  removal  to  North  Bloomfield,  Trumbull  Co., 
Ohio,  in  1831.  He  m.  Feb.  23,  1814,  Prudence,  dau.  of  Remembrance 
North  of  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Emeline,  II.  Juliette,  III.  Helen. 

John  Storer,  or  Story,  is  on  the  list  this  year  as  a  resident.  He 
was  by  trade  a  Joiner,  owned  no  real  estate  in  the  town,  and  had  no  fixed 
residence.  About  1825,  he  left  his  family  mid  joined  the  Tyringham 
Shakers.     He  m.  Jan.  7,  1808,  Eunice,  dau.  of  John  Church. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Simeon,  b.  Sept.  30,  1808. 
II.  David,     b.  Dec.  3,  1810. 
III.  Eliza,      b.  Nov.  4,  1812;   m.  July  3,  1834,  Samuel  D.   Sheldon;  both  of 
them  run-away  Shakers. 

George  Tuttle,  a  blacksmith,  came  to  the  town  this  year.  In  1817, 
he  bought  the  second  house  west  of  the  toll  gate,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  and  had  a  sho[>  on  the  oppo-ite  side  of  the 
road.  He  lived  here  until  his  removal  to  Colebrook,  about  1825,  where 
he  died  about  1850.  He  had  several  children, born  in  this  town;  among 
them,  Joel,  still  a  resident. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  Elijah  Blake,  Jr.,  Jonathan 
Blake,  Jo;-eph  Coit,  Jesse  Clark,  Elisba  Rowley,  Reuben  Baldwin,  Asa 
Mallory,  Lemuel  Hurlbut,  Eben  Coe,  William  Miner,  Isaac  Tucker, 
John  Westlake,  and  Elisha  Smith. 


1809. 

The  records  of  these  latter  years  indicate  that  our  town  enjoyed  great 
quiet  if  not  prosperity.  All  the  doings  of  this  year,  election  of  town 
officers  and  laying  of  taxes  included,  are  recorded  on  a  single  page. 

The  Society,  too,  under  its  new  pastor,  enjoyed  great  quiet ;  the  only 
extra -routine  business  recorded  being  a  vote  "to  pay  a  leader  of  Psalm- 
ody, to  instruct  the  youth  and  others  in  the  art  of  singing,"  or  in  other 
words  to  hire  a  singing  master. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  241 

The  only  new  names  of  residents  appearing,  are  Fisk  Beach,  who  has 
been  noticed  in  connection  with  his  father,  and  Noble  J.  Everitt,  both 
natives  of  the  town. 

Noble  J.  Everitt,  son  of  Dr.  Josiah,  and  grandson  of  Widow  Han- 
nah of  W.,  lived  with  his  father  during  his  life,  and  still  lives  in  the  lean- 
to  house  on  the  West  side  of  the  Waterbury  River  road,  between  Luman 
Munsill  on  the  North,  and  Marcus  Munsill  on  the  South.  He  m.  Roxy 
E ,  dan.  of  Elisha  Cook,  Esq.,  of  Torrington,  and  had  one  child,  Albert 
Chester,  b.  Dec.  22,  1816,  who  died  in  childhood. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  William  Chamberlin,  2d,  Asher 
Case,  Lyman  Strong,  Daniel  Burnham,  and  Roger  Starkweather. 

1810. 
The  town  and  society  records  of  this  year  are  without  interest. 

The  electors  admitted  this  year  were  Ira  Preston  and  Riley  Whit- 
ing. 

Capt.  Eli  Richards,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  the  farm 
recently  conveyed  by  the  widow  of  Artemas  Rowley  to  Alonzo  C.  Par- 
cels, which  he  occupied  until  his  death,  Jan.  23,  1816,  aged  66.  By  his 
wife,  Lydia,  who  d.  in  W.  Oct.  30,  1835,  aged  74,  he  had  an  only  child, 
Elizabeth,  who  m.  Oct.  1,  1817,  Joseph  Miller,  Esq.,  of  Winsted,  and  d. 
in  Michigan  about  1855. 

William  Crum,  a  saddler  and  harness  maker,  is  on  this  year's  list  as 
a  resident.  In  1813,  he  bought  of  Chauncey  White  the  house  which 
stood  adjoining  Isaac  A.  Bronson's  new  stone  house,  in  which  he  resided 
until  his  death,  Dec.  14,  1824,  aged  49.  He  m.  Oct.  22,  1811,  Hannah, 
dau.  of  John  Nash  of  W.,  who  is  still  living  in  Winsted. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Frederick,  b.  March  21,  1813;  resident  of  Unionville,  Conn. 
II.  Sophia,         b.  Sept.  1,1815;  m.  May  6,  1846,  Abram  G.  Kellogg,  of  W. 


31 


CHAPTER    XVIIL 

STATE  0E  SOCIETY— CUSTOMS— FAMILY  RECORDS. 

1811  to  1831. 

We  find  Old  Winchester,  at  this  period,  in  its  full  maturity  and  vigor 
— a  staid  agricultural  community,  with  well-established  institutions  in  good 
running  order,  with  a  homogeneous  population,  elastic  in  spirit,  virtuous 
in  morals,  and  orthodox  in  faith,  with  property  as  equally  distributed  as  is 
consistent  with  the  varied  capacity  of  men  to  acquire  and  to  hold  it,  with 
no  overshadowing  rich,  and  very  few  abjectly  poor  men. 

The  compiler's  first  personal  knowledge  of  this  section  of  the  town  was 
acquired  by  attending  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  there  solemnized  in 
1810  or  1811.  To  a  boy  of  eleven  or  twelve  years,  whose  experience  of 
the  world  had  been  hitherto  limited  by  the  hills  and  mountains  surround- 
ing the  Winsted  valley,  this  outlook  on  the  world  was  decidedly  impres- 
sive. The  elevated  plateau  of  the  centre  village  received  the  earliest  rays 
of  the  rising  sun,  and  the  latest  effulgence  of  the  setting  luminary. 
Around  and  near  the  village  green  were  some  half  dozen  most  respectable 
lean-to  houses,  some  of  them  in  white  paint  and  others  in  red,  which  were 
occupied  by  the  clerical,  legal,  medical,  and  magisterial  dignitaries.  There 
were  other  houses  indicating  comfort  and  respectability :  two  gambrel- 
roofed  stores,  one  Federal  and  the  other  Democratic,  where  they  sold  two 
and  six-penny  hum-hums  for  eighteen  pence  a  yard,  Barlow  knives  for 
nine-pence  a  piece,  and  New  England  rum  for  three  shillings,  and  Jamaica 
for  four  and  sixpence  a  gallon.  The  tavern  was  a  one-story  building  of 
neutral  tint,  large  on  the  ground,  with  a  capacious  garret.  Two  black- 
smith shops  and  the  pound  were  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village. 

The  meeting-house  stood  near  the  centre  of  the  triangular  green,  with 
its  line  of  horse-sheds  bordering  the  front  line  of  Theron  Bronson's  prem- 
ises. The  whipping-post  and  stocks,  those  indispensable  pillars  of  New 
England  law  and  order,  stood  on  the  green  near  the  meeting-house.  The 
post  did  extra  duty  as  a  sign  post,  on  which  public  notices  were  fastened, 
and  to  which,  when  occasion  required,  the  petty  thief  was  tied,  to  receive 
from  the  constable  his  five  or  ten  lashes  "  well  laid  on  to  his  naked  back." 

The  "stocks"  were  an  upper  and  lower  plank,  say  six  feet  long,  eight 
inches  wide,  and  two  inches  thick,  the  lower  one  lying  edgewise  near  the 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  243 

ground,  mortised  at  one  end  into  the  post  and  firmly  fastened  to  the 
ground  at  the  other.  The  upper  plank  was  attached  to  the  post  at  one 
end  by  a  heavy  hinge,  so  that  its  lower  edge  came  in  contact  with  the 
upper  edge  of  the  other,  and  they  were  held  together  by  a  hasp  and  pad- 
lock at  their  outer  ends.  At  the  line  of  junction  of  the  two  planks  were 
four  holes,  half  in  the  upper  and  half  in  the  lower  plank,  about  three 
inches  in  diameter,  ranged  at  suitable  distances  for  receiving  the  ankles 
of  two  culprits.  How  often  our  worthy  forefathers  and  their  young  chil- 
dren were  treated  with  the  edifying  spectacle  of  a  public  whipping  at  the 
post  or  of  a  culprit  in  the  stocks,  is  not  ascertainable. 

A  well  authenticated  tradition  is  handed  down,  of  one  Meacham,  a  hired 
laborer  of  old  Squire  Hurlbut,  of  very  moderate  intellect,  who,  after  a 
faithful  service  and  inoffensive  life  of  several  years,  took  it  into  his  head 
to  run  away,  and  to  carry  with  him  a  variety  of  articles  of  clothing,  &c, 
purloined  from  his  employer's  premises.  His  theft  being  discovered,  he 
was  pursued,  brought  back,  and  tried  on  a  grand  juror's  complaint,  found 
guilty,  and  sentenced  to  be  publicly  whipped  at  the  post.  The  sentence 
was  duly  executed  on  Saturday.  On  Sunday  following,  though  not  a 
church  member,  he  attended  public  service,  occupying  a  prominent  seat. 
At  the  close  of  service,  he  arose,  and  the  minister  read  to  the  audience 
his  penitential  confession,  asking  pardon  of  the  church  and  the  community, 
and  that  he  might  be  restored  to  public  confidence.  The  minister  then 
exhorted  the  people  to  accept  his  confession,  and  to  extend  to  him  their 
sympathy  and  encouragement  in  aid  of  his  reformation.  He  is  said  to 
have  continued  to  live  with  his  old  employer  for  several  years  a  blameless 
and  exemplary  life. 

To  return  from  this  episode  to  the  celebration : — the  day  was  fine,  the 
gathering  large.  The  long  booth  of  green  boughs  stood  on  the  green  in  front 
of  the  tavern  and  shaded  a  table  of  equal  length,  loaded  with  baked  beef  and 
mutton,  roasted  pigs,  baked  Indian  puddings,  and  pies  of  every  variety  the 
season  afforded.  The  sayings  and  doings  of  the  occasion  were  fully  reported 
in  the  Connecticut  Courant  of  the  following  week  ;  how  the  procession  was 
escorted  into  the  meeting-house  by  Captain  Bunnell's  full  militia  company, 
the  singing  led  by  Major  Lloyd  Andrews,  the  prayer  offered  by  Rev.  Ammi 
R.  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  the  able  and  brilliant  oration  pronounced  by  Rev. 
Chauncey  Lee  of  Colebrook,  the  table  presided  over  by  Captain  Abial 
Loomis  of  Winchester  ;  then  followed  the  toasts  fragrant  with  sentimental 
patriotism  and  Malaga  wine,  each  followed  by  a  feu-de-joie  of  musketry 
and  the  asthmatic  cough  of  a  cast-iron  four-pounder  field  piece,  mounted 
on  cart-wheels  which  had  been  brought  from  Litchfield  for  the  occasion, 
no  cannon  having  ever  before  been  fired  in  the  peaceful  town.* 

*  The  history  of  the  old  field-piece,  prior  to  its  advent  in  Winchester,  whether  it 
was  a  trophy  of  the  Old  French  Wars  or  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  is  lost  in 


244  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Such  was  Old  Winchester  sixty  years  ago.  Several  of  the  old  lean-to 
houses  have  passed  away.  The  venerable  mansion  where  Squire  Alvord 
dispensed  justice  for  nearly  fifty  years,  is  gone,  leaving  no  trace  behind. 
The  dwelling  place  of  Rev.  Mr.  Knapp  is  also  gone,  and  its  location 
undefined  by  any  visible  mark  of  a  former  habitation.  Captain  Hurlbut's 
tavern  at  the  center  has  given  place  to  the  present  residence  of  his 
grandson  bearing  his  name.  Four  or  five  others,  at  and  near  the  center, 
still  remain  decayed  and  venerable,  but  not  dilapidated. 

The  old  Meeting  House,  and  the  Tavern  House  of  1810,  afterwards 
used  as  a  store,  are  also  gone,  as  well  as  the  whipping  post  and  stocks. 
The  Green  is  no  longer  cumbered  with  church  sheds,  or  other  appen- 
dages. The  more  recent  meeting  house,  a  neat,  well-repaired  building, 
with  its  wooden  Doric  portico,  tower,  and  bell,  faces  the  Green  at  the  east, 
end  of  the  northern  border,  and  the  new  and  commodious  store  of  Theron 
Bronson  has  superseded  the  former  store  building,  while  his  dwelling 
occupies  the  intervening  space  in  the  rear  of  the  old  horse  sheds. 
Several  other  large  and  commodious  dwellings  of  modern  date  give  to 
the  village  a  cheerful  and  refined  aspect. 

The  subsequent  history  of  the  Society  is  barren  of  notable  incidents. 


oblivion.  Since  it  first  gave  voice  to  the  patriotism  of  Old  Winchester,  its  fate  has 
been  quite  eventful.  It  never  went  back  to  Litchfield,  having  been  bought  of  its  former 
owners  by  old  Uncle  Richard  Coit,  who,  some  years  after,  parted  with  it  to  some  un- 
known parties  in  Winsted.  Here  it  was  made  to  vomit  small  thunder  from  its  rusty 
throat  from  Cobble  Hill,  Street  Hill,  and  divers  other  places,  on  all  festive  occasions. 
It  was  brought  into  service  to  defend  the  liberty  pole  on  the  East  Village  Park  against 
the  assaults  of  the  old  Federalists  during  the  War  of  1812,  and  at  a  later  period  to 
break  up  meetings  of  the  pestilent  abolitionists.  Some  thirty  years  ago  a  couple  of 
lusty  old  maids  living  at  the  East  Village  hotel,  out  of  patience  with  the  noisy  thing, 
which  had  been  fired  off  in  front  of  the  house  half  the  night,  and  had  been  left  on  the 
ground,  contrived  to  roll  it  into  the  garden,  where  they  dug  a  grave  and  buried  it. 
The  gun  was  no  more  to  be  found  for  a  dozen  years,  when  the  secret  of  its  burial 
place  leaked  out.  It  was  exhumed  and  again  did  service  in  celebrating  the  political 
victories  of  each  party  until  the  Buchanan  campaign,  during  which  the  Republicans 
again  secretly  buried  it,  with  the  intention  of  resurrecting  it  for  use  in  the  event  of  Fre- 
mont's election.  The  Democrats  discovered  its  grave  in  season  to  secure  it  for  their 
use  when  tbe  returns  came  in,  showing  the  election  of  "  the  Old  Public  Functionary." 
They  used  it  most  savagely  in  front  of  the  Herald  office,  breaking  in  the  windows  and 
doors  and  smashing  things  generally.  Why  it  didn't  burst  with  the  enormous  charges 
filling  it  to  the  muzzle,  no  one  can  tell.  It  was  soon  after  taken  by  the  Fremont  men 
and  thrown  into  the  Clifton  Mill  pond,  where  it  remained  until  mid-winter,  when  a 
West  Village  saloon-keeper  and  his  patriotic  customers  turned  oiit  one  cold  night  and 
made  diligent  search  up  and  down  the  cold  stream  until  they  found  and  transferred  it 
to  a  safe  hiding  place,  where  it  was  kept  ready  for  renewed  use  in  the  Spring,  to  cele- 
brate the  election  of  General  Pratt  for  Governor.  His  opponent  was  elected,  and  the 
gun  wasn't  wanted.  It  was  liable  to  be  discovered  in  its  hiding  place,  so  the  party  in 
possession  again  buried  it  in  an  unknown  grave,  where  it  is  said  to  remain  to  this  day. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  245 

With  very  limited  accessions  of  population  from  abroad,  and  a  continued 
though  diminished  draiuage  by  emigration,  to  the  West ;  and  with  a  soil 
growing  less  productive  from  generation  to  generation,  it  has  made  little, 
if  any,  gain  in  its  aggregate  wealth  and  productiveness,  and  has  diminished 
in  numbers.  In  its  general  tone  of  morals  there  has  been  little,  if  any, 
deterioration,  though  in  Sabbath  observances  and  attendance  on  public 
worship  there  has  been  a  great  falling  off  from  the  old  puritan  standard. 
Excitements  and  dissensions,  some  of  them  of  a  very  serious  nature,  have 
arisen  and  died  away.  Religious  institutions,  sometimes  greatly  im- 
periled, now  stand  on  a  solid  basis  of  unity  and  piety.  No  intoxicating 
liquors  are  openly  sold,  and  few  intemperate  men  are  found.  Education 
is  in  advance  of  the  average  of  retired  communities  around  it ;  property 
is  more  equally  distributed  now  than  it  was  twenty  years  ago,  and  the 
condition  of  the.  Society  is  prosperous  and  happy. 

The  new  inhabitants  appearing  on  the  stage  from  year  to  year  grow 
less  frequent.     We  proceed  to  notice  them  in  their  order. 

Apollos  Dean  seems  to  have  been  a  resident  from  1810  for  several 
years  ;  whether  married  or  single  is  not  ascertained.  He  may  have  been 
a  tanner  or  shoemaker  in  the  employ  of  the  Wades,  from  whom  he 
received  a  conveyance  of  land  in  1823,  in  which  he  is  named  of  Boston, 
Portage  Co.,  Ohio. 

Joseph  Eggleston,  probably  from  Torrington,  was  a  resident  from 
1810  to  1815,  but  not  a  land  owner.  His  place  of  residence  not 
ascertained. 

James  Bragg  came  into  the  town  from  Springfield,  Vt.,  in  1812.  In 
1820  he  became  the  owner  of  the  William  Ghamberlin  farm,  one  and  a 
half  miles  northerly  from  the  center,  on  which  he  lived  till  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  January  30,  1871,  aged  88.  He  married  1807,  Susanna, 
daughter  of  Daniel  H.  Cone;  she  died  February  11,  1816,  in  her  34th 
year,  and  he  married  (2d),  1821,  Orpha,  daughter  of  Wait  Munson,  of 
Barkhamsted;  she  died  November  18,  1868,  aged  76. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Daniel  Hurlbut,     b.   September  6,    1808;   m.   Lavinia   Gould   of  East 
Granby.     He  m.  (2d)  Gracy  N.  Calvert  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  where  he 
d.  in  1847. 
II.  Warren,     b.  February  13,  1810;  m.  Julia,  daughter  of  Deacon   Warren 
Cone.     He  m.  (2d)  Almira  Gray  of  Sauquoit,  N.  Y. 

III.  Clarissa,     b.  December  22,  1811  ;  m.  Henry  Griswold  of  Hartland 

IV.  Mary,  b.  April  19,  1813  ;  d.  December  28,  1813. 
V.  James,  b.  September  27,  1814  ;  d.  October  5,  1819. 


246  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

VI.  Julia  Lucretia,     b.  November    10,    1823 ;    m.    Frank   L.    Whiting   of 

Torrington. 

VII.  Mary  Elizabeth,  b.  December  5,   1824;   m.  Rufus   T.  Towne  of  New 

Hartford. 
VIII.  Huldah,  b.  February  20,  1826  ;  m.  Deacon  Samuel  C.  Newton  of 

Hartland. 
IX.  Sarah,  b.  August  15,  1831  ;  m.  Henry  M.  Smith  of  Fairfield,  a 

retired  New  York  merchant. 
X.  James  Lorenzo,     b.  February  24,   1833;  m.  Eliza,  daughter  of  Hiram 
Sage  of  Colebrook.     He  m.  (2d),  Sarah   Spaulding,  daughter  of  A.  A. 
Spaulding  of  Norfolk. 

Doctor  Zephania  Swift  married  Nellie  Minerva,  daughter  of 
Doctor  Josiah  Everitt  of  Winchester,  and  resided  in  the  house  recently 
owned  by  Samuel  Hurlbut  2d,  at  the  center,  which  he  sold,  and 
removed  to  Farmington  before  1819,  where  he  died. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Helen  Abigail,  born  in  Winchester  July  10,  1814  ;  other  children  were  born 
to  them  after  they  left  this  town.  Mrs.  Swift  still  survives,  living  with 
a  daughter,  in  New  York  or  Brooklyn.  To  her  the  compiler  of  these 
annals  is  indebted  largely  for  aid  and  encouragement  in  tracing  out  old 
families  and  delineating  ancient  customs. 

Luman  Whiting,  third  son  of  Christopher  Whiting  of  Winchester, 
came  of  age  May  5,  1813,  and  occupied  his  father's  homestead  until  his 
removal  to  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  about  1815.  He  married  Anna, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Hayden,  Esq.,  of  Barkhamsted. 

Moses  Drake  and  Moses  Drake,  Jr.,  of  Torrington,  in  1813 
bought  the  farm  of  Oliver  Coe,  at  the  south  end  of  Blue  street,  and 
occupied  it  during  their  remaining  lives.  Moses  Drake,  Sen.,  died  July 
3,  1831,  aged  80,  and  Moses  Drake,  Jr.,  April  10,  1859,  aged  71,  leaving 
sons,  Henry,  who  lives  on  the  homestead,  Martin  V.,  who  lives  in  Goshen, 
and  several  daughters. 

Edward  Griswold  and  Phineas  Griswold,  Jr.,  owned  and 
occupied  after  the  death  of  Phineas,  senior,  in  1815,  the  farm  next  west 
of  the  Danbury  school  house,  on  the  Norfolk  Road,  until  1822.  Phineas 
Griswold  was  named  in  their  deed  as  of  Beaver  Dam,  Erie  Co.,  Penn. 

Lewis  Hart  from  Colebrook,  purchased  the  above  farm  from  the 
Griswolds  in  1822,  and  occupied  it  until  1826,  and  then  sold  to  Samuel 
D.  Gilbert.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Ohio,  whence  he  returned  to 
Colebrook  about  1860,  and  died  there  in  1866. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  247 


CHILDREN. 


I.  Elmira,  b.  October  23,  1816. 

II.  William,  b.  September  12,  1819. 

III.  Lucy,  b.  September  17,  1821. 

IV.  Erastus  S. 


Samuel  D.  Gilbert  came  to  Winchester  when  a  boy,  and  resided 
here  during  his  after  life.  In  1826  he  bought  of  Lewis  Hart  the  above- 
mentioned  farm,  and  occupied  it  until  his  death,  August  24,  1844,  aged 
46.  He.  married  May  19,  1819,  Candace,  daughter  of  Reuben  Hunger- 
ford  of  Winchester ;  slie  died  June  17,  1840,  aged  42. 

They  left  three  sons,  Newman  B.,  Lyman,  and  Charles,  and  two 
daughters,  who  are  wives  of  Erastus  S.  Hart,  late  of  Canton,  and  Riley 
Grant  of  Norfolk. 

Charles  Gilbert,  son  of  Samuel  D.,  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  in 
the  battle  of  Secessionville,  S.  C,  and  died  of  bis  wounds  in  prison  at 
Charleston,  aged  29,  unmarried. 

Ebenezer  Cowles,  from  Norfolk,  kept  the  Green  Woods  Turnpike 
Toll  Gate,  from  1816,  for  several  years,  and  made  coal  baskets  to  eke 
out  a  living.  He  was  a  zealous  religionist  of  the  ultra  Calvinistic  school, 
—  had  a  wife  and  two  daughters. 

Joel  Clark  is  on  the  tax  lists  from  1816  to  1830.  No  real  estate  is 
found  in  his  name,  and  his  place  of  residence  is  not  ascertained.  No  rec- 
ord of  his  family. 

Henry  Dayton,  from  Torrington,  in  1816,  owned  and  occupied  a 
house  and  tannery  in  the  south  part  of  the  Society,  until  1824. 

Benjamin  Phelps,  son  of  Daniel  of  W.,  is  on  the  tax  lists  from  1816. 
In  1823,  he  bought,  and  afterwards  occupied  a  farm  on  Brooks  street, 
near  the  old  Everitt  place,  until  his  death,  July  12,  1849,  aged  54.  He 
m.  Feb.  6,  1826,  Abigail  Brooks. 

Frederick  Phelps,  son  of  Daniel,  of  W.,  came  of  age  June  30, 
1816,  —  owned  and  lived  on  land  on  Brooks  street,  near  the  old  Everitt 
place,  until  his  removal  to  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  not  far  from  1850,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  m.  May  22,  1826,  Lucy  W.  Hurlbut,  dau.  of 
Stephen  of  W. 

Jonathan  Saxton  first  appears  on  the  tax  list  of  1816,  and  continues 
until  his  death,  April  19,  1843,  aged  66.  He  owned  no  real  estate  in 
the  town. 


248  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Salmon  Bail,  son  of  a  Hessian  soldier,  appears  on  the  tax  list  of  1816. 
He  lived  in  the  society  from  that  date  to  the  time  of  his  death,  Sept.  30, 
18.53,  aged  08.  He  was  not  a  land  owner,  and  his  place  of  residence  is 
not  known.  His  wife  Ursula  is  named  on  his  gravestone,  but  no  date  of 
death  given. 

Jonathan  F.  Baldwin  is  on  the  tax  lists  of  1819,  and  onward  to 
1821.  He  owned  a  blacksmith  shop  at  the  centre,  which  he  sold  in  1821, 
and  then  left  the  town. 

Randall  Covey  is  on  the  tax  lists  from  1817  to  1821 ;  and  owned 
a  wagon  maker's  shop  at  the  Center,  which  he  sold  the  latter  year. 

George  Chase,  son  of  Gedeliah  of  W.,  married  Artemisia,  dau.  of 
Oliver  Coe;  owned  aitQ  occupied  from  1819  to  1823,  the  house  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Norfolk  road,  next  west  of  the  Center  District  school 
house. 

Dudley  Chase,  son  of  Gedeliah,  of  W.,  came  of  age  Aug.  30,  1817 ; 

m.   Simsbury,   Sept.  27,  1826,  Electa  ,  b.  Simsbury,  Feb.  13,  1800. 

He  settled  first  in  Goshen,  and  since  1831,  has  lived  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides,  on  the  road  from  the  Center  to  Hall  Meadow.  He  repre- 
sented the  town  in  the  Legislature  of  1858. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Nathan,  b.  Goshen,  Oct.  21,  1827 ;  d.  Feb.  3,  1856,  unmarried. 

II.  Henry  E.,  b.  G.,  June  3,  1829;  drowned  in  N.  J.,  March  19,  1852. 

III.  Mart  A.,  b.  G.,  Aug.  30,  1831 ;  m.  Rev.  A.  V.  R.  Abbott. 

IV.  Erwin  E.  (twin),  b.  Nov.  8,  1834;  m.  Mary  Commerford. 

V.  A  Son  "  b.  Nov.  8,  1834 ;  d.  Nov.  17,  1834. 
VI.  Dudley,                    b.  Oct.  19,  1S38;  d.  April  30,  1839. 

VII.  Ellen  E.,  b.  Feb.  1,  1840. 

Reuben  Chase,  son  of  Gedeliah,  of  W.,  in  1844  bought  a  house  and 
land  in  the  south  part  of  the  sociely,  which  he  has  since  occupied  to  the 
present  time.  He  was  b.  March  25,  1800 ;  m.  Oct.  17,  1823,  Lucy,  dau. 
of  Asahel  Curtis,  b.  Oct.  22,  1806. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Adeline,  b.  June  8.  1825;  m.  Mathew  Hart  of  Goshen. 
II.  Lucy  E.,  b.  Jan.  30,  1827. 

III.  Harriet,  b.  Jan.  27,  1829;    m.  George  H.  Cook  of  Torrington;  d.  Nov. 

3,   1858. 

IV.  Delia,        b.  March  21,  1832;    m.    May,   1868,  Henry   0.    Church,   New 

Haven. 
V.  Harmon,    b.  Nov.  8,  1839;  d.  Nov.  21,  1839. 

VI.  Laura,       b.  July  5,  1843 ;  m.  Lemuel  Munger  of  Torrington. 


AND  FAMILY  KECOHDS.  249 

Sheldon  Miller,  son  of  George  of  Winchester,  came  of  age  Nov. 
10,  1820;  m.  Oct.  30,  1822,  Jerusha  Ann  Starkweather;  lived  in  the 
Society  until  after  1825,and  removed  to  Tyringham,  Mass. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lewis  Allen,  b.  in  W.,  Nov.  3,  1823. 

II.  George  Hudson,  b.  in  W.,  June  24,  1825. 

III.  Henry  Elijah,  b.  in  Tyringbam,  Mass.,  April  18,  1830. 

IV.  Ladrv  Ann,  b.  in  Lenox,  Mass.,  Aug.  29,  1832. 

V.  Mart  Maria,         b.  in  Lenox,  Mass.,  Dec.  6,  1841  ;  d.  March  23,  1842. 
VI.  Mart  Jerusha,      b.  in  Lee,  Mass.,  Jan.  13,  1844. 


Hiram  Church,  a  native  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  and  grandson  of  the  first 
Samuel  Hnrlbut, —  served  his  time  as  clerk  to  S.  &  L.  Hurlbut,  and  con- 
tinued in  their  employ  several  years ;  afterwards  did  business  at  St. 
Louis,  and  at  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  and  then  returned  to  Winchester.  He  m. 
Nov.  7,  1838,  Emily  E.  Eno,  of  Colebrook,  who,  after  his  death,  m.  Gail 
Borden,  Esq.,  now  of  Texas. 

Samuel  Bandle,  a  blacksmith,  came  from  New  Hartford ;  m.  a  dau. 
of  Samuel  Hart  of  W.  Lived  in  the  Society  several  years,  and  then 
moved  to  Ohio. 

Willard  Hart,  son  of  Samuel,  of  Winchester;  m.  Dec.  11,  1822, 
Rhoda  Matilda,  dau.  of  Timothy  Benedict,  deceased,  of  W.,  and  (2d), 
Maria,  dau.  of  Daniel  Andrews,  Jr.,  of  W. ;  resided  in  Danbury  Quar- 
ter ;  d.  May  5,  1840,  aged  45,  leaving  a  dau.  Rhoda,  by  his'first  wife,  who 
m.  in  1848.  William  Miner,  and  d.  leaving  one  child.  By  his  second 
wife  he  had 

children. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  Sept.  — ,  1829  ;  m.  Geo.  G.  Camp. 

II.  Henrt,  b.  1831  ;  d.  ia  1846. 

III.  Elizabeth,  b.  in  1835  ;  m.  James  G.  Ferris. 

IV.  Lewis,  b.  in  1837. 

V.  Henrietta,  b.  1839;  m  Nelson  Beers. 

VI.  Willard,  b.  in   1840;    m.  May  6,   1860,  Marietta  Hill ;    killed  at 

Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  1,  1864,  -while  in  the  Volunteer  Service,  as  pri- 
vate in  Company  E.,  2d  Conn.  Heavy  Artillery. 

Rufus  Drake,  from  Torrington,  in  1823,  bought  the  farm  in  Hall 
Meadow,  on  which  he  has  since  resided  to  the  present  time. 

Harvey  Ford,  m.  June  26,  1825,   Mary  Ann,  dau.  of  Noah  Drake, 
of   Torrington.     About   1830,  he   bought   the   farm,  on   Hall   Meadow, 
which  he  has  occupied  till  recently. 
32 


250  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

John  M.  Galagher,  an  Englishman,  not  far  from  1825,  began  manu- 
facturing woollen  cloths  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Naugatuck  River,  in 
the  south  part  of  the  Society,  and  removed  from  the  (own  about  1830. 

Archibald  Dayton,  from  Torrington,  m.  Jan.  1, 1827,  Lophelia,  widow 
of  Levi  Bronson,  and  during  his  remaining  life,  lived  on  Blue  Street, 
near  the  Stone  School  House.  He  d.  Nov.  28,  1863.  His  son,  Isaac 
Dayton,  now  occupies  the  same  place. 

William  S.  Marsh,  from  Hartford,  m.  for  his  second  wife,  Sally, 
dau.  of  Richard  Coit,  —  and  moved  to  Winchester  in  1825,  where  he  re- 
sided, on  the  homestead  of  his  father-in-law,  until  about  1834,  when  he 
removed  to  Canaan,  and  died  there  in  18G8. 

Daniel  Beckley,  son  of  Richard,  Sr.,  of  W.,  has  occupied  the  for- 
mer residence  of  his  father  at  the  north  end  of  Little  Pond  to  the  present 
time. 

Norris  Beckly,  son  of  Richard,  of  W.,  has  resided  from  his  child- 
hood, and  still  resides  in  the  Society,  mainly  in  Danbury  Quarter. 

Oliver  Loomis,  from  Torrington,  bought  the  farm  between  the  two 
lakes  in  1827,  and  lived  thereon  until  1844,  when  he  bought,  and  occupied 
during  his  remaining  life,  the  second  house  west  of  Dudley's  Tannery,  on 
the  north  side  of  Main  street,  in  Winsted,  and  died,  childless,  Feb.  7, 
1872,  aged  84  years,  9  months,  leaving  the  bulk  of  his  estate  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  and  Society  of  Winsted,  and  a  legacy  of  $1,000 
to  the  M.  E.  Church  of  Wolcottville.  His  wife,  Mary  (Barber)  Loomis, 
d.  March,  1 870,  aged  77  years.  Mr.  L.  was  a  quiet,  frugal  citizen,  of 
decided  Methodistical  and  Anti-Slavery  sentiments  He  was  elected  a 
representative  to  General  Assembly  in  1834,  by  a  nearly  unanimous  vote 
of  both  political  parties. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

ROADS,  PAUPERS,  SELECTMEN,  ECCLESIASTICAL  AFFAIRS,  MANUFACTORIES, 
SEMINARIES,  &C. 

FROM   1831    TO    1872. 

After  reaching  the  matured  growth  of  the  Winchester  Society, 
materials  for  continued  annals  have  steadily  diminished  in  variety  and 
interest.  A  retired  farming  community,  homogeneous  in  its  composition, 
with  its  institutions  in  running  order  —  so  staid  that  deep  ruts  mark  its 
pathway  —  furnishes  few  events  worthy  of  record.  Changes,  imper- 
ceptible in  their  progress  to  a  resident  inhabitant,  may  become  strikingly 
apparent  to  a  former  resident  returning  after  long  years  of  absence.  He 
may  find  the  possessions  of  the  rich  of  one  generation  divided  and 
diffused  in  another ;  the  overshadowing  influence  of  one  class  of  men 
undermined,  and  another  class  or  organization  in  the  ascendant ;  the  all- 
engrossing  dissensions  of  one  period  quieted,  and  new  subjects  of  heart- 
burning and  strife  grown  up  in  another. 

Such  have  been  the  course  of  events  —  of  improvements  and  deteriora- 
tions —  for  the  last  forty  years.  We  find  no  events  of  startling  interest, 
no  dissensions  worthy  of  being  resuscitated  from  the  pall  of  oblivion,  no 
special  exhibitions  of  foul  crime  or  eminent  virtue. 

In  the  way  of  public  improvements,  the  laying  out  and  opening  of 
several  new  roads,  and  the  alterations  of  old  ones,  are  worthy  of  men- 
tion, and  preliminary  thereto  it  is  fitting  to  advert  to  the  conservative 
and  narrow-sighted  policy  of  the  town  in  reference  to  roads  and  bridges. 
This  pig-headeduess  may  have  had  its  origin  in  the  heavy  expense  to 
which  the  early  settlers  were  subjected  in  making  their  first  roads  by 
reason  of  the  parsimonious  allowances  and  reservations  of  lands  for  high 
ways  by  the  proprietary  body,  which  has  been  referred  to  in  our  earlier 
annals.  Sectional  jealousies  of  the  two  societies  may  also  have  had  an 
influence  in  fostering  opposition  to  improvements  tending  to  specially 
benefit  one  section  more  than  the  other.  Whatever  may  have  been  the 
remote  causes,  the  effect  was  a  prevailing  hostility  to  almost  every  pro- 
posed  improvement.     If  a  road   was   laid   out  by  the   selectmen   and 


252  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

reported  to  the  town,  however  important  it  might  be  for  public  conve- 
nience and  necessity,  if  it  promised  a  sectional  benefit  it  was  blindly- 
voted  down,  regardless  of  the  certainty  of  its  being  ultimately  carried 
through  and  established  by  appeal  to  the  county  court. 

Notable  instances  of  this  nature  are  found  in  the  now  traveled  roads 
from  Winsted  to  Wolcottville,  and  to  Colebrook  center,  the  first  having 
been  contested  with  blind  obstinacy  and  reckless  expense  from  1822  to 
1826,  and  the  second  from  about  183U  to  1835.  In  both  of  these  cases 
litigation  was  kept  up,  and  long  trials  without  number  were  had  before 
the  court  and  its  delegated  committees,  at  an  expense  in  each  instance 
exceeding  the  actual  cost  of  the  roads  when  finally  constructed.  Add  to 
this  the  point  blank,  contradictory  swearing  by  platoons  and  battalions  of 
excited  witnesses,  the  pettifogging  tricks  of  counsel  unlearned  in  the 
laws  of  fair  dealing,  and  the  vindictive  hatreds  engendered  among 
neighbors,  and  the  evils  cannot  be  over-estimated. 

The  old  roads  from  Winchester  to  Winsted  were  precipitous  and  cir- 
cuitous beyond  the  average  of  original  layings  out  of  roads.  A  shorter 
and  every  way  better  route  was  apparent  to  every  observer.  A  new 
road  over  this  route  was  advocated  from  time  to  time  early  in  this 
century,  but  was  strenuously  opposed  by  influential  parties  favoring 
entire  non-intercourse  rather  than  free  access  between  the  rival  sections. 
In  1836  the  selectmen  were  instructed  to  report  this  or  some  other 
better  route  for  a  road.  Some  sinister  influence,  or  non-agreement  of 
the  board,  prevented  any  lay-out  being  reported  at  that  time,  and  the 
matter  rested  until  after  the  opening  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  to 
Winsted,  when,  in  1853,  the  selectmen  laid  out  and  reported  a  road 
along  the  south  border  of  the  Little  Pond,  and  onward  to  near  the 
General  Hurlbut  place,  with  alterations  of  the  existing  roads  connecting 
at  each  end  of  the  new  lay-out.  This  report,  according  to  ancient  usage, 
was  summarily  rejected  in  town  meeting.  Application  was  soon  after 
made  to  the  court  for  a  road  along  this  line,  which  was  referred  to  the 
county  commissioners  in  1855.  The  commissioners  of  that  year  proved 
to  be  men  of  more  than  ordinary  judgment  and  independence.  They 
laid  out  the  new  road  and  alterations  of  the  connecting  roads  in  a  way 
that  can  hardly  be  in  any  way  improved.  The  distance  saved  is  nearly 
half  a  mile,  while  the  grades  are  far  better  than  on  the  old  routes.  The 
lay-out  was  accepted,  and  the  work  completed. 

In  1871  a  connecting  link  with  these  improvements  was  made  by  laying 
out  a  new  road,  known  as  Boyd  street;  from  the  Connecticut  Western 
Railroad  Station,  northerly  and  westerly  to  the  old  road  above  the 
Stabell  place,  thereby  avoiding  the  long  and  steep  ascent  of  Lake  street 
to  the  lake  outlet.      This  road  was  accepted,  and  is  now  completed, 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS.  253 

opening  an  avenue  of  easy  and  pleasant  communication  between  the  two 
Societies  heretofore  greatly  needed,  and  promising  a  freer  communication 
and  fellowship  of  the  two  sections. 

About  1830,  a  new  road  was  laid  out  and  accepted,  running  westerly 
from  the  Norfolk  or  Cooper  Lane  road,  by  the  residences  of  Orrin  'fuller 
and  Dudley  Chase,  to  a  new  north  and  south  road,  along  Hall  Meadow 
in  Goshen,  which  in  1831  was  discontinued  without  being  opened.  It 
was  soon  afterward  re-laid,  either  by  the  town  or  by  order  of  Court,  and 
opened  to  travel,  —  affording  a  long  desired,  and  important  avenue  of 
intercourse  with  Goshen,  Cornwall,  and  the  Housatonic  Valley. 

In  1838,  a  new  road  was  petitioned  for,  to  run  from  the  Center,  south- 
erly and  easterly,  by  the  house  of  Elias  T.  Hatch,  near  the  south  border 
of  Long  Lake,  and  thence  in  the  direction  of  the  Pine  Knot,  near  the 
line  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  —  to  connect  with  a  new  proposed  road 
through  the  south  end  of  New  Hartford  to  Canton.  The  town,  according 
to  usage,  rejected  the  Winchester  section,  as  did  the  town  of  Torrington 
the  section  within  its  borders ;  —  whereupon  the  petitioners  applied  to 
the  County  Court,  and  got  a  committee,  which  made  short  work  of  lay- 
ing out  a  line  of  roads,  and  improvements  on  the  proposed  route,  which 
were  confidently  expected,  by  the  projectors,  to  divert  the  Albany  and 
Hartford  travel  from  the  old  time  route  through  Winsted,  to  this  new 
thoroughfare.  The  road  was  petitioned  for  to  the  Court,  laid  and  ac- 
cepted, during  the  smoke  of  the  great  battle  then  raging  over  the  Cole- 
brook  Road,  without  serious  opposition  from  any  quarter.  The  com- 
mittee is  reported  to  have  carried  with  them  a  jug  of  rum,  while 
examining  the  route  and  laying  the  road,  which  accounts  for  the  profound 
wisdom  of  portions  of  their  lay-out.  The  road  has  never  fulfilled  the 
sanguine  expectations  of  its  projectors,  but  has  nevertheless  vindicated 
its  necessity  and  convenience. 

Improvements  and  changes  have  been  made  in  many  other  roads  of  the 
Society ;  but  the  greatest  and  most  beneficial  change  has  been  wrought 
by  the  entire  abandonment  of  the  old  system  of  repairing  highways,  by 
a  wrretched  system  of  labor-taxation,  inherited  from  "the  fathers."  At- 
tempts were  more  than  once  made  to  get  rid  of  it  by  allotment  of  sections 
of  roads  to  individual  contractors,  and  by  money  taxes ;  but  this  system 
failed  to  work  satisfactorily,  and  others  were  tried  until  the  annual  town 
meeting  in  1860,  when  it  was  voted,  "that  a  thorough  man  be  appointed 
in  each  district  to  repair  the  roads  therein,  and  that  the  men  so  appointed 
bring  in  their  bills  for  such  repairs  to  the  Selectmen  for  payment." 
This  vote  led  to   the  most  thorough  repair  and  improvement  of  roads 


254  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ever  made  in  the  town ;  yet  the  process  did  not  prove  so  expensive  as  to 
prevent  its  being  repeated  with  good  results,  until  the  annual  meeting  in 
1865,  when  a  commissioner  was  appointed  in  each  society  to  supervise 
the  repairs,  under  such  a  limitation  of  expense  as  not  to  exceed  two 
thousand  dollars  for  the  whole  town.  The  result  was  a  partial  repair  of 
the  Old  Society  roads,  and  an  almost  total  neglect  of  those  in  Winsted. 
The  same  course  was  adopted  in  1866,  without  a  limitation  of  expenses, 
and  repeated  in  1867  and  1868,  — when  the  appointment  of  district  road 
masters  was  given  to  the  select  men,  and  so  continued  to  1870,  when  the 
entire  supervision  of  the  roads  was  restored  to  the  selectmen,  and  it  has 
continued  in  their  hands  to  the  present  time. 

Up  to  about  1850  the  model  selectman,  —  however  fair,  honorable,  and 
humane  he  may  have  been  in  his  private  transactions,  seemed  to  become 
penurious  and  heartless  when  invested  with  this  dignity.  A  capacity  to 
systematize  the  affairs  of  the  town,  and  to  manage  them  with  a  view  to 
general  and  permanent  advantage,  was  held  in  small  estimation.  It  was 
not  supposable  that  he  could,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  render  an  intelligent 
account  of  his  doings  or  do-nothings.  He  entered  on  his  duties  with  an 
abiding  fear  of  indiscriminate  censure  or  any  liberal  act  or  comprehensive 
policy.  At  the  year's  end  his  report  was  criticised,  and  his  doings  were 
scanned  without  reason  or  mercy.  Lucky  was  he,  if  his  report  was  so 
blind  as  to  cover  up  his  mismanagement,  and  conceal  the  true  financial 
condition  of  the  town.  He  thereby  stood  a  chance  of  re-election,  and 
ultimately  of  representing  the  incapacity  of  the  town  in  the  General 
Assembly. 

On  the  other  hand,  instances  have  occurred  of  the  election  of  indepen- 
dent, straight-forward  men,  who  have  blasted  out  obtruding  rocks  from 
the  road-,  or  built  permanent  bridges,  or  kindly  provided  for  the  poor  ; 
or,  worst  of  all,  have  investigated  the  financial  affairs  of  the  town,  and 
produced  a  reliable  balance  sheet,  showing  a  before  unknown  amount  of 
indebtedness.  Rarely,  in  former  times,  did  such  offences  as  these  escape 
the  penalty  of  deposition  from  office. 

It  has  rarely  been  the  wont  of  our  town  to  avail  itself  of  the  experi- 
ence of  a  competent  selectman,  by  continuing  him  in  office  for  a  long 
course  of  years  as  in  many  other  towns.  The  darling  principles  of  rota- 
tion in  office,  and  the  maxim  that  to  the  party  victors  belong  the  spoils, 
alike  forbade  it. 

These  strictures,  though  applied  specially  to  our  own  town,  doubtless 
have  a  general  application  to  many  of  the  towns  around  us. 

In  many  respects,  improvement  has  become  manifest  in  our  affairs. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  town  is  clearly  made  known  in  printed 
reports,  from  year  to  year.     There  is  a  readiness  to  vote  the  taxes  that 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  255 

are  clearly  seen  to  be  needful.  The  principle  of  cash  payments  of  cur- 
rent' expenses  is  established.  About  fifty-six  thousand  dollars  of  war 
loans  have  been  paid  off,  and  the  financial  condition  of  the  town  is  pros- 
perous. 

But  rare  allusions  have  been  made  in  our  annals  to  the  system,  or 
rather  want  of  system,  of  providing  for  the  poor.  We  have  quoted  a  few 
early  instances  of  bringing  these  unfortunates  to  the  auction  block  and  of 
summarily  attempting  to  vote  them  out  of  the  town  guardianship.  Such 
cases  are  rarely  found.  As  a  rule  the  wants  of  the  poor  have  been 
supplied  at  their  own  dwellings,  or  places  have  been  provided  for  them 
in  private  families  in  the  vicinity  of  their  previous  residences. 

About  1845  the  system  of  contracting  with  some  responsible  individual 
of  approved  character,  to  provide  for  all  the  poor  of  the  town,  either  in 
his  own  family  or  at  their  dwellings,  was  initiated,  and  was  continued  un- 
til 1871.  Few  well  founded  complaints  of  unkind  treatment  by  contrac- 
tors have  been  made.  The  selectmen  have  been  required  to  make  month- 
ly inspections  and  careful  inquiries  as  to  the  treatment  of  the  poor ;  and 
the  ministers  in  charge  of  the  different  denominations  have  been  invited 
by  votes  of  the  town  to  perform  the  same  duties. 

This  course  of  management  has  not  been  pursued  without  a  conscious- 
ness on  the  part  of  the  community  of  its  evils  and  abuses.  The  records 
of  the  last  fifty  years  abound  with  votes  instructing  the  Selectmen  to  take 
measures  for  selecting  and  purchasing  a  town  farm,  and  other  votes  ap- 
pointing special  committees  for  the  same  purpose; — but  no  selection  and 
recommendation  was  ever  sanctioned  by  approval  of  the  town  until  the 
month  of  June  of  the  present  year  (1872),  when  the  Whiting  farm,  on  the 
east  border  of  the  town,  was  purchased,  and  is  hereafter  to  be  used,  under 
the  direction  of  the  town  as  a  home  for  the  poor.  The  buildings  are  well 
adapted  to  the  purpose ;  and  it  is  devoutly  to  be  hoped  that  a  competent 
and  humane  manager  will  be  selected  and  such  preparations  made,  as  will 
give  a  fair  start  and  ensure  a  successful  working  of  the  institution.  It  is 
also  to  be  hoped  and  devoutly  prayed  for.  that  whether  or  not,  worthy  or 
unworthy,  members  of  any  of  our  churches  are  consigned  to  this  refuge, 
their  associated  followers  of  Him  who  went  about  doing  good  will  imitate 
His  example,  by  conscientiously  and  systematically  visiting  and  minis- 
tering to  the  needs  and  comforts  of  the  destitute  and  forsaken.* 

*  The  following  obituary  notice  of  a  worthy  member  of  one  of  our  churches  who  had 
for  several  years  of  poverty  and  disease,  been  an  inmate  of  the  poor-house,  appeared  in 
the  Winsted  Herald  of  December  9,  18(14.  It  needs  no  comment.  "Exchanged  his 
poverty  for  eternal  riches,  and  his  rags  for  a  crown  which  fadeth  not  away — at  the 
Winchester  poor-house,  Nov.  5,  1864,  James  C  Smith,  aged  67.  The  pall-bearers 
were  few  on  this  side — not  so  many  perhaps  as  they  that  waited  on  the  'shining 
*  shore/  and  went  up  with  the  old  man  to  '  his  Father's  house.' " 


256  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Returning  from  this  disquisition  of  town  affairs,  to  the  closing  of  our 
annals  of  the  Old  Society  of  Winchester,  we  find  little  more  of  history  to 
be  compiled  ;  while  the  sources  from  which  to  compile  family  records  are 
exhausted. 

A  noteworthy  and  creditable  feature  characterizing  the  Society,  has 
been,  and  continues  to  be,  the  permanence,  amid  all  divisions  and  excite- 
ments, of  the  Congregational  Order,  and  the  absence  of  all  other  organized 
denominations.  At  Noppit,  beyond  the  Torrington  border,  —  where  Mr. 
Hungerford  threatened  going  to  get  religion,  —  the  fathers  of  the  Drakes, 
Fylers,  Norths,  and  others,  were  Baptists  ;  and  early  erected  a  meeting 
house  for  their  order.  The  Methodists,  in  process  of  time,  became  nu- 
merous, and  the  two  orders  united  in  enlarging,  repairing,  and  adding  a 
steeple  to  the  Baptist  house,  under  an  arrangement  that  each  order  should 
use  it  on  alternate  Sabbaths.  This  plan  worked  well  until  the  Methodist 
quarterly  meeting  occurred  on  the  Baptists'  Sabbath,  and  they  of  that 
persuasion  refused  to  yield  their  right  of  worship  for  the  exigency.  At  the 
fever  heat  of  the  resulting  odium  iheologicum,  —  a  new  Methodist  Church, 
with  steeple  and  bell,  was  erected  over  the  way.  The  process  was  the 
reverse  of  that  of  Peter  Pinder's  farmer,  who  burned  his  barn  to  kill  the 
rats,  but  was  equally  unwise  ;  —  for  there  were  now  two  barns  to  shelter 
the  vermin  of  sectarianism  ;  and  the  scant  ability  to  sustain  one  house  of 
worship  became  divided  and  utterly  inadequate  for  the  two.  The  Bap- 
tists have  dwindled  down  to  the  shadow  of  a  name,  and  the  Methodists, 
overshadowed  by  the  rising  order  of  Adventists,  yielded  their  house  to 
the  ownership  and  control  of  that  persuasion  about  1850.  This  new 
Evangel,  for  a  few  years,  was  gladly  received  b}^  large  numbers,  and  re- 
ligious zeal  pervaded  the  whole  community.  Both  meeting  houses  be- 
came crowded  with  Sabbath  worshipers,  and  continued  so  for  a  few 
years,  when  the  flame  of  devotion  and  sectarianism  died  away  leaving 
both  houses  permanently  empty  and  dilapidated. 

Only  a  few  of  these  "sectarians"  lived  in  Winchester,  so  that  the 
Congregational  order  was  slightly  affected  by  their  controversies.  Rev. 
Father  Marsh,  amid  many  trials  growing  out  of  internal  dissensions  of 
his  Church,  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way  sole  pastor  until  1846, 
when  Rev.  James  H.  Dill,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  and  Theological 
Seminary,  was  ordained  as  his  colleague  pastor,  and  was  so  continued  until 
October  2,  1851,  when  they  were  both  dismissed  at  their  own  request 
The  pulpit  was  then  supplied  for  a  year  or  more  by  Rev.  Alexander  Cun- 
ningham, and  afterwards  by  various  ministers  until  October  1857,  when 
Rev.  Ira  Pettibone,  formerly  pastor  of  the  First  Winsted  Church,  was  in- 
stalled its  pastor,  and  officiated  as  such  until  his  removal  to  Stafford, 
Connecticut,  in   1866.     He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Wm.  M.   Gay,  as  a 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


257 


supply,  for  one  year.  On  the  28th  of  December,  1870,  Rev.  Arthur 
Goodenough,  the  present  worthy  pastor,  was  installed,  Rev.  Mr.  Petti- 
bone  having  been  on  the  same  day  formally  dismissed. 

The  present  state  of  the  Church  and  Society  appears  more  auspicious 
than  for  many  past  years. 

In  addition  to  the  district  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  Society,  an 
academic  school  was  for  several  years  sustained  at  the  center,  under  the 
successive  charges  of  the  late  Silas  H.  McAJpine,  Robert  M.  Beebee, 


WINCHESTER    INSTITUTE. 


Henry  Norton,  James  Coe,  and  others,  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  Church. 
In  1858  Rev.  Ira  Pettibone,  aided  by  other  citizens  of  the  Society,  erected 
a  commodious  seminary  building  on  an  elevated  site,  immediately  north 
of  the  village,  which  he  opened  as  a  boarding  and  day  school,  under  the 
name  of  "The  Winchester  Institute,"  in  conducting  which  he  was 
assisted  by  his  sons,  Colonel  Ira  W.  and  Benjamin  "W.  Pettibone,  gradu- 
ates of  Yale  and  Amherst  Colleges.  The  former  entered  the  service  in 
33 


258  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1862,  as  Major  of  the  10th  Regt.  Conn.  Volunteers,  and  served  in  the 
North  Carolina  campaign,  was  promoted  to  Colonel,  —  and  on  his  resig- 
nation, caused  by  constant  ill-health,  he  assumed  the  entire  management 
of  the  school  and  successfully  conducted  it  until  his  removal  to  Beloit 
College,  Illinois,  as  principal  of  the  preparatory  department  of  that  instil 
tution. 

In  1869  the  Seminary  grounds  and  buildings  were  purchased  by  Mrs. 
Sabra  Blake,  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Mitchell,  and  were  by 
them  conveyed  to  seven  trustees  and  their  successors,  "for  the  purpose  of 
sustaining,  carrying  on,  and  maintaining  a  Seminary  of  learning  similar  to 
the  Institute  now  and  heretofore  carried  on  in  the  conveyed  premises  and 
to  possess  all  the  powers  necessary  for  that  purpose."  Since  this  pur- 
chase and  dedication,  the  Seminary  has  been  conducted  by  J.  Walker 
McBeth,  Esq.,  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh  University  and  an  experienced 
educator,  under  whose  auspices  it  is  hoped  that  such  a  degree  of  success 
will  be  attained  as  will  induce  other  wealthy  citizens  of  the  town  to  make 
similar  endowments,  and  thereby  raise  the  present  standard  of  education 
among  us. 

The  streams  adapted  to  water  power  run  through  the  northern  and 
southwestern  parts  of  the  Society  ;  and  none  of  them  are  large  and  per- 
manent enough  for  large  manufacturing  purposes.  No  grist-mill  was 
ever  erected  in  the  Society.  The  early  settlers  had  their  grinding  done 
at  a  mill  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Torrington,  until  Austin's  mill  was 
erected  in  Winsted. 

The  first  saw  mill  was  built  by  Deacon  Samuel  Wetmore,  near  the  bu- 
rial ground,  with  a  privilege  of  flowing  the  meadow  and  marsh  land  bor- 
dering the  stream  above.  It  was  early  moved  down  the  stream  to  a  point 
near  the  site  of  the  first  meeting-house  ;  and,  at  a  later  period,  was  moved 
further  down  to  the  site  of  the  McAlpine  mill,  below  the  junction  of  the 
east  and  west  branches.  A  saw  mill  was  early  erected  on  Mad  River,  near 
Norfolk  line,  on  the  site  of  the  Martin  and  Nelson  Brooks  mill ;  and 
another,  long  since  abandoned,  on  the  same  stream,  near  the  Danbury 
school-house.  The  Trumbull  Brooks  mill,  still  lower  down  the  stream, 
was  first  built  early  in  the  present  century.  Another  saw  mill  was  built 
on  Sucker  Brook  in  the  last  century  by  Samuel  Clark,  Christopher  Whit- 
ing, and  others ;  and  still  another  on  the  same  site  was  erected  by 
McPherson  Hubbell,  about  1848,  which  has  now  disappeared.  Few 
branches  of  manufacturing  have  ever  been  undertaken  in  the  Society,  and 
none  of  them  have  been  permanently  successful.  Dish  and  trencher  mills 
were  appendages  of  most  of  the  early  saw  mills,  for  working  up  the  slabs 
into  primitive  household  utensils.  The  last  one  in  the  town,  standing  im- 
mediately west  of  Meadow  street  bridge,  ceased  operation  as  early  as  1804. 

» 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  259 

A  fulling  mill  is  said  to  have  been  erected  about  1776  by  Daniel  or 
Joseph  Piatt,  on  tbe  small  stream  running  north  and  emptying  into  Mad 
River,  at  the  mill  dam  of  Trumbull  Brooks.  Samuel  Clark  built  a  trip- 
hammer works  for  welding  gun-barrels,  late  in  the  last  century,  on  Sucker 
Brook,  just  below  the  Dugway  bridge.  A  bark  mill,  connected  with  the 
Amasa  Wade  tannery,  on  the  Naugatuck  Branch,  near  Torrington  line, 
was  erected  early  in  the  present  century.  The  tannery  went  into  new 
hands  about  1844,  and  was  essentially  enlarged  and  inrproved  in  capacity 
and  business,  but  was  abandoned  as  a  tannery  about  1850,  and  was  after- 
wards used  for  a  time  in  manufacturing  cheese  boxes.  Another  tannery 
and  bark  mill  was  erected  early  in  this  century  by  Elijah  Blake,  senior, 
and  carried  on  after  him  by  his  son,  Deacon  Allen  Blake,  now  deceased. 
It  stood  on  Taylor's  Brook,  and  is  now  abandoned.  Early  in  {his  century, 
John  McAlpine  erected  a  shop  on  the  east  branch,  near  the  burying 
ground,  for  cutting  scale  boards  used  in  packing  cheese  in  casks  for  mar- 
keting, which  continued  in  operation  until  the  packing  of  cheeses  in  sepa- 
rate boxes  superseded  the  old  method.  In  1814  John  Nash,  James  Beebe, 
and  Dr.  Zephenia  Swift  erected  a  clothiers'  works,  carding-machine,  and 
fulling  mill  on  the  Naugatuck  branch,  between  the  McAlpine  saw  mill 
and  the  Wade  tannery,  which  was  operated  a  few  years  by  Alva  Nash, 
then  sold  to  John  Galagher,  who  introduced  power  looms,  and  went  into  the 
manufacture  of  broadcloths  and  satinets.  David  Bird  succeeded  Galagher 
in  the  business,  and  formed  a  joint  stock  company  which  operated  the  con- 
cern in  a  small  way  until  the  establishment  was  burned  down  about  1860. 

Prior  to  1825,  all  the  usual  handicraft  trades,  such  as  blacksmiths, 
tanners  and  shoemakers,  joiners  and  carpenters,  tailors,  hatters,  coopers, 
wheelwrights,  &c.,  were  carried  on  and  sustained  in  the  society ;  but  since 
that  period,  in  consequence  of  the  growth  of  Winsted,  most  of  them  have 
been  abandoned. 

From  almost  the  beginning  of  the  century  to  the  year  1857  a  large 
portion  of  the  mercantile  and  produce  business  of  the  Society  was  trans- 
acted by  the  brothers  Samuel  and  Lemuel  Hurlbut,  who  early  placed  their 
business  on  a  solid  basis,  and  enlarged  it  by  transactions  beyond  the  line 
of  ordinary  country  traders,  identifying  their  interests  with  those  of  the 
community  around  them,  and  sustaining  its  rights  and  privileges  against 
all  outside  rivalries.  For  a  long  course  of  years,  before  Winsted  had  be- 
gun to  abound  in  wealthy  men,  they  were  the  bankers  of  this  region,  and 
especially  so  of  the  dairy  farmers  requiring  loans  for  the  purchase  and  stock- 
ing of  their  farms.  We  have  already  in  another  place  analyzed  their 
characters  and  capacities,  and  referred  to  their  introduction  of  improved 
breeds  of  sheep  and  cattle.     On  their  deaths,  occurring  within  a  year  of 


260  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

each  other,  their  large  business  was  wound  up,  and  their  property  distrib- 
uted among  numerous  and  widely-scattered  heirs. 

Compared  with  other  forming  communities  around  us,  Old  Winchester 
and  the  agricultural  portions  of  Winsted  are  favored  in  a  high  degree  with 
a  distribution  of  wealth  approaching  equality,  a  freedom  from  embarras- 
sing debt,  good  education  largely  diffused,  temperate  habits,  refined  morals, 
and  intelligent  patriotism. 


Winsted  Society  and  Borough. 


CHAPTER     XX. 

WINSTED  SOCIETY— FIRST  SETTLERS  AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 

As  already  stated  in  our  preliminary  account  of  the  township,  the  open- 
ing of  the  Old  North  Road  was  soon  followed  by  a  settlement  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  the  town,  distinct  and  distant  from  the  earlier  settle- 
ment in  the  southwest  section,  to  which  our  attention  has  thus  far  been 
directed.  Long  Lake,  and  the  mountain  ridges  extending  from  its  north 
end  to  Colebrook  line  effectually  separated  these  communities  from  each 
other,  until  near  the  close  of  the  last  century ;  when  the  improvement  of 
the  splendid  water  power  along  the  Lake  Stream,  and  at  the  Still  River 
falls,  gradually  drew  settlers  to  the  intermediate  region.  The  Winsted 
settlement  began  some  twenty  years  later  than  that  of  the  old  society. 
The  records  show  but  four  resident  land  owners  there  in  1771,  when  the 
town  was  incorporated ;  and  none  of  their  names  are  found  on  the  peti- 
tion for  the  incorporation. 


1770. 

Lieut.  John  Wright,  from  Wethersfield  to  Goshen  in  1740,  came 
thence  to  Winsted,  it  is  believed  in  1769  or  1770,  and  settled,  with  his 
large  family,  on  the  northeast  side  of  the  old  North  road,  near  Colebrook 
line,  on  the  site  of  the  homestead  now  occupied  by  Edward  and  Edwin 
Rowley.  His  title  of  Lieutenant  is  said  to  have  been  acquired  during 
his  service  in  the  French  War.  His  will  was  proved  in  the  Norfolk 
Probate  Court,  Dec.  24,  1784,  in  which  are  named  his  wife  Dorcas,  and 
his  children,  John,  Jr.,  Jabez,  Charles,  Freedom,  Dorcas,  Mary,  and  Lu- 
cia. L.  M.  Norton,  in  his  Goshen  Genealogies,  names  Samuel,  David, 
and  Moses,  as  sons  of  Lieut.  John.  The  relative  age  of  their  children 
is  not  ascertainable.  His  wife  was  probably  a  dau.  of  Benjamin  Dem- 
ing,  of  Goshen. 

Samuel  Wright,  son  of  John,  Sen.,  probably  born  at   Wethersfield, 


264  ANNALS  OF   WINCHESTER 

lived  and  died  at   Goshen.     L.  M.  Norton  gives  his  children,  born  in 
Goshen,  as  follows : 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Josiah,  b.  April  1,  1753. 

II.  Ozias,  b.  Sept.  1,  1755;  d.  young. 

III.  Abigail,  b.  Jan.  8,  1757. 

IV.  Ozias,  b.  Feb.  18,  1759. 
V.Andrew,  b.  March  17,  1763. 


Moses  Wright,  son  of  John,  Sen.,  is  probably  the  same  Moses 
Wright  who  lived  and  died  in  Colebrook,  and  was  father  to  Norton 
Wright,  who  formerly  lived  near  the  Old  Hemlock  Meeting-house,  in 
Winsted,  and  Alvin  Wright  of  Colebrook,  who  d.  May,  1866. 

David  Wright,  son  of  John,  Sen.,  is  not  noted  on  the  Winchester 
Records  as  an  inhabitant,  though  he  probably  came  to  the  town  with  his 
father.  He  enlisted  into  Capt.  Sedgwick's  company  in  1775,  and  while 
on  the  march  to  the  Northern  frontier,  died  of  the  camp  distemper,  at 
Lanesborough,  Mass.,  unmarried. 

John  Wright,  Jr.  probably  came  to  Winsted  with  his  father.  He 
lived  immediately  east  of  his  father,  on  the  old  North  road,  until  his  re- 
moval in  1801,  to  Morgan,  Ohio.  He  m.  Aug.  14,  1770,  Lydia  Mason, 
who  d.  Nov.  11,  1771.  He  m.  (2d),  March  24,  1774,  Sarah,  dau.  of 
Lieut,  Asahel  Case,  of  Norfolk,  by  whom  he  had 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Lydia  Mason,  b.  Jan.  19,  1775. 
II.  David,  b.  Aug.  16,  1778;  d.  Sept.  1,  1784. 

III.  John,  b.  Jan.  U,  1780. 

IV.  Amos  Case,        b.  Sept.  5,  1782  ;  m.  Lydia,  dau.  of  Rev.  Aaron  Kinney. 
V.  Sally,  b.  April  16,  1785. 

VI.  David,  b.  July  27,  1787. 

VII.  Alpha,  b.  Dec.  26,  1789. 

VIII.  An  Infant,       b.  April  25,  1791. 

Charles  Wright  probably  came  from  Goshen  to  Winsted  about 
1775,  and  lived  near  his  father  until  his  removal  in  1801,  to  Jefferson 
Co.,  N.  Y.  He  served  as  Sergeant  in  Capt.  Sedgwick's  company,  on  the 
northern  frontier,  in  1775.     He  m.  Nov.  11,  1767,  Ruth  Smith. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Tyrannus,  b.  Goshen,  March  20,  1768  ;  probably  died  young. 

II.  Sarah,  b.  Jan.  29,  1770. 

III.  Charles,  b.  July  28,  1774. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  265 

IV.  Stephen,  b.  Aug.  18,  1776;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

V.  Tyagustus,  b.  Feb.  6,  1779  ;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

VI.  Ruth,  b.  April  30,  1781  ;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

VII.  Erastus,  b.  ;   d.  Aug.  28,  1786. 

VIII.  Erasths,  b.  May  28,  1787  ;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

IX.  Chester,  b.  Nov.  10,  1789;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

X.  Nathan,  b.  May  17,  1792  ;  bap.  July  30,  1797. 

XI.  Matthew  Miles,  bap.  July  30,  1797. 


Capt.  Freedom  Wright  became  a  land  holder  in  1777,  and  lived 
and  kept  a  tavern  in  the  house  now  burned  down,  recently  owned  by 
Albert  Kelsey  and  wife,  in  tbe  same  neighborhood  with  his  father  and 
brothers.  He  removed  to  Jefferson  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  1801.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  Capt.  Sedgwick's  company.  He  m.  Sept.  1,  1777,  Anna  Hor- 
ton.  She  d.  Sept.  18,  1788,  and  he  ni,  (2d),  Aug.  10,  1789,  Phebe 
Turner.     She  d.  in  1793. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Asa  Douglass,  b.  Sept.  18,  1778. 
II.  Jabez,  b.  Feb.  6,  1780. 

III.  Lucy,  b.  March  29,  1782;  m.  Abijab  Wilson,  Jr. 

IV.  Abigail,  b.  July  6,  1784. 

V.  Freedom,  b.  Sept.  25,  1787  ;  d.  same  day. 

VI.  Freedom,  b.  Sept.  13,  1788;  d.  same  day. 

CHILDREN   BT    SECOND    WIFE. 

VII.  Anna,  b.  March  16,  1790. 

VIII.  Freedom,  b.  Sept.  29,  1791 ;   d.  Oct.  20,  1791. 

IX.  Freedom,  b.  Oct.  6,  1792. 


Lucia  or  Lucy  Wright,  a  dau.  of  John  Wright,  Sen.,  named  in  his 
will,  m.  Elijah  Rockwell,  Esq.,  first  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  Town  Clerk 
of  Colebrook,  and  was  the  grandmother  of  John  T.  Rockwell,  of  Win- 
sted.     She  was  b.  Oct.  7,  1756. 

The  Wrights  were  a  highly  intelligent,  studious  family  ;  supporters  of 
religion  and  good  order,  and  earnest  patriots  in  the  revolutionary 
struggle. 

1771. 

Ebenezer  Shepard,  from  Goshen,  this  year  bought  lands  bordering 
on  Colebrook  line,  on  the  road  to  Colebrook,  by  way  of  Nelson  Beards- 
ley's,  on  which  he  lived  until  1775,  when  he  sold  out  to  David  Crissey, 

34 


206  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

and  moved  into  Colebrook.     He  served  in  Capt.  Sedgwick's  company  on 
the  northern  frontier,  in  1775.     Wife,  Mercy. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Prudence,  b.  June  8,  1771. 
II.  Caroline,  b.  July  26,  1773. 

John  Balcom,  Jr.,  from  Mansfield,  Windham  Co.,  came  into  the 
town  this  year ;  he  owned  and  lived  on  a  lot  o!  land  east  of  Still  River, 
nearly  opposite  the  Horace  Rowley  place,  and  lived  in  a  log  house  on  the 
hill,  adjoining  Barkhamsted  line.  He  lived  in  Winchester  as  late  as 
1808,  and  was  of  Sidney,  Delaware  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1810,  as  appears  by 
his  conveyances  on  record.     He  m.  Jan.  1,  1783,  Lois  Hudson. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Zilfha,  b.  Oct.  18,  1783;  bap.  July  22,  1784. 

II.  Lois,  b.  May  22,  1785;  bap.  June  18,  1786. 

III.  Ebenezer,  b.  June  15,  1786;  bap.  June  18,  1786. 

IV.  Elizabeth,  bap.  Sept.  1,  1790. 

V.  Una  Vilda,    bap.  in  Wd.  Ch.,  Sept.  1,  1790. 


1772. 

John  Balcom,  Sen.,  is  named  of  Winchester,  in  a  deed  of  this  year, 
conveying  to  him  Lot  10,  2d  Division,  next  south  of  the  Daniel  B.  Wil- 
son farm.  He  lived  in  a  log  house  on  the  old  North  road,  a  little  easterly 
of  the  Henry  Dowd  place.  The  Land  Records  show  that  he  had  sons  : 
John,  Jr.,  Jonathan,  and  Nathaniel.  His  wife's  death  in  1797,  is  noted  in 
the  Church  Records.  He  renewed  his  church  covenant  in  1800,  —  and 
probably  died  in  the  town,  though  no  record  of  his  death  is  found. 

Jonathan  Balcom,  son  of  John,  Sr.,  lived  on  Wallen's  hill,  between 
Roswell  Smith's  and  Joel  Meade's.  The  inventory  of  his  estate  was  re- 
turned to  Norfolk  Probate  Court  September  6,  1790.  Administration  to 
his  widow,  Molly  ;  —  distribution  to  his  sons  John,  Jr.,  and  Nathaniel, 
and  to  his  daughters  Keziah  (who  died  unmarried),  Mary,  wife  of 
Gates,  Rhoda,  Irena,  wife  of  Seth  Goodrich,  and  Esther  (who  died  un- 
married). 

Nathaniel  Balcom,  son  of  John,  Sr.,  lived  on  the  homestead  of  his 
father  until  1813  or  1814,  when  he  removed  to  Wayne  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania.    He  married,  September  2,  1782,  Lois  McEntire. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  267 


CHILDKEN. 


I.  Francis,  b. 

II.  Nathan,  b.  May  9, 1787. 

III.  Jonathan,  b.  Aug.  18,  1791;  enlisted  in  the  war  of  1812. 

IV.  Silas,  b. 


Elias  Balcom  is  named  of  Winchester  in  1774.  In  1776  he  had 
some  interest  in  the  mill  lot  and  the  corn-mill,  saw-mill,  and  dwelling- 
house  thereon,  which  he  quit-claimed  to  Stephen  Chubb,  of  New  Hart- 
ford. The  nature  of  his  ownership  does  not  appear  on  the  records.  He 
then  resided  on  the  'premises,  and  had  probably  erected  the  mills  and 
dwelling  on  some  arrangement  with  the  proprietors  of  Winchester,  who 
afterwards  granted  to  Stephen  Chubb,  Jr.,  a  lease  of  the  lot  for  900 
years. 

Jacob  and  Joseph,  sons  of  Elias  Balcom,  were  baptized  in  the  Win- 
chester Church  in  November,  1775.  —  The  former  is  said  to  have  carried 
on  horseback  the  earliest  mail  between  Hartford  and  Albany. 

Elias  Cabit  Balcom  (probably  son  of  Elias  above),  married,  Decem- 
ber 30, 1782,  Mary  Dickinson. 

CHILD. 
I.  Sarah,        b.  Feb.  6,  1786. 


Nathan  Balcom  died  August  7,  1808,  aged  84. 


1773. 

John  Austin,  of  Winchester,  is  this  year  grantor  of  thirty  acres  of 
land,  extending  from  the  east  shore  of  Long  Lake  to  first  tier  line,  and 
embracing  parts  of  Rockwell  and  Prospect  streets,  and  the  Naugatuck 
Railroad  depot  grounds,  which  he  sold  in  1779.  There  is  an  ancient  cel- 
lar on  the  east  side  of  East  Lake  street  on  this  land,  which  may  have 
been  his  residence. 

Abel  Hoskin,  from  Windsor,  this  year  bought  a  lot,  now  a  part  of 
the  farm  of  Anson  Fosket,  and  lived  thereon  until  after  1787.  .In  1790 
he  lived  in  Hartland. 

Josiah  Smith,  from  Wethersfield,  owned,  lived,  and  died  on  the 
farm,  on  the  old  Still  River  turnpike,  now  owned  by  Horace  Rowley. 
He  was  a  founder  and  one  of  the  first   Deacons  of  the  Congregational 


268  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

Church  of  Winsted,  from  which  he  withdrew  during  the  dissensions  in 
Rev.  Mr.  Woodworth's  time,  and  became  a  member  and  Deacon  of  the 
Baptist  Church  then  founded  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town.  He 
married,  June  17,  1770,  Elizabeth  Merrill.  She  died  November  26, 
1829,  aged  85  ;  he  died  September  28,  1824,  aged  81. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Salome,  b.  Oct.  12,  1770;  m.  Amasa  Mallory. 

II.  Sarah,  b.  Jan.  5,  1772  ;  m.  Feb.  13,  1794,  Elisha  Mallory,  Jr. 

III.  Josiah,  b  Jan.  9,  1775;  d.  Oct.  3,  1777. 

IV.  Benjamin,  b.  Aug.  22,  1778. 
V.  Truman,  b.  Nov.  22,  1780. 

VI.  Josiah  (twin),  b.  Aug.  29,  1784. 

VII.  Elizabeth  (twin),  b.  Aug.  29,  1784;  m.  Grandison  Newell. 


Truman  Smith,  son  of  Deacon  Josiah,  lived  with  his  father  and  con- 
tinued to  occupy  the  homestead  until  after  1825,  when  he  removed  to 
Lenox,  Ohio,  where  he  died  April  14,  1862,  aged  81.  He  succeeded  his 
father  as  Deacon  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

His  son,  Luman  Smith,  now  resides  in  Winsted. 

Josiah  Smith,  Jr.,  lived  in  Winsted,  and  after  1810  was  one  of  the 
Deacons  of  the  Congregational  Church  till  his  removal  to  Windsor,  after 
1834,  where  he  died,  s.  p.,  January  1,  1852,  aged  67. 

All  of  the  members  of  this  family  were  eminent  for  piety  and  good 
works. 


1774. 

Stephen  Arnold's  prior  residence  does  not  appear.  In  1774  he 
bought  of  John  Darbe  furty-one  acres  of  land  on  Wallen's  hill,  adjoining 
Barkhamsted  line,  now  composing  part  of  the  farms  of  Sylvester  Treat 
and  Homer  W.  Whiting,  on  which  he  then  lived.  He  sold  out  and  prob- 
ably left  the  town  in  1783.     Wife,  Lois. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mart,  b.  Aug.  29,  1778. 

II.  Stephen,  b.  Jan.  29,  1781. 

III.  Lois,  bapt.  Nov.  9,  1782. 

Zebulon  Shepard,  of  New  Hartford  in  1773,  of  Winchester,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1784,  and  of  Barkhamsted,  March  16,  1774,  —  was  interested 
with  Ebenezer  Shepard  in  the  Crissey  farm  on  Colebrook  line,  and  must 
have  lived  there,  if  he  ever  had  a  stated  residence  in  the  town. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  269 

Phineas  Potter,  from  Woodbury,  owned  land  in  the  east  village  of 
Winsted,  which  embraced  the  Holabird  place,  and  extended  northward 
on  North  Main  street  to  the  late  residence  of  John  Camp,  deceased.  He 
first  built  a  shanty  against  the  large  rock  on  Hinsdale  street,  near  the 
Champion  barn,  and  afterward  built  and  lived  in  a  house,  now  torn  down, 
in  rear  of  the  ancient  elm,  where  the  Henry  Champion  house  now  stands. 
Tradition  says  that  when  Mr.  Potter  moved  to  Winsted  there  was  no 
road  from  the  Old  South  road  in  Torringford  to  Winsted,  and  that  on 
reaching  the  tavern  of  Landlord  Burr  (father  of  Russell  and  Milo),  near 
the  top  of  Hayden  hill,  Mr.  Burr  assisted  him  in  cutting  out  a  path  for 
his  team ;  —  that  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day's  labor,  they  accomplished  a 
distance  of  five  miles,  —  reaching  the  east  bank  of  Still  River,  at  or  near 
the  old  Wheeler  house,  lately  belonging  to  the  Holabird  estate,  where 
they  camped  out  for  the  night,  —  and  on  the  following  morning  crossed  to 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  built  the  shanty  before  mentioned  ;  and 
that  his  was  the  first  family  settled  in  the  Still  River  valley,  south  of  the 
Old  North  road.     Wife,  Dorcas.  ' 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sheldon,  came  with  Ms  father. 
II.  Daniel,        "      "      "      " 

III.  Salmon,        b.  May  25,  1774. 

IV.  Freedom,     b.  Sept.  5,  1776. 

Sheldon  Potter  built  and  lived  in  the  old  Wheeler  house,  on  the 
east  side  of  Still  River,  nearly  opposite  the  Holabird  place,  which  he  sold 
to  Nathan  Wheeler  in  1786,  and  afterwards  left  the  town.  He  married, 
November  2,  1786,  Mary  Knowlton,  and  had  one 

CHILD. 

I.  Cyrus,        b.  Feb.  28,  1788. 

Daniel  Potter  lived  in  a  house  which  stood  above  the  east  bank  of 
Still  River,  nearly  due  east  of  the  east  village  hotel,  on  a  road  that  then 
ran  along  the  rear  of  the  houses  more  recently  built  along  the  east  side  of 
the  river.  He  sold  out  to  Eleazer  Porter  in  1789.  His  name  is  on  the  tax 
list  of  1796  ;  he  left  town  soon  after  1798,  and  probably  settled  in  Johns- 
town, Montgomery  County,  New  York,  as  appears  by  a  deed  from  him  in 
1801.     He  married,  December  8,  1785,  Naomi  Crissey. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Daniel,  b.  Aug.  21,  1786. 

II.  Abijah,'  b.  April  19,  1788. 
LIT.  Joseph  Crissey,    b.  March  24,  1790. 


270  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  Alvin,  b.  Nov.  4,  1791. 

V.  Piiilo,  b.  Dec.  0,  1793. 

VI.  Chester,  b..  Feb.  13,  1796. 

VII.  Hakvey,  b.  Nov.  10,  1798. 

1775. 

David  Crissey,  from  Waterbury,  and  originally  from  Woodbury,  this 
year  bought  of  Ebenezer  Shepard,  the  farm  adjoining  Colebrook  line,  late 
owned  by  George  Marvin.  He  died  in  1803  ;  his  inventory  was  returned 
to  the  Norfolk  Probate  Court,  March  14,  1804.  He  married  at  New 
Haven,  Hannah  Wilmot. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Preserved,     b.  m.,  January  11,  1787,  Racbel  Kellogg. 

II.  Mary,  m.  Joseph  Loomis  of  New  Hartford. 

III.  Naomi,  ra.  Daniel  Potter  of  Winchester. 

IV.  Israel  was  13  years  old  when  his  father  came  to  Winchester. 
V.  Jemima,  m. —  Fairchild. 

VI.  Asenath,  m.  Ira  Mudge,  of  Pittsfield,  Otsego  Co.,  N.Y. 

VII.  Liberty,  m. Brainard  and  moved  to  Chatham. 

VIII.  Hannah,  m.  Levi  Dean  of  South  Canaan, 

IX.  Phineas,  b.  in  Winchester  June  19,  1778. 

Preserved  Crissey,2  a  prominent  citizen,  first  lived,  until  1794,  in  a 
house  then  standing,  where  Mrs.  Lucy  Coe  now  lives,  on  Spencer  Street, 
after  which,  until  1803,  he  lived  in  the  house,  now  torn  down,  on  West 
Lake  street,  nearly  opposite  the  John  Stabell  house ;  soon  after  which  he 
removed  to  Litchfield,  Herkimer  county,  New  York.  He  married,  January 
11, 1787,  Rachel  Kellogg. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Electa,8  b.  March  14,  1788. 

II.  Truman,3  b.  February  22,  1790. 

III.  Alfred,3  b.  March  19,  1792. 

IV.  Philo,3  b.  October  10,  1794. 

Israel  Crissey  lived  on  the  eastern  border  of  the  Indian  Meadow 
near  Colebrook  line.  He  removed  in  1810  to  Norfolk.  He  married 
February  7,  1788,  Alice  Woodruff. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  MEHiTAnLE,  b.  July  21, 1789  ;  m.  Seth  Barber,  and  removed  to  Western  N.  Y. 

II.  Benjamin  Wilmot,  b.  May  19, 1791 ;  m.,  1828,  in  Norfolk,  Eunice  Burr,  and 

had  Warren,  b.   1831;    Ralph   Israel,  b.  1833;    Olive  Elizabeth,  b.  1835; 
Thcron  Wilbert,  b.  1837. 

III.  Alice,     b.  June  15,  1793;  d.  unmarried  in  1861. 

IV.  Olive,    b.  February  28, 1795 ;  m.  Seth  Barber,  Western  N.  Y. ;  living  in  1859. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  271 

1776. 

David  Mills,  from  West  Simsbury,  now  Canton,  owned  tbe  lot  which 
embraced  the  Wins  ted  Manufacturing  Company's  and  Cook  Axle  Com- 
pany's premises,  and  extending  easterly  to  Barkhamsted  line.  He  lived 
on  Wallen's  Hill,  where  the  clock-factory  road  joins  the  north  and  south 
roads,  iu  the  red  house  afterwards  owned  by  Lemuel  Clark  and  Daniel 
Burnham.  He  removed  with  his  sons,  Eliphalet  and  Daniel,  to  Colebrook, 
about  1804  or  '5,  where  he  died.  He  was  son  of  John4  (born  1690  ;  died 
Canton,  1774)  and  Damans  (Phelps)  Mills;  grandson  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Pettibone)  Mills ;  great  grandson  of  Simon  and  Mary  (Buell)  Mills,  and 
great-great-grandson  of  Simeon  and  Sarah  (Bissell)  Mills,  who  came  from 
England.  He  married,  about  1761,  Huldah  Edgecomb  ;  she  died  February 
7,  1787;  and  he  married  (2d)  May  8,  17^8,  Jane  Hungerford;  he  mar- 
ried (3d),  December  26,  1789,  Abigail  Shortman. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  David,  b.  May,  1762;  d.  3J  years  old. 

II.  Chauncey, 

III.  Phebe,  m.  David  Smith. 

IV.  Roswell,  m.  Ellis  Apley. 

V.  Elizabeth,  m.  February  4,  1795,  Josiah  Apley. 

VI.  Huldah,         b.  in  W.  October  19,  1776  ;  m.,  January  1,  1794,  Thomas  Boyd, 

of  Amenia,  N.  Y. 
VII.  Eliphalet,   b.  January  5,  1779. 
VIII.  Daniel,  b.  February  6,  1782. 

IX.  Sakah,  b.  January  10,  1785  ;  m.  Win.  Shortman,  of  Kinderhook,  N.  Y. 

Chauncet  Mills  lived  in  a  house  next  north  of  his  father's,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  house  now  owned  by  George  Raymond.  He  sold 
out  in  1803,  and  is  named  of  Adams,  Jefferson  county,  New  York,  in  a 
deed  of  1806.     He  married  September  26,  1784,  Ruth  Doolittle. 

children. 
I.  Seloen,  b.  September  27,  1788. 

II.  Anna,  b.  February  14,  1790. 

III.  Fyler   (twin),  b.  September  15,  1792. 

IV.  Fanny  (twin),  "  "  " 

Eliphalet  Mills  learned  the  scythe  makers'  trade  of  Jenkins  & 
Boyd,  and  resided  in  the  town  a  few  years  after  his  majority ;  and  then, 
with  his  brother  Daniel,  erected  and  carried  on  a  scythe  works  at  Cole- 
brook  River.  He  eventually  migrated  to  Ohio,  where  he  died.  He  mar- 
ried Eda  Hurd. 

Daniel  Mills  learned  the  hatters'  trade  and  afterwards  went  into  the 
scythe-making  business  at  Colebrook  River,  where  he  died.  He  married 
Hannah  Hurd. 


272  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

His  son,  Daniel  H.  Mills,  and  his  daughter,  the  wife  of  C.  S.  Norton, 
now  reside  in  Wi listed. 

1777. 

Ensign  Jesse  Doolittle,  from  New  Hartford,  this  year  bought  of 
Stephen  Chubb,  Jr.,  the  mill  lot  reserved  by  the  proprietors  at  the  Still 
River  Falls,  where  the  clock  factory  is  now  located,  and  the  land  adjoining 
on  the  east  bide  of  the  river.  His  house  was  burned,  after  wdiich  he  built, 
on  the  same  site,  the  Asaph  Pease  house,  which  has  recently  been  taken 
down  and  removed,  which  stood  where  the  road  now  runs,  nearly  opposite 
the  house  of  Isaac  B.  Woodruff,  and  occupied  it  until  his  death,  February 
9,  1793,  aged  55.  The  house  previously  occupied  by  Elias  Balcom,  and 
which  Mr.  Doolittle  first  occupied,  stood  on  the  site  of  the  house  next  south 
of  the  Beecher  store.     His  wife,  Mary,  died  March  2,  1819,  aged  82. 

Jesse  Doolittle,  Jr.,  oldest  son  of  Ensign  Jesse,  lived  about  half 
way  up  Wallen's  hill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  road  running  east  from  the 
clock  factory,  in  a  house  long  since  torn  down.  About  1812,  he  removed 
to  Wolcott,  Wayne  county,  New  York,  where  he  died  about  1822.  He 
married  November  15,  1787,  Hannah  Jopp. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Marion,  b.  July  6,  1788;  m.  Moses  Hitchcock. 

II.  Lorrain,  b.  December  16,  1790. 

III.  Silas,  b.  September  17,  1794. 

IV.  Zebina,  b.  July  20,  1796. 

V   Erwin,  b.  June  1,  1799  ;  lived  at  Wolcott,  N.  Y.,  1822. 

VI.  Zerah,  b.  October  1,  1802. 

VII.  Huldah,  b.  August  26,  1804. 

VIII.  Hannah  Henshaw,     b.  December  3,  1806. 

IX.  Edward  Houghton,  b.  January  29,  1809. 

X.  Nelson,  b.  November  4,  1810. 

Zerah  Doolittle,  second  son  of  Ensign  Jesse,  lived  with  his  father, 
and  continued  to  occupy  the  homestead  until  he  removed  to  Vermont 
about  1800.  He  married  Lucy  Wheeler  in  1793,  who  eloped  with  Major 
Seth  Wetmore  about  eight  years  afterwards. 

Lyman  Doolittle,  third  son  of  Ensign  Jesse,  born  June  5,  1779, 
lived  in  the  old  homestead  until  1819,  when  he  bought  the  Zenas  Wilson 
place,  now  owned  by  William  F.  Roraback,  on  the  old  North  Road,  where 
he  died  March  14,  1851,  aged  72.  He  married  Achsah  Davis.  She  died 
October  9,  1854.  He  had  a  son,  Lyman  Jr.,  who  died  a  soldier  in  the 
U.  S.  army  near  the  time  of  the  Mexican  War,  leaving  a  widow.  One 
of  his  daughters  married  Daniel  B.  Wilson,  one  married  Julius  Weaver, 
and  another  married  Henry  Dowd.  . 

The  name  of  this  Doolittle  family  has  become  extinct  in  the  town. 
The  descendants  in  the  female  line  are  numerous. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  273 

Samuel  Hayden,  Esq.,  came  from  Goshen  this  year,  and  owned  a 
farm  on  the  old  North  Road ;  his  dwelling  stood  on  the  north  side  of  the 
road,  nearly  opposite  the  late  Riley  Smith's.  Before  1790,  he  sold  ont 
and  purchased  a  farm  on  Wallen's  Hill,  and  built  a  house  a  little  east  of 
the  town  line,  in  Barkhamsted,  which  is  still  occupied  by  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Laura  Andrews.  In  his  old  age  he  removed  with  the  family  of  his  youngest 
daughter,  to  Ashtabula  county,  Ohio,  where  he  died.  He  was  a  man  of 
pure  character,  strong  intellect,  and  quiet  humor ;  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  three  times  a  representative  of  the  town  of  Barkhamsted.  In  his 
advanced  years,  he  united  with  the  Winsted  Congregational  Church  and 
honored  his  profession.  He  was  born  in  Windsor,  January  12,  1748,  son 
of  Samuel  and  Abigail  (Hall)  Hayden;  grandson  of  Samuel  and  Anna 
(Holcomb)  Hayden ;  great-grandson  of  Daniel  and  Hannah  (Wilcoxson) 
Hayden ;  and  great-great-grandson  of  William  Hayden,  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Windsor,  and  afterward  of  Killingworth.  He  married  Rebecca 
Smith;  she  died  September  1,  1793  ;  he  married  (2d)  Sally  Maybee. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Samuel,  b.  October  24,  1774;  d.  September,  1799. 

II.  Mary,  b.  December  4,  1776;  m.   1797,  Gideon  Hall;  d.  March  16, 
1830. 

III.  Seth,  b.  June  8, 1781  ;  m.  Huldah  Soper;  d.  1845. 

IV.  Moses,  b.  October  30,  1783  ;  m.  May  8,  1806,  Sally  Jenkins. 
V.  Abigail,  b.  March  27,  1788;  d.  1805. 

VI.  Lauka,  b.  October  17,  1791  ;  m.  July  13,  1826,  Charles  Andrews. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

VII.  Anne,  b.  November  2,  1795  ;  m.  Luman  Whiting,  Austinburg,  O. 

VIII.  Sally,  b.  June,  1803  ;  m.  Solomon  Curtis  Smith. 

Seth  Hayden,  son  of  Samuel,  Esq.,  lived  on  the  southerly  side  of 
the  Old  North  Road,  adjoining  Barkhamsted  line,  until  1827,  when  he 
migrated  to  Bethany,  Wayne  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  died  March  14,  1845, 
aged  64.  He  was  a  retiring  man,  of  feeble  constitution,  and  industrious 
habits,  who  reared  and  educated  a  large  family  of  children,  now  occupy- 
ing stations  of  usefulness  and  honor.  The  compiler  affectionately 
remembers  him,  after  a  lapse  of  nearly  sixty -five  years,  as  a 'mild,  kind- 
hearted,  and  faithful  schoolmaster.     He  married  Huldah  Soper. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel,  b.  May  4,   1805  ;  m.  ;  d.  New  Harmony,  la.,  March  7, 

1842;  had  two  children,  Laura  and  Henry. 
II.  Seth,       1>.  February  21,  1807  ;  d.  April  2,  1825  ;  unmarried. 
III.  Locien,   b.  October  31, 1808  ;  graduated  Hamilton  College,  1836  ;  ordained 
Pastor  of  Baptist   Church,   Dover,  N.   H.,  1838;    resettled   Saxton's 
35 


274  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

River,  Vt,,  1843;  received  degree  of  A.M.  at  Madison  University, 
1854  ;  resettled  New  London,  N.  H.,  1857  ;  m.  (1st),  Caroline  C.  Smith, 
Keene,  N.  II.,  by  whom  lie  had  one  child,  Lucien  Henry,  b.  May  21, 
1839 ;  he  m.  (2d),  1858,  Mary  J.  Prescott  of  Concord,  N.  H. 
IV.  Colin  Marcos,  b.  January  15,  1811  ;  farmer,  J.  P.,  and  Deacon  of  Bapt. 
Church  at  Cornwall,  111. ;  has  two  children,  Samuel  S.  and  Huldah 
Sophia. 

V.  Corinthia,  b.  July  28,  1814;  m.  Benjamin  Smith  of  Penn. 

VI.  Huldah  Rebecca,  b.  February  28,  1817 ;  m.  Levi  Bronson,  E.  Saginaw, 

Mich. 

VII.  Henry,  b.  February  28,  1817;  m.  Sophia  Bowman,  Town  Hill,  Penn.; 

lives  in  Muncy,  Penn;  has  a  son,  William  B.,b.  June,  1851. 
VIII.  William,  b.  September  9, 1821  ;  graduated  Castleton  Medical  College,  Vt.; 
settled  in  Wyoming,  111. ;  has  children  :    1.  Isabella,  b.  1848;  2.  Frank, 
b.  1849. 
IX   Laura  Abigail,  b.  May  30,  1826. 

Moses  Hayden,  Esq.,  second  sou  of  Samuel,  resided,  until  his 
removal  from  the  state,  a  little  south  of  his  father,  iu  a  house  built  for 
Rev.  Mr.  Woodvvortb,  the  first  pastor  of  the  Winsted  Congregational 
Church.  He,  too,  was  a  schoolmaster  in  his  early  years,  less  kind,  but 
more  efficient  than  his  brother.  He  early  succeeded  his  father  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  was  a  member  of  the  Assembly  during  seven  sessions,  and 
in  the  war  of  1812  commanded  a  company  of  state  troops  called  out  for 
the  defence  of  New  London.  In  1815  he  migrated  to  Bethany,  Penn., 
where  he  was  a  justice  of  the  peace.  He  died  suddenly  in  1829,  aged 
46.     He  married  May  8,  1806,  Sally  Jenkins. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  James  Carleton,  b.  August  13,  1806;  m.  —  Phillips;  lives  in  Corn* 

wall,  111. ;  has  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 
II.  Julia,  b.  October  25,  1807;  m.   Heman  Arnold,  Pa.;  d. 

1830. 

III.  Joseph  Addison,  b.  January  1,  1609;  went  to  Michigan. 

IV.  Lucia,  b.  February  16,  1810;  m.  H.  Ames. 

V.  Jane,  b.  April  21,   1811;   m.   (1st),  —  King;    (2d),  M. 

Greiner. 

VI.  Helen,  b.  August  5,1812;  m.   C.  P.   Sweet;  d.  October 

10,  1842. 

VII.  Edwin,  b.  March  7,  1814. 

VIII.  Lavinia,  b.  July  15,  1815;  m.  —  Miller. 
IX.  Samuel  Sheridan,        b.  November  9,  1822. 

James  Carleton  Hayden,  son  of  Moses,  lived  in  Winsted  for  some 
fifteen  years  after  coming  of  age ;  afterward  at  Wolcottville,  whence  he 
removed  about  1855  to  Cornwall,  Illinois.  His  residence  in  Winsted 
was  in  the  house  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street,  nearest  to  Still  River 
Bridge.  The  family  name  has  become  extinct  in  the  town,  but  several 
descendants  in  the  female  line  still  remain. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  275 

John  Darbe  or  Derby,  from  Hebron,  lived  beyond  the  Barkham- 
sted  line  on  Wall  en's  Hill,  as  early  as  1773,  and  came  into  Winchester  as 
early  as  1778.  He  owned  the  land  south  of  the  road  east  from  the 
clock  shop  up  Wallen's  Hill,  afterward  owned  by  Ensign  Doolittle,  and 
lived  in  the  house  near  the  top  of  the  hill  until  1782.  He  is  named  of 
Norfolk  in  1787.  He  married  September  22,  1773,  Sarah  Balcom;  had 
one  child,  Phebe,  b.  July  8,  1774. 

Henry  Walter  from  Torrington,  bought  and  occupied  land  on 
Spencer  street,  now  a  part  of  the  Lockwood  farm,  and  lived  in  a  log 
house  near  the  Lockwood  dwelling.  His  land  was  taken  on  execution 
for  debt  in  1793. 

John  Walter,  son  of  Henry,  from  Torrington,  owned  in  1779  a  lot 
of  land  within  the  borough  limits  of  Winsted,  and  in  1790  bought  a  part 
of  the  Lockwood  farm,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  removal  to  Burke, 
Vt.,  after  1798.  He  served  in  Captain  Watson's  Company,  Colonel 
BurralFs  Regiment,  on  the  northern  frontier.  He  married  August  3, 
1773,. Sarah  Gleason. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Cynthia,     b.  April  7,  1774.     . 
-    II.  Norris,        b.  October  25,  1775. 

III.  Jerusha,      b.  January  18,  1777. 

IV.  Andrew,  •  b.  December  5,  1779. 
V.  John,  b.  February  25,  1782. 

VI.  Eber,  a  younger  son,  came  back  from  Vermont,  lived  in  Winsted  several 
years,  and  removed  to  and  died  in  Wayne  Co.,  Pa.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  Major  Isaiah  Tuttle  of  Torringford. 


Andrew  Walter  returned  from  Vermont  to  Winsted  not  far  from 

1805 ;  married  Abby  Westlake,  and  raised  a  family  of  children,  one  of 

whom  married  Silvester  Hart.     He  lived  several  years  on  the  William 

-F.   Hatch  farm,  and  afterwards   in  various   places.     He  died   not  far 

from  1840. 

Lemuel  Walter,  probably  brother  of  the  foregoing,  also  lived  on  a 
part  of  the  Lockwood  farm  in  1781,  and  afterward  in  a  log  house  on 
Spencer  street,  between  Hinsdale  street  and  the  district  school  house.  He 
died  in  the  town  in  1792.     He  had  wife  Mehitabel,  and 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hannah,        b.  November  9,  1776. 
II.  Roxt,  b  June  5,  1779. 

III.  Lemuel,         b.  January  2,  1780  ;  d.  1792. 


276  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Daniel  "Walter,  in  1786,  owned  the  western  part  of  the  Colonel 
Hinsdale  farm,  and  sold  the  same  in  1793.  He  married  August  19, 
1779,  Mary  Gleason. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Augustus,  b.  March  3, 1780. 

II.  Leonard,  b.  April  19,  1782. 

III.  Polly,  b.  September  29,  1784;  d.  July  17,  1785. 

IV.  Daniel,  b.  November  13, 1787 ;  d.  June  17,  1792. 

Ira  Walter,  in  1793,  bought  land  north  of  and  adjoining  John 
Walter's  land,  which  he  sold  in  1797. 

Ebenezer  Rowley,  Jr.'s  name  first  appears  on  the  land  records  of 
1781,  but  his  name  is  on  the  Petition  of  1777,  for  the  incorporation  of 
Winsted  Society,  as  well  as  the  recorded  birth  of  his  oldest  child,  indi- 
cates an  earlier  residence.  He  came  from  Chatham,  and  was  probably 
the  first  settler  on  South  street.  He  owned  and  occupied  until  his  death, 
the  dwelling  and  farm  lately  owned  by  Orson  W.  Jopp.  He  was  a  hard 
working,  jovial,  thrifty,  and  in  earlier  years,  public -spirited  man,  who 
raised  a  large  family,  and  by  his  practical  jokes  contributed  largely  to  the 
cheerfulness  of  his  associate  pioneers. 

His  brother-in-law,  Knowlton,  occupied  the  adjoining  farm.  Their 
cleared  lands  extended  down  the  hill  westward  to  Still  River  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains.  "Uncle  Ebb."  had  been  out  cooning  through  the 
night  on  the  mountains  and  was  returning  at  early  dawn,  when  he  hears 
Knowlton  calling  to  his  cow  which  had  strayed  into  the  forest.  To 
Knowlton's  call  Uncle  Ebb.  responded  in  cow  language  from  the  foot  of  the 
mountain.  Knowlton  wades  the  muddy  stream  to  reach  the  spot  from 
which  he  had  heard  the  looing.  Rowley,  unseen,  ascends  the  slope  and 
gives  another  cow-like  moo-o,  and  Knowlton  follows;  Rowley  reaches 
the  top  of  the  ridge  and  gives  another  moo-o,  —  and  while  Knowl- 
ton climbs  from  crag  to  crag,  wondering  how  the  "  tarnal  critter'* 
could  get  up  there,  Rowley  slips  down  the  mountain,  crosses  the  stream 
to  the  cleared  land  and  presents  himself  to  the  bewildered  view  of  Knowl- 
ton from  the  mountain  top,  and  explains  the  joke  by  another  prolonged  _ 
moo-o-o,  and  by  throwing  himself  on  all  fours  and  kicking  up  his  heels  in 
the  air,  after  the  manner  of  sportive  female  oxen,  and  then  sets  off  on  the 
run  for  his  chores  and  breakfast. 

-"  Uncle  Ebb."  sometimes  "  found  his  match."  It  was  in  those  days  a 
stigma  to  a  man's  thriftiness  to  lay  in  a  short  stock  of  pork  for  the  corn- 
in"-  year,  and  our  uncle  was  a  self  constituted  inspector  of  his  neighbors' 
pork  barrels.  Calling  on  the  mild,  sober-sided  Squire  Hayden,  the  squire 
lighted  his  candle  to  get  a  mug  of  cider  from  the  cellar,  when  Uncle  Ebb. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  277 

proposed  to  go  with  him  and  examine  his  pork.  The  squire  assented,  and . 
showed  him  a  barrel  nearly  full ;  the  inspector  examined  and  smelled. 
The  squire  then  called  his  attention  to  another  barrel  in  a  dark  corner 
which  he  thought  might  have  a  little  pork  at  the  bottom,  —  and  so  turn- 
ing the  light  as  to  give  an  imperfect  view,  he  raised  the  lid,  —  Uncle 
Ebb.,  in  haste  to  complete  the  inspection,  thrust  his  arm  to  the  bottom  of 
the  barrel  before  discovering  that  it  was  filled  to  the  brim  with  soft  soap 
which  adhered  to  his  arm  from  the  hand  to  the  shoulder. 

A  hardy  race  were  these  South  street  pioneers,  from  Still  River  bridge 
down  to  Major  Isaiah  Tuttle's,  who  sifted  their  corn-meal  for  hasty  pud- 
ding "  through  a  ladder."  The  Major  remarked  that  by  working  bare- 
footed in  the  stubble  fields,  their  heels  became  so  hard  and  fiinty  that  if 
they  happened  to  tread  on  the  feet  of  their  cattle  it  would  make  them 
bellow ! 

Apropos  of  the  Major,  —  the  horse-tamer,  who  could  ride  anything 
but  chain-lightning.  —  With  his  boys  he  was  felling  timber  on  top  of  the 
same  ridge  of  mountains.  They  felled  a  tall  tree,  so  that  one-third  of  its 
length  extended  over  a  precipice  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  The 
Major  ordered  his  oldest  boy  to  go  out  on  the  trunk  and  cut  away  the 
top.  Uriel  went  out  and  after  striking  a  few  blows  came  back  with  a 
swimming  head.  Daniel  was  sent  out  to  finish  the  job,  but  soon  came 
back  equally  dizzy.  After  blazing  away  in  his  characteristic  manner  at 
his  boys  for  their  want  of  pluck,  the  Major  took  up  his  axe  and  went  out 
himself,  and  chopped  away,  until  the  top  of  the  tree  unexpectedly  yielded. 
One  of  his  feet  was  on  each  side  of  the  chopping ;  and  as  the  one  on  the 
top  section  yielded  he  lost  his  presence  of  mind,  and  instead  of  grasping 
the  main  body  of  the  tree  threw  his  arms  round  the  falling  section  and 
went  down  with  it.  The  boys,  hastening  round  the  precipice,  came  down 
to  the  landing  place  of  the  tree  top,  and  found  the  Major  bruised  and 
wounded,  but  on  his  feet,  wiping  away  with  green  leaves  the  blood  that 
was  flowing  into  his  eyes  and  mouth  from  a  wound  in  his  forehead 
"  Father,"  said  one  of  the  boys,  "  you've  had  a  terrible  fall."  "  Yes  ! 
yes  !"  said  the  Major,  "  a  terrible  fall !    Adam's  fall  was  nothing  to  it !  " 

Returning  from  this  undignified  digression,  we  remark  that  Mr.  Row- 
ley was  a  vivid  type  of  the  pioneers  of  this  region ;  a  hardy  worker,  turn- 
ing his  hand  to  any  farming  or  mechanical  labor,  shaving  his  own  shingles, 
splitting  his  own  laths,  hewing  his  own  timber,  and  grafting  his  own  trees# 
No  man  was  more  efficient  and  public  spirited  than  he  in  getting  up  the 
East  village  Congregational  meeting  house  and  settling  the  pastor.  A 
change  in  the  mode  of  raising  the  salary  of  the  minister  by  annual  sale  of 
pews  instead  of  the  old  method  of  taxation,  so  disaffected  him  towards 
the  society  that  he  ceased  to  attend  its  worship  and  selected  a  spot  on  his 


278  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

farm  for  his  own  burial.*     He  died  at  the  age  of  79,  Aug.  25,  1834. 
Wife,  Abigail. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Reuben,  b.  Feb.  10,  1775. 

II.  Abigail,  b.  Nov.  5,  1779;  m.  Hazael  Dunham. 

III.  Erastus,  b.  April  17,  1782. 

IV.  Antha,  b.  July  10, 1784;  m.  April  3,  1806,  Thos.  R.  Bull. 
V.  Ada,  b.  June  26,  1786. 

VI.  Flora,  b.  April  15,  1789;  m.  June  1,  1809,  John  Westlake. 

VII.  Betsey,  b.  June  10,  1791. 

VIII.  Adna,  b.  about  1793. 

IX.  Alpha,  b.       "     1795. 

X.  Mira,  b.      "     1798;  m.  Ilalscy  Bailey. 

XL  Beulah,  b.       "      1800;  m.  May  27,  1829,  Benj.  Fowler. 


Asher  Rowley,  younger  brother  of  Ebenezer,  Jr.,  first  appears  on 
the  list  of  1789,  though  it  is  probable  that  he  came  to  Winsted  earlier. 
In  1794,  his  father  conveyed  to  him  the  farm  on  South  street,  next  north 
of  his  brother  Ebenezer,  which  he  occupied  until  his  death.  He  was  b. 
Jan.  18,  1765,  at  Chatham,  Conn.,  and  d.  at  Winsted,  Sept.  7, 1844.  He 
m.  Mehetabel,  dau.  of  Lieut.  Jonathan  Dunham,  b.  at  Colchester  in  1774. 
Shed.  June  21,1839. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Betsey,  b.  Jan.  10,  1794;   in.  Lewis  McDonald,  from  Wood- 

bury, Conn.,  and  now  (1872)  living  in  Wisconsin. 
II.  Ansel,  b.  Feb.   13,   1796;    m.  Lucy  Clayborn,  of  Chester- 

field, Va. ;  d.  at  Oakland,  Missouri,  Oct.  25,  1851. 

III.  Elias,  b.  March  22,  1798. 

IV.  Warren  Dunham,     b.  June  20,  1800;  m.  (1),  Nancy  Stanton;    (2),  Har- 

riet Curry,  both  of  South  Trenton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  d.  Sept.  25,  1854, 
highly  respected,  and  entrusted  with  important  offices. 
V.  Sally  M.,  b.  June  28,  1802;   m.  Sept.  6,  1827,  Chaunccy  Shat- 

tuck  of  W. ;   settled  in  Green  Township,  Pa.,  where  he  d.     She  now  re- 
sides in  Ackley,  Iowa. 
VI.  Harriet,  b.  July  20,  1804;  d.  Aug.  18,  1831,  unmarried. 

VII.  George,  b.  July  16,  1806  ;  supposed  to  be  living  in  Wisconsin. 

VIII.  Harlow,  b.  July  12,  1808;   m.  Sarah  A.  Haynes.     Now  living 

in  Brighton,  Canada  West. 
IX.  Hiram,  b.  April  7,  1811;    drowned  while  fording  a  stream 

near  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Jan.  7,  1841. 
X.  CnARLES,  b.  May  3,   1813;    d.,   unmarried,   at  Philadelphia, 

Dec.  21,  1833. 
XI.  Charlotte,  b.  Dec.  6,  1815;  d.  Dec.  17,  1815. 

*  His  remains,  and  those  of  his  wife,  were  transferred  to  the  Central  burying- 
ground,  after  the  farm  went  out  of  the  hands  of  the  family. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  279 

Elias  Rowley,  son  of  Asher,  received  a  conveyance  of  his  father's 
homestead  and  farm,  in  May,  1839.  He  sold  the  homestead  on  South 
street,  and  built  his  present  residence  on  the  Wolcottville  road,  about 
1847.  He  m.  Widow  Laura  Curtis,  dau.  of  Lemuel  Bushnell,  of 
Hartland. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hiram  D.,  b.  Sept.  4,  1828;  now  of  Delphi,  N.  Y. 

II.  George  S.,  b.  Oct.  20,  1830 ;  m.  Sophionia  Buckman. 

III.  Warren,  b.  Jan.  15,  1832.     Supposed  to  be  living  in  Idaho  Ter. 

IV.  Charles  L.,  b.  Jan.  10,  1834;    m.  Martha  J.  Simonson,  of  Watkins, 

N.  Y. ;  living  at  Willard,  N.  Y. 
V.  Ansel,  b.  Dec.  28,  1836;   m.  Ruey  Rogers,  of  Orwell,  Vt.,  now 

of  Hersey,  Michigan. 
VI.  John  G.,  b.  July  11,  1S38  ;  m.  Anna  C.  Latham,  of  Granby,  Conn. 

VII.  Henrt  H.,  b.  Aug.  26,  1839;    m.  C.  Louise  Grant,  of  Torrington ; 

now  (1872)  of  Burrvillc,  Conn. 
VIII.  Catharine  A.,    b.  Dec.  11,  1841  ;    m.  Samuel  H.  Norton,  of  Otis,  Mass.; 
d.  May  18,  1861,  leaving  son  Edward  L. 
IX.  Edward,  b.  Feb.  28,  1844;  d.  Sept.  18,  1S44. 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

INCORPORATION  OF  WINSTED  SOCIETY,  AND  CONTINUED  IMMIGRATION. 

1778. 

The  families  named  in  the  preceding  chapter,  with  those  of  the 
Austins  on  Lake  street,  composed  nearly  the  whole  population  in  1778, 
while  a  settlement  almost  as  large  had  been  made  in  the  west  part  of 
Barkhamsted. 

The  circumstances  of  the  new  settlement  at  this  period  are  fully  set 
forth  in  the  following  petition  to  the  general  assembly  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  the  ecclesiastical  society  of  Winsted. 

"  To  the  Honorable   General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  to   be 
convened  at  New  Haven  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  October  next : — 

"  The  memorial  of  the  subscribers  hereunto  humbly  sheweth  to  your 
honors,  that  we  are  inhabitants  of  the  east  part  of  the  town  of  Win- 
chester, and  west  part  of  the  township  of  Barkhamsted,  to  the  number  of 
about  twenty-five  families,  and  nearly  130  souls,  being  destitute  of  the 
privileges  of  a  preached  Gospel,  and  that  there  having  formerly  been  a 
tax  granted  by  your  honors  to  promote  the  Gospel  in  that  society,  and 
no  tax  on  the  land  east  of  the  Long  Pond,  and  that  said  pond  so  divides 
the  town  that  the  inhabitants  on  the  east  side  of  the  pond  cannot  attend 
worship  with  those  on  the  west  side  of  the  same ;  and  that  those  inhabit- 
ants on  the  west  side  of  Barkhamsted  are  so  divided  from  those  on  the 
east  side  of  said  town  by  a  rough  and  ragged  chain  of  mountains  and 
a  rapid  river,  that  it  is  impossible  for  them  to  have  any  communication 
as  a  society  without  the  greatest  inconvenience.  We  would  further 
humbly  shew  to  your  honors  that  the  greatest  part  of  the  lands  are  held 
by  wealthy  proprietors  residing  in  other  towns,  who  are  not  disposed  to 
sell  or  settle,  which  is  much  to  our  detriment,  in  keeping  out  people  that 
would  otherwise  come  in,  whereby  the  inhabitants  are  disabled  from 
supporting  the  Gospel.  We  would  not  censure  them  too  hard,  but  are 
humbly  of  the  opinion  that  as  we,  by  breaking  the  way  and  encountering 
the  many  difficulties  and  disadvantages  that  attend  the  first  settlement  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


281 


such  a  new,  rough  and  heavy-timbered  place  have  added  to  the  value  of 
their  laud,  it  is  no  more  than  equitable  that  they,  with  us,  should  contri- 
bute towards  defraying  the  costs  that  will  arise  in  having  the  Gospel  set 
up  among  us. 

"  We,  therefore,  your  honors'  memorialists,  would  humbly  pray  that 
to  so  good  an  end  your  honors  would  form  the  part  of  Barkhamsted  that 
is  west  of  Farmington  River,  with  the  east  part  of  Winchester,  into  one 
ecclesiastical  society,  with  powers  and  privileges  that  other  societies 
have,  taking  in  all  the  land  in  said  Winchester  east  of  said  pond,  and  to 
run  by  the  end  thereof  with  the  line  of  the  lots  next  to  said  pond,  across 
the  pond  stream  to  the  west  end  of  said  lots,  and  then  running  north- 
ward at  the  end  of  the  lots  to  the  river  known  by  the  name  of  Mad 
River,  so  as  to  take  in  all  the  land  that  has  not  been  taxed  before,  and 
from  thence  up  said  river  so  far  as  to  take  in  the  third  tier  of  lots,  and 
from  thence  to  Colebrook  line,  containing  in  the  whole  about  12,000 
acres,  and  that  your  honors  would  grant  a  tax  on  all  the  above  lands, 
sufficient  for  the  purpose  of  hiring  some  suitable  orthodox  preacher,  to 
preach  the  Gospel  among  us  for  the  space  of  four  years  next  coming, 
and  that  Mr.  Charles  Wright,  whom  we  nominate  for  a  collector,  be 
empowered  to  gather  said  tax,  and  as  in  duty  bound,  your  memorialists 
will  ever  pray. 

"  Dated  at  Winchester  this  1st  day  of  September,  Anno  Domini,  1777. 


John  Darbe, 
Josiah  Smith, 
Enoch  Palmer, 
John  Balcom, 
David  Mills, 
Reuben  Sweet, 
Ebenezer  Rowley, 


Charles  Wright, 
John  Wright,  Jr., 
Freedom  Wright, 
Phinehas  Potter, 
John  Walter, 
Isaac  Kellogg, 
Eleazer  Kellogg, 


Lemuel  Walter, 
Abraham  Catling, 
Foster  Whitford, 
Jonas  Weed,  Jr., 
Stephen  Arnold, 
Nathaniel  Crowe, 
Robert  Whitford." 


1778. 


This  petition,  after  continuance  to  the  February  session  in  1778,  was 
granted,  and  the  Society  of  Winsted,  embracing  the  territory  prayed 
for,  was  invested  with  all  the  powers  and  privileges  by  law  belonging  to 
other  ecclesiastical  societies  in  this  state,  with  the  power  of  taxing  the 
lands  of  non-resident  proprietors  two  pence  on  the  acre  of  their  lands  not 
taxed  by  the  Society  of  Winchester,  for  the  term  of  four  years,  for 
supporting  the  gospel. 

As   we  shall  hereafter  give  in   a  connected  form  the  history  of  the 
ecclesiastical   society  of  Winsted,  we  proceed   with  our   account  of  the 
settlers. 
36 


282  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  inventory  of  John  Steel,  late  of  Winchester,  deceased,  was 
this  year  returned  to  the  Simsbury  Probate  Court  by  Hannah  Steel,  his 
widow.  He  is  not  found  on  the  records  as  a  landholder,  and  his  location 
is  not  known,  but  as  the  bondsman  and  appraisers  lived  near  Barkham- 
sted  line,  his  residence  was  probably  in  the  same  vicinity. 

Barzillai  Handee  from  Woodbury,  this  year  bought  a  tract  of 
land  near  Colebrook  line,  now  composing  a  part  of  the  Wm.  E.  Cowles 
farm,  which  he  owned  and  occupied  until  1781,  when  he  probably 
returned  to  Woodbury,  his  name  appearing  in  "  Cothren's  History "  as 
one  of  a  committee  to  provide  for  soldiers'  families  in  1783.     Wife  Mary. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Clemons,  b.  August  29,  1762. 

II.  Cykenus,  b.  April  13,  1764. 

III.  Abel,  b.  August  13,  1767;  d.  March  13,  1769. 

IV.  Lucy,  b.  May  13,  1769. 

V.  Lyman,  b.  December  17,  1773. 

VI.  Thankful,      b.  November  13,  1776. 
VII.  Lucketia,         b.  August  4,  1779. 

Clemons  Handee  is  on  the  tax  list  of  Winsted,  from  1796  to  1799, 
when  he  lived  in  one  of  the  houses  attached  to  the  Upper  Forge.  He  is 
believed  to  have  been  an  iron  refiner  or  bloomer. 

Cyrenus  Handee  lived  as  late  as  1810  near  the  Old  Forge  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  Colebrook.  He  raised  a  family  there,  of  whom  three 
were  Alpha,  Hiram,  and  Leman,  the  latter  of  whom  made  extensive 
explorations  in  Africa  and  Central  America,  in  pursuit  of  wild  animals 
for  the  Westchester  menageries. 

During  the  years  1779  and  1780,  we  find  the  names  of  no  new  settlers 
of  the  Winsted  section. 


1781. 
The  following  memorial  shows  more  feelingly  than  any  modern  writing 
can  do,  the  condition  of  this  back- woods  settlement,  in  this  year. 

To  the  Honorable  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Connecticut  convened 
at  Hartford: 

The  Memorial  of  the  subscribers  hereunto  humbly  shows  to  your  Honors, 
that  we  are  inhabitants  of  the  east  part  of  Winchester,  making  part  of  the 
society  called  Winsted,  and  being  the  newest  and  youngest  part  of  said 
Winchester,  having  just  begun  under  low  circumstances,  on  new  and  un- 
cultivated and  exceeding  heavy  timbered  lands,  the  expenses  of  the  town 
and  this  society  being  greater  than  in  older  places ;    having  no  meeting- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


283 


house,  nor  minister  settled  in  this  society,  most  of  us  not  having  houses 
for  ourselves  scarcely  to  defend  us  from  the  inclemencies  of  the  weather, 
and  a  number  without  barns ;  our  families  consisting  chiefly  of  small  chil- 
dren that  cannot  provide  for  themselves,  having  many  of  us  a  considerable 
part  of  our  provision  to  buy  at  a  distance  in  these  difficult  times  :  expenses 
arising  almost  on  every  hand,  and  but  little  profit  arising  from  our  labor 
or  lands  ;  our  quota  of  men  to  find  for  the  army,  and  to  provide  for,  which 
comes  very  heavy  on  us ;  a  considerable  of  a  tax  arising  on  these  lands, 
which  are  wild  and  useless  at  present  to  us. 

We  therefore,  your  Honors'  Memorialists,  humbly  pray  that  you  would 
be  pleased  to  compassionate  us,  in  our  infant  and  weak  condition,  and  suf- 
fer us  not  to  be  crushed  in  the  bud  of  our  being  by  having  more  laid  on 
us  than  we  are  able  to  bear ;  but  that  your  honors  would  be  pleased  to 
exempt  us  from  county  taxes,  until  it  shall  appear  your  duty  to  lay  them 
on  us,  and  we  have  ability  to  pay  them.  As  in  duty  bound  your  memo- 
rialists shall  ever  pray. 

Dated  at  Winsted  this  12th  day  of  June  1781. 


Josiah  Smith, 
Jesse  Doolittle, 


Committee  for  the 
Memorialists. 


Enoch  Palmer, 
Lazarus  Palmer, 
Joseph  Bown, 
David  Crissey, 
John  Walter, 
Nathan  Balcom, 
Henry  Walter, 
Simeon  Rogers, 


Phinehas  Potter, 
John  Wright, 
Charles  Wright, 
Freedom  Wright, 
David  Mills, 
Stephen  Arnold, 
Samuel  Hayden, 
John  Balcom, 
Jonathan  Balcom. 


In  Lower  House. 

On  this  memorial  granted  that  the  memorialists  be  abated  of  the  2  s.  Gd. 
tax  payable  December,  1781,  and  of  the  9  d.  tax  payable  March  of  '82. 

Test,  Jedh.  Strong,  clerke. 
Concurred  in  the  Upper  House. 

Test,  George  Wyllys,  secretary. 
{Ecclesiastical  Records,  vol.  15,  p.  132.) 

Uzal  Clark,  from  East  Haddam,  bought  and  occupied  the  lot  next 
south  of  the  Ebenezer  Rowley  farm,  on  South  street,  and  sold  the  same 
to  Stephen  Knowlton  in  1784.  He  afterward  lived  in  Torrington  and 
Barkhamsted.     Wife  Azubah. 


284  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Filenda  (dau.),  b.  October  29,  1780. 
II.  Joseph,  b.  January  1,  1783. 

Stephen  Knowlton,  Jr.,  from  Chatham,  brother-in-law  of  Ebenezer 
Rowley,  bought  and  lived  on  the  farm  on  South  street,  next  south  of  Mr. 
Rowley's  farm,  in  a  house  now  torn  down,  afterward  bought  and  occupied 
by  Samuel  Camp.  He  migrated  to  Western  New  York  in  1804.  He 
married  February  1,  1780,  Deidamia  Chubb. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rachel,  b.  March  31,  1781. 

II.  Calvin,  b.  March  23,  1783. 

III.  Deadamia,  b.  October  5,  1785;  m.,  1804,  Moses  Camp. 

IV.  Laura,  b.  September  21,  1788. 
V.  Stephen,  b.  August  25,  1790. 

VI.  Samuel,  b.  June  6,  1793. 

Simeon  Rogers  owned  a  thirty-seven  acre  lot  embracing  the  home- 
stead lots  of  John  Camp,  Edward  G.  Whiting  and  others,  on  North  Main 
street.  He  lived  on  the  east  side  of  Still  river,  a  little  north  of  the  old 
Potter  house,  now  standing,  until  1789,  when  he  removed  to  Barkhamsted. 
He  was  by  trade  a  blacksmith.  He  married  August  12,  1782,  Hannah 
Potter. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joseph,  b.  January  16,  1783.    |    go  rccor(1ed 

II.  Polly  Esther,  b.  October  31,  1783.     \ 
III.  Charry,  b.  May  16,  1785. 

Abu  ah  Fuller,  from  Chatham,  owned  and  lived  on  11  acres  of  land 
on  Wallen's  hill,  adjoining  Barkhamsted  line,  now  a  part  of  the  farm  of 
Homer  W.  Whiting.     He  is  named  of  Barkhamsted  in  1785. 

Elisha  Spencer,  from  Saybrook,  bought  and  lived  on  land  immediately 
west  of  the  pond  causeway,  on  West  Lake  street,  in  a  log  house  that  stood 
a  little  east  of  the  new  dwelling  recently  built  by  Sherman  T.  Cook. 
About  1793  he  removed  to  a  house,  now  torn  down,  on  the  original  Spen- 
cer Street  road,  about  sixty  rods  north  of  the  Manchester  place.  In  1812 
he  removed  with  his  son,  Ozias,  to  Colebrook,  where  he  died  May  3,  1817. 
His  wife  Mary  died  July  23,  1828.  He  was  born  in  Saybrook  in  1744, 
and  had  a  wife  Rachel,  who  died  before  he  came  to  W.,  by  whom  he  had 
one 

child. 
I.  Ozias,  b.  Saybrook,  October  1,  1769. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  285 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    "WIFE. 

II.  Rannet,         b.  September  8,  1774  ;  d.  April  21,  1839. 
III.  Elisha,         b.  November  12,  1777. 

Ozias  Spencer  resided  with  his  father  in  both  the  houses  above  men- 
tioned, and  removed  with  him  to  Colebrook  in  1812,  where  he  died  April 
8,  1858.  He  married  September  29,  1799,  Hannah  Shattuck ;  she  died 
October  16,  1800;  and  he  married  (2d),  October  5, 1801,  Mary  Shattuck. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hiram  Shattuck,  b.  June  12,  1800,  by  1st  wife. 
II.  Hannah,  b.  March  21,  1804,  by  2d  wife. 

III.  Elvira,  b.  October  8,  1805.        do. 

IV.  Amos  Bartlett,     b.  April  16,  1808;  m.  Susan  H.  Deland. 

V.  Robert  Shattuck, b.  September  7,  1810;  married  Charlotte  Chapin. 

Ranney  Spencer  married,  1796,  Cynthia  Walter ;  he  moved  to  Ver- 
mont, and  died  March  21,  1839. 

children. 

I.  Willard,         b.  August,  1798. 
II.  William,         b.  June,  1808. 

III.  Laurinda,       b.  1821. 

Elisha  Spencer,  Jr.,  left  the  town  in  early  manhood,  and  probably 
settled  in  Vermont. 

children. 

I.  Erasmus,        b.  November  19,  1814. 

II.  Chester,         d.  September  13,  1845. 

Hiram  S.  Spencer,  oldest  son  of  Ozias,  lived  on  his  father's  home- 
stead, in  Colebrook.  He  married,  January  26,  1834,  Mary  Hill,  and  died 
Colebrook,  1869. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Amos  B.,  2d,  b.  June  29,  1835. 

II.  Harriet  C,   b.  November  28,  1838. 

III.  Mary  L.,         b   April  25,  1841. 

1782. 
Eleazer  Porter,  from  Hebron,  this  year  bought  the  original  lot  which 
embraced  all  of  the  east  village  between  the  Episcopal  church  and  the 
Green  Woods  turnpike.  He  lived  on  the  original  road  from  the  Doolittle 
Mill  to  Torringford,  in  a  house  in  the  rear  of  the  George  Roberts  and 
Jonas  Le  Roy  houses.  During  his  ownership  of  this  lot,  there  was  no 
road  on  the  west  side  of  Still  river,  south  of  Hinsdale  street.     He  sold 


286  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

out  the  village  lot  in  1799,  and  his  homestead  in  1800,  and  soon  after  re- 
moved from  the  town.     Wife  Susanna. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Elijah,        b.  July  19,  1783. 
II.  Roswell,     b.  July  9,  1785. 
III.  Anna,  b.  January  7,  1788. 

Samuel  Clark,  of  Chatham,  this  year  bought  lands  now  composing 
part  of  the  Lockwood  farm.  He  is  named  as  Samuel  Clark,  2d,  on  the 
list  of  1783,  being  then  a  resident  proprietor.  In  1788,  he  is  named  in  his 
deed  conveying  away  the  same  land,  as  Samuel  Clark  of  Canajoharie, 
New  York. 

Timothy  Cook,  from  "Windsor,  this  year  became  the  owner  of  a  lot  on 
Still  River  and  Wallen's  Hill,  embracing  the  Halsey  Burr  premises,  on 
which  he  built  a  house  and  lived  some  years.  In  1792  he  owned  and  oc- 
cupied a  lot  on  Colebrook  line,  west  of  Green  Woods  turnpike.  He  was 
defendant  in  a  suit  in  1797,  after  which  his  name  disappears.  His  wife, 
Hannah,  was  daughter  of  Simeon  Moore,  Sr.,  of  Windsor. 

1783. 
Silas  Dunham,  from  Chatham,  bought  and  occupied  a  lot  afterwards 
a  part  of  the  Jonathan  Coe  farm  in  Winsted,  and  since  owned  in  part  by 
E.  S.  Woodford,  about  100  rods  east  of  the  toll  gate  on  Green  Woods 
turnpike.  In  1794,  he  is  named  of  Chatham  ;  and  in  1787  of  Nobletown, 
Columbia  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Comfort  Goff,  owned  and  occupied  a  part  of  the  Gillett  farm,  on 
Colebrook  road,  and  conveyed  the  same  to  Nath.  Russell,  in  1784. 

Elisha  Mallort,  from  New  Haven  or  Hamden,  this  year  purchased 
the  farm  on  Wallen's  Hill,  which  he  occupied  during  his  remaining  life. 
The  house  which  he  built  and  occupied,  stands  on  the  west  side  of  the 
north  and  south  road,  nearly  opposite  the  brick  dwelling  of  his  grandson, 
Homer  W.  Whiting.  He  was  a  man  of  great  amiability  and  integrity  of 
character  ;  a  founder  of  the  Winsted  Congregational  Church,  from  which  he 
withdrew  during  the  troubles  with  the  first  minister,  after  which  he  united 
in  organizing  the  Baptist  Church  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  town. 
He  was  born  in  February,  1736 ;  married,  March  12,  1762,  Esther  Chat- 
terton,  born  in  June,  1742.  He  died  March  23,  1812;  she  died  August 
27,  1828. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Amasa,  b.  February  20,  1763  ;  m.  Salome,  daughter  of  Deacon  Josiah  Smith. 
He  died  November  9,  1855  ;  she  d.  February  9,  1846,  aged  75. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  287 

II.  Samdel,  b.  May  1,  1765. 

III.  Lowly,  b.  November  9,  1769;   m.  Benjamin  Wheeler,  who  went  to 

Wayne  Co.,  Pa. 

IV.  Lue,  b.  April  21,  1770,  m.  John  Hawkins;  d.  August  20,  1835. 
V.  Elisha,  b.  July  7,  1772;   m.,  February  13,  1794,  Sarah,  daughter  of 

Deacon  Josiah  Smith.     He  d.  November  6,  1853 ;  she  d.  June  13,  1838, 
aged  36. 
VI.  Esther,  b.  November  10,  1794;  m.  Salmon  Treat;  she  d.  August  21, 

1853;  he  d.  March  30,  1858,  aged  91. 
VII.  Lydia,  b.  July  19,  1777;   m.,  November  26,  1801,  Jesse  Clarke,  of 

Winchester. 
VIII.  Peter,  b.  September  19,  1779;  d.  May  10,  1780. 

IX.  Chloe,  b.  March  16,  1781,  m.  Reynold  Wilson,  son  of  Abija  of  W. 

X.  Mary,  b.  May  24,  1784;   m.,  May  1,  1806,  Lorrin  Whiting  of  W. 

She  d.  January  10,  1851. 
XI.  Asa,  b.  December  7,  1786. 

Amasa  Mallory  married  Salome,  oldest  daughter  of  Deacon  Josiah 
Smith,  and  lived  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  his  daughter,  Salome 
Mallory,  on  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  a  mile  easterly  from  the  east 
village.  He  died  November  9,  1855,  aged  93.  His  wife  died  February 
9,  1846,  aged  75. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,  m.  January,  1812,  William  Dexter;  went  to  Illinois, 

II.  Amasa,  settled  in  Illinois. 

III.  Nancy,  m.  Henry  B.  Crowe  ;  lived  and  died  in  Winsted. 

IV.  Polly,  m.  Lorin  Sexton  of  Hartford. 
V.  Betsey,  m.  Samuel  S.  Camp  of  Norfolk. 

VI.  Anne,  m.  Miles  C.  Burt  of  Hartford. 

VII.  Salome,      unmarried. 
VIII.  Harriet,     m.   Dr.  Myron  H.   Hubbard  of  New   Hartford,  and  m.   (2d) 
Harvey  B.  Elmore  of  Winsted. 

Elisha  Mallory,  Jr.,  lived  on  the  farm  in  Barkhamsted  bordering 
on  Winchester  line,  in  the  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son 
Elisha  3d,  and  his  daughter  Sylvia.  He  married  February  13,  1794, 
Sarah  2d,  daughter  of  Deacon  Josiah  Smith.  He  died  November  6, 
1853,  aged  81.     She  died  January  13,  1838,  aged  66. 

Asa  Mallory,  son  of  Elisha,  lived  with  his  brother  Elisha  in  Bark- 
hamsted, until  1809,  and  afterwards  in  the  old  homestead  with  his 
father,  until  1816,  when  he  removed  to  Concord,  near  Painesville,  Ohio 
He  married  December  8,  1807,  Fanny  Norton. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Riley,        b.  December  13,  1808. 
II.  Harmon,     b.  January  2,  1811. 

Comfort  Stanclift  had  a  child  born  in  the  town  this  year.     In 


288  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1786  he  bought  the  Andrew  Pratt  farm,  a  mile  south  of  the  Naugatuck 
depot,  on  which  he  lived  until  1792  ;  wife  Hannah. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Margaret,        b.  July  26,  1783. 

II.  Martin,  b.  March  11,  1785. 

III.  Hannah,  b.  January  30,  1787. 

Samuel  Stanclift  from  Torrington,  first  owned  land  in  the  old 
society,  near  Goshen  line,  and  afterwards  owned  and  lived  on  a  farm 
adjoining  that  of  Comfort  Stanclift,  in  a  log  house,  long  since  torn  down, 
which  stood  on  the  north  and  south  road,  nearly  east  of  the  Pratt  house. 
He  sold  to  Aaron  Marshall.  In  1798  he  is  named  of  Norfolk.  He 
married,  November  12,  1783,  Olive  Balcom. 

CHILD. 
Samuel,     b.  August  10,  1784. 

John  Sweet  from  Rhode  Island,  this  year  bought  the  Edward 
Manchester  farm  on  Spencer  street,  and  built  the  rear  part  of  the  dwell- 
ing thereon,  in  which  he  lived  until  he  purchased  the  mill  property  and 
farm  of  David  Austin,  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  in  1796.  He  then  lived 
in  the  house  directly  east  of  the  bulkhead,  at  the  pond  outlet,  a  few 
years,  and  about  1800  sold  out  to  the  Rockwell  Brothers,  and  bought  the 
Erastus  Woodford  farm,  on  which  he  built  the  house  at  the  parting  of 
the  turnpike  and  Colebrook  roads.  In  1806  he  removed  to  Otis,  Mass., 
whence  he  returned  about  1812,  and  bought  the  farm  between  the  lakes, 
and  a  few  years  later  removed  to  Tyringham,  Mass.,  thence  to  Staten 
Island,  N.  Y.,  and  thence  to  East  Hartland,  where,  at  90  years  of  age, 
he  married  his  third  wife,  and  died  a  few  years  later. 

He  was  a  shrewd,  long-headed,  restless  man,  who  made  sharp  bargains, 
but  attained  to  no  more  than  ordinary  wealth,  owing  to  his  frequent 
removals  from  place  to  place.  He  early  became  a  local  Methodist 
minister,  and  preached  and  traded  to  the  close  of  his  life.  He  married, 
December  7,  1780,  Phebe,  daughter  of  Thomas  Spencer. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anna,         b.  August  16,  1781  ;  m.  November  23,  1797,  William  Keyes ;  she 
m.  (2&)  Rev.  Daniel  Coe. 
II.  Phebe,       b.  January  20,  1783  ;  m.  October  18,  1798,  Cyrus  Bertrick. 

III.  Riley,        b.  August  16,  1785;  was  a  captain  in  war  of  1812,  and  left  the 

town  soon  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

IV.  Adah,        b.  September  29,  1787. 
V.  Orra,         b.  January  20,  1790. 

VI.  John  Wesley,  b.    February   18,    1792;    m.   Laura,  daughter  of   Asahel 
Miller.     He  owned  for  a  few  years  the  farm  between  the  lakes  on  the 


AND  FAMILY  RECOEDS.  289 

Winchester  road.  He  moved  to  Tyringham,  Mass.,  in  1820,  where  he 
still  lives. 

VII.  Charles  Wesley,  b.  July  28,  1794;  left  the  state  about  1815. 

VIII.  Benedict,  b.  October  15,  1796;  m.  Lois  Lucena  Grant. 

IX.  Addison,  b.  September  5,  1800. 

X.  Algernon  Sidnet,  b.  July  2,  1804. 

The  only  descendants  of  John  Sweet  remaining  in  the  town  are  the 
children  of  Colonel  Nelson  D.  Coe,  son  of  Anna,  his  oldest  daughter. 

Zebulon  Thompson's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  this  year.  In  1785  he 
lived  in  a  log  house  then  standing  on  the  farm  of  Thomas  Williams,  on 
South  street.  In  1784  he  and  his  son,  Zebulon,  Jr.,  were  fined  six 
shillings  each  for  "  prophane  swearing  "  by  'Squire  Alvord. 

David  "West,  Jr.,  from  Chatham,  first  lived  in  a  log  house  at  the 
base  of  Cobble  Hill,  on  Spencer  street,  a  little  south  of  the  Joshua 
He  wit  dwelling.  Prior  to  1800  he  built  a  small  house  on  the  site  of 
George  Dudley's  residence,  in  which  he  lived  until  his  death  in  1822,  at 
the  age  of  87.  He  was  one  of  the  early  Methodists,  a  pious  and  .worthy 
man.     His  wife,  Judith,  died  February  24,  1816,  aged  80. 

Judah  West,  son  of  David,  Jr.,  came  to  Winchester  with  his  father, 
and  first  lived  on  the  Halsey  Burr  place,  on  the  old  Still  River  turn- 
pike, and  afterward,  until  his  death,  April  9,  1825,  aged  60,  in  a  house 
on  the  east  side  of  the  same  road  where  the  toll  gate  was  located.  He 
married,  December  26,  1785,  Mary  Todd. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mart,  b.  September  24,  1786;  m.  Erastus  Burr. 

II.  David,  b.  February  20,  1789  ;  d.  February  22,  1790. 

III.  Alpha,  b.  September  4,  1790. 

IV.  Nancy,  b.  September  6,  1792  ;  m.  Roswell  Burr. 

They  had  other  children  whose  .births  are  not  recorded.  Among 
them  David,  probably  born  in  1794;  a  daughter,  born  about  1797,  who 
married  John  P.  Oviatt ;  Edgar,  about  1799,  and  Flora,  who  mar- 
ried November  29,  1821,  Hiram  Wescott. 

None  of  this  family  or  their  descendants  now  live  in  the  town.  Most 
or  all  of  them  removed  to  Western  New  York  or  Ohio. 


37 


CHAPTER    XXII. 

WIN8TED  IMMIGRANTS  AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 

From  1783  to  1791. 

Nathaniel  Russel,  from  Wethersfield,  Rocky  Hill  Society,  came  to 
Winsted  this  year  and  settled  on  the  farm,  on  the  old  road  to  Colebrook, 
now  owned  by  Junius  Gillett,  and  there  spent  his  remaining  life.  He 
represented  the  town  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1801,  held  sundry  town 
offices,  and  reared  a  large  and  influential  family. 

We  are  indebted  to  Hon.  Edwin  Stearns,  late  of  Middletown,  deceased, 
for  the-  following  extracts  from  his  genealogy  of  the  descendants  of 
William  Russell,  who  came  from  England  in  1639. 

Mr.  William  Russell,  born  in  England,  October  .11,  1612;  came 
from  England  in  1639,  and  soon  after  came  to  New  Haven  and  signed  the 
covenant  agreement  of  the  first  settlers  and  free  planters  of  Quinnipiack ; 
was  a  man  of  good  standing  and  education,  a. member  for  several  years  of 
the  General  Court,  assessor  of  taxes,  &c.  He  died  at  New  Haven,  Jan- 
uary 2,  1665.  He  married,  1649,  Sarah,  daughter  of  William  and  Martha 
Davis,  of  New  Haven;  she  died  December  3,  1664. 

children. 
I.  Hannah,2  b.  July  29,  1650;   m.,  November  21,  1670,  Samuel  Potter,  of 
Wallingford,  afterward  of  Newark,  N.  J. 
II.  John,'2  b.  November  12,  1653;  died  young. 

III.  William,  Jr.,2  b.  1655;  d.  in  infancy. 

IV.  James,2  b.  1657 ;  d.  in  infancy. 
V-  Noadiah,2        b.  July  22,  1659. 

Rev.  No adiah  Russell,2  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1 681 ;  tutor  in  1 682 
and  1683 ;  studied  for  the  ministry;  settled  over  the  first  society  of  Mid- 
dletown in  1688;  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Yale  College  in  1700,  and 
one  of  its  trustees;  one  of  the  framers  of  the  Saybrook*  Platform,  and  a 
distinguished  divine,  beloved  of  his  flock.  He  died  at  Middletown,  De- 
cember 3,  1713,  in  his  55th  year.  He  married,  February  20,  1690, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Captain  Giles  and  Esther  Hamlin.  She  died  October 
4th,  1743,  in  her  81st  year. 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  291 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rev.  William,8  b.  November  20,  1690;   graduate  and  tutor  of  Yale,  suc- 
ceeded his  father  in  the  ministry  at  Middletown;   m.,  August  19,  1719, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Rev.  James  Pierpont;  d.  June  1,  1760. 
II.  Noadiah,3  Jr.,     b.  August  8,  1692;  m.  February  23,  1721,  Desire  Cooper, 
(daughter  of  ?  )  a  farmer  in  East  Middletown;  he  d.  February  20, 1734. 

III.  Giles,8  b.  November  8,  1693;  d.  June  13,  1712. 

IV.  Mart,3  b.  December  30,  1695;  d.  unm.  February  27,  1723. 
V.  John,3  b.  July  6,  1697;  d.  unm.  October  17,  1780. 

VI.  Esther,8  b.  August  14,  1699;  d.  March  21,  1720. 

VII.  Rev.  Daniel,8     b.  June  3,  1702. 

VIII.  Mehitabel,3        b.  May  27,  1704;  m.  March  19,  1729,  Daniel  Deming,  Jr., 
of  Wethersfield. 
IX.  Hannah,3  b.  February  23,  1707;  m.  Joseph  Pierpont,  of  North  Haven. 

Rev.  Daniel  Russell,3  graduated  at  Yale  in  1724;  ordained  first 
minister  of  S  epney  Society  (now  Rocky  Hill)  in  1724;  died  September 
16,  17o4.  He  married,  November  13,  1728,  Lydia,  daughter  of  George 
and  Rebecca  Stillman.  She  died  September  3,  1750,  and  he  married  (2d) 
July  29, 1752,  Catharine,  daughter  ot  Rev.  Nailianiel  and  Sarah  Chauncey, 
of  Durham,  who  died  January  10,  1777,  aged  71. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Giles,1  b.  November  8,  1729;  graduated  at  Yale,  1751  ;  lawyer  at  Stoning- 
ton ;  Captain  in  Old  French  War ;    Colonel  in  Connecticut  Line  in  the 
Revolution;  mortally  wounded  at  Danbury  and  d.  October  28,  1779. 
II.  Lydia,4  b.  January  29,  1731  ;  d.  November  30,  1730. 

III.  Daniel,4  b.  June  21,  1732;   m.,  October  16,  1755,  Rachel,  daughter  of 

Joseph  Stowe,  of  Middletown. 

IV.  John,4  b.  February  8,  1734;  d.  September  23,  1741. 
V.  Benjamin,4     b.  December  13,  1735;  d.  January  31,  1758. 

VI.  Mary,4  b.  August  18,  1737;    m.,  November  25,  1784,  John  Robbins, 

of  Stepney;  she  d.  August  27,  1825,  in  90th  year. 
VII.  Lydia,4  b.  Nov.  26,  1739;  d.  September  24,  1741. 

VIII.  Nathaniel,4  b.  May  5,  1741. 
IX.  John,4  b.  December  26,  1742;  d.  in  the  army  September  16,  1760. 

X.  Hannah,4        b.  May  31,  1746;  d.  August  23,  1753. 

Nathaniel  Russell,4  of  Winchester,  married,  December  25,  1766, 
Elizabeth  Willard,  born  in  Wethersfield,  April  26,  1741,  daughter  of 
Stephen.  He  died  December  10,  1810,  in  his  70th  year,  and  she  died 
February  26,  1819,  in  her  78th  year. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Daniel,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  January  18,  1768. 

II.  John  Willard,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  April  8,  1770. 

IH.  Benjamin,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  November  26,  1772. 

IV.  Giles,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  July  27,  1775. 


ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 


V.  Elizabeth,6  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  November  23,  1778;  unm. ;  removed 

to  Mill  Creek,  Perm. 
VI.  Hamlin,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  March  5,  1781. 

VII.  George  Stillman,5  b.  in  Rocky  Hill,  October  21,  1783;   d.  unm.  July  14, 

1813,  at  Mill  Creek,  Penn. 
VHI.  Mart,5  b.  in  Winsted,  July  28,  1787;  unm.;   removed  to  Mill 

Creek,  Penn. 

Daniel  Russel,5  came  with  his  father  to  Winsted,  whence  he  emi- 
grated, about  1794,  to  the  Genesee  Valley,  and  settled  in  Williamson, 
Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  as  a  farmer,  and  died  in  1852,  He  married,  1792, 
Lucy  Wright,  of  Colebrook.     He  married  (2d)  Lucy  Aldridge. 


I.  Emma,6 
II.  Daniel  W.,6 

III.  John,6  unm. 

IV.  Judah6, 

V.  Nathaniel,6 
VI.  Moses,6 
VII.  George,6 
VHI.  Lucy,6 


CHILDREN    BY   FIRST    WIFE. 

m.  Stephen  Sanford. 


m.,  March  20,  1834,  Rachel  Prescott. 


CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

LX  Mart,6 
X.  Ann,6 
XL  Louisa,6 
XII.  Caroline,6 

XIII.  Alfred,6 

XIV.  Hamlin,6 

John  Willard  Russell,5  was  a  sea  captain  in  the  African  trade,  in 
the  employ  of  the  De  Wolfs,  of  Bristol,  R.  I.  He  settled  at  Bristol, 
where  he  died  August  20,  1814.  He  married,  June  1,  1802,  Nancy 
Smith;  she  died  September  5,  1810,  aged  35. 


children. 


I. 

II. 

III. 

IV. 


Elizabeth  B.,6 
Parnell  T.,6 
Nancy  Smith,6 
John,6 

Russell. 


b.  September  11,  1803;  m.  Rev.  Royal  Robbius. 

b.  October  18,  1805;  unm. 

b.  October  15,  1807  ;  m.  Henry  Felix. 

b.  May  25,  1810;   was  adopted  by  his  uncle  Benjamin 


Benjamin  Russell,5  emigrated  in  1796  from  Winsted  to  Mill  Creek, 
Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  and  married,  September  29,  1807,  Maria  C.  Buchler. 
He  died  June  10,  1829,  and  his  wife  died  March  16,  1841,  aged  67;  s.p. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  293 

Giles  Russell5  lived  with  his  parents  until  their  death,  and  removed, 
in  1825,  to  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  died  March  16,  1842,  aged  67 
years.  He  was  for  many  years  a  successful  teacher ;  a  man  of  literary 
taste  and  culture  ;  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1810  and  1816; 
a  selectman  of  the  town,  and  sheriff's  deputy  for  many  years.  Returning 
to  Winsted  on  a  visit,  and  finding  the  old  cemetery  in  a  neglected  condi- 
tion, he  collected  money  enough  to  pay  for  clearing  the  ground,  setting  out 
the  trees,  and  fencing  the  cemetery.  He  married,  July  3,  1803,  Lois, 
daughter  of  Urijah  and  Submit  Cook.     She  died  October  17,  1852. 

CHILDREN. 
L  Louisa  Lauretta,6  b.  in  Winsted,  January  9,  1804;  m.  A.  E.  Austin,  of 
Austinburg,  Ohio;  she  d.  April  5,  1855. 

II.  Mart  Elizabeth,6  b.  W.,  March  18,  1K05;  m.  John  Cook. 

III.  Caroline  Matilda,6  b.  W.,  February  27,  1807  ;  m.  1835,  Thos. 

G.  Hurlbut. 

IV.  Julia  Ann  Rhoda,6    b.  W.,  July  24, 1809  ;  m.  May  7,  1831,  David  Smith. 

V.  George  Stillman,6     b.  W.,  March  6,  1812  ;  m.  Juue  3,  1843,  Jane  Healey. 
VI.  Sarah  Sophia,6  b.  W.,  October  23,  1814 ;  m.,  January  15, 1844,  Jason 

R.  Orton,  M.  D. 
VII.  Giles  Willard,6         b.  W.,  November  16,  1817  ;  d.  unm.  August  4,  1836. 
VIII.  Benjamin  Cook,6        b.  W.,  August  31,  1820;  m.,  April  13,  1849,  Sophia 
Parker. 
LX.  Rev.  Edward  Bradford,6  b.  W.,  July  24,  1822;   m.  May  25,  1853,  Mary 
Woods;  she  d.  January  27,  1855;  and  he  m.  (2d)  March  7,  1857,  Mary 
E.  Cable. 

Hamlin  Russell5  removed  from  "Winsted  to  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  in 
June,  1802,  where  he  was  a  farmer.  He  married  May  29,  1811,  Sarah 
Norcross,  born  December  22,  1788,  in  New  Jersey.  She  died  February 
11,  1831 ;  he  married  (2d)  November  4,  1834,  Rachel,  daughter  of 
Urijah  and  Submit  Cook,  who  was  living  in  1862.  He  died  September 
19,  1852,  aged  71  years. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Nathaniel  Willard,6        b.  March  11,  1812. 
II.  Polly  Isabel,6  b.  July  14,  1813;  m.  Johnston  Laird. 

III.  Nancy  Fleming,6  b.  December31, 1815;  m.  Samuel  Christy,M.D. 

IV.  Benjamin  Stillman,6  b.  January  5,  1 822. 
V.  George  Jacob,6                    b.  February  24,  1824. 

VI.  James  Cochran,6  b.  May  12,  1827. 

Daniel  W.  Russell,6  eldest  son  of  Daniel  and  Lucy,  a  farmer  in 
Marion,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  married,  June  17,  1824,  Mary,  daughter  of 
Lewis  Turner. 

children. 

I.  Giles  B./  b.  April  17,  1825. 

II.  Milo  T.,7  b.  October  29,  1826. 


294  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

III.  Cykus  H.,7  b.  July  27,  1828. 

IV.  Lewis,7  b.  October  3,  1830. 
V.  Avert  P.,7  b.  April  7,  1833. 

VI.  Whitney  D.,7  b.  January  27,  1836. 

VII.  Oscar  F.,7  b.  February  6,  1838. 

VIII.  Francis  M.,7  b.  May  19,  1840. 

IX.  Edwin  M.,7  b.  November  20, 1842. 

Judah  R.  Russell,6  third  son  of  Daniel  and  Lucy,  removed  to 
Tecumseh,  Mich.,  in  1857,  where  he  died  in  1858;  he  married  August 
30,  1836,  Prudence  Prescott.     She  died  June  19,  1851. 

CHILDREN. 

I.Ambrose,7  b.  December  15,  1837. 

II.  Prescott  B.,7  b.  May  18,  1839. 

III.  Charlotte  F.,7  b.  May  25,  1841  ;  d.  June  25,  1842. 

IV.  Lucy  A.,7  b.  1843;  d.  March  16,  1846. 

Benjamin  Stillman  Russell,6  second  son  of  Hamlin  and  Sarah, 
of  Towanda,  Penn.,  a  banker  in  1862  ;  married  May  20,  1827,  Mary 
Gaskill  from  Philadelphia,  Penn. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah  Norcross,7  b.  May  7, 1848 ;  d.  July  12,  1848. 

II.  Edgar  Fielding,7  b.  September  5,  1849 ;  d.  March  31,  1851. 

III.  Hamlin,7  b.  May  30,  1852. 

IV.  Edmund  Gaskill,7  b.  March  23,  1854. 

V.  Mary  Elizabeth,7        b.  September  18,  1856. 
VI.  Samuel  Wagner,7         b.  September  27,  1857. 
VII.  Benjamin  Douglass,7   b.  April  8,  1861. 
VIII.  Rebecca  Gaskill,7        b.  May  11,  1862. 

George  Jacob  Russell,6  third  son  of  Hamlin  and  Sarah,  a  tanner 
at  Mill  Creek,  Erie  Co.,  Penn.;  married  January  26,  1854,  Amanda  J. 
Hayes,  and  had,  in  1862,  one 

CHILD. 

Minnie  Myrtle,7    b.  October  20,  1856. 

James  Cochran  Russell,6  fourth  son  of  Hamlin  and  Sarah,  at 
Belle  Valley,  Erie  Co.,  Penn.,  a  farmer;  married  February  7,  1856, 
Octavene  A.  Chambers,  by  whom  he  had  one 

CHILD. 
James  Lewis,7    b.  October  15,  1860 ;  d.  October  2,  1862. 

Benjamin  Wheeler,  Senior,  probably  came  from  Woodbury  with 
his  son,  Benjamin  Wheeler,  Junior,  in  1784.  He  died  in  Winsted, 
January  28,  1788. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  295 

Benjamin  Wheeler,  Junior,  named  of  Woodbury,  May  4,  1784, 
owned  and  occupied  the  farm  late  owned  by  Gideon  Hall,  Sen.,  deceased, 
until  about  1814,  when  he  removed  to  Mount  Pleasant,  Wayne  Co.,  Pa. 
He  built  the  house  at  the  junction  of  South  street  with  the  Green  Woods 
turnpike,  now  occupied  by  Mrs.  G.  Hall,  in  which  he  kept  a  tavern  at 
the  beginning  of  this  century.  He  was  postmaster  of  Winchester  until 
about  1807,  when  the  office  was  removed  to  West  Winsted.  He  mar- 
ried, May  5,  1785,  Lowly  Mallory. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Zatde  (dau.),     b.  March  13,  1786. 
II.  Heman,  b.  January  11,  1789;  d.  November  20,  1792. 

III.  Franklin,  b.  February  25,  1791. 

They  had  several  younger  children,  whose  names  and  births  are  not 
recorded,  among  them  Heman,  Jeduthan,  and  Lowly  are  remembered. 
All  their  children  went  with  them  to  Mount  Pleasant,  and  were  settled 
around  him  at  the  time  of  his  death. 


1785. 

Othniel  Brainard,  Jr.,  named  of  Chatham,  bought  a  lot  now  com- 
posing the  south  part  of  the  O.  W.  Jopp  farm,  and  lived  in  a  log  house 
on  the  east  side  of  South  street  until  1795,  when  he  sold  to  Ezra 
Woodruff,  and  left  the  town. 

Seba  Brainard,  William  Case  (of  Barkhamsted),  and  Nathan 
Hoskin  were  temporary  residents  of  Winsted,  as  appears  by  the  tax 
list  of  this  year. 

John  Jopp,  a  native  of  "  Sterderton,  Scotland,"  and  a  probable 
descendant  of  Wallace's  armor  bearer — Jopp — who 

"  went  on  before, 
And  tbe  great  warrior's  massy  buckler  bore," 

came  to  America  in  1760,  at  22  years  old;  lived  in  Boston  one  year; 
afterward  went  to  Leicester,  Mass.,  and  married,  April  7,  1763,  Hannah 
Henshaw ;  thence  removed  to  Glastonbury,  Conn. ;  thence  came  to 
Winsted  in  June,  1785,  and  settled  on  the  Henshaw  tract,  owned  by  his 
wife's  brother.  His  house  stood  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  Thomas 
Williams  house,  on  the  west  side  of  South  street.  He  died  in  Winsted 
July  22,  1800.  His  widow  removed  to  Butler,  Wayne  Co.,  N.  Y.,  and 
died  there  in  April,  1820,  aged  77. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,  b.  March  6,  1765. 

II.  Elizabeth,     b.  January  7,  1767. 


296  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

III.  Hannah,  b.  August  25,  1769;  d.  November  25,  1857 

IV.  Huldah,  b.  April  24,  1780. 

V.  Benjamin,  b.  September  21,  1782. 


John  Jopp,  Jr.,  came  with  his  father  to  Winsted,  and  occupied,  with 
him,  the  same  premises.  He  built  the  Thomas  Williams  house,  and 
occupied  it  until  his  death,  November  4,  1829,  aged  66.  His  wife, 
Jerusha,  died  December  22,  1 844,  aged  78. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Russell,  went  west. 
II.  Samuel  Henshaw,  died  April  19,  1813,  aged  19. 

III.  Sally,  m.  Harris  Brown. 

IV.  Orson  W.,  m.  —  Gilman;  lives  in  Winsted. 


Nathan  "Wheeler,  son  of  Benjamin,  Senior,  from  Woodbury,  this 
year  bought  the  Potter,  farm,  lately  owned  by  the  Holabird  heirs,  and 
occupied  the  old  house  on  the  east  side  of  Still  River,  nearly  opposite 
Nathan  Champion's,  until  his  death  in  1800,  at  the  age  of  40,  which 
was  occasioned  by  falling  from  his  hay-mow  upon  a  pitchfork,  which 
penetrated  his  bowels.  His  widow  (Mary)  resided  in  the  house  until 
her  death,  August  4,  1822,  aged  55.  He  married  March  23,  1786, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Jesse  Doolittle. 

children. 

I.  Nancy,  b.  Sept.  5,  1788;  m.  Reuben  Baldwin;    sbe  d.  Feb.  13,  1854, 

aged  67. 

II.  Minerva,  b.  March  17,  1791 ;   in.  Seth  Bishop,  Jr. 

III.  Pamela,  b.  Aug.  6,  1792;  m.  David  Marble. 

IV.  Huldah,  b.  March  3,  1794;  m.  Raymond  Mather. 

V.  Anson,  b.  Feb.  3,  1796;  m.  Flavia  Barber  of  Canton,  Conn. 

VI.  Alma,  b.  July  17,  1798;  m.  Philo  Hawley. 

Anson  Wheeler,  Esq.,  son  of  Nathan,  removed  to  Barkhamsted, 
not  far  from  1824,  where  he  d.  June  26,  1857,  aged  61.  He  was  m., 
but  childless. 

Capt.  Zebina  Smith  came  from  Goshen  to  Winsted  in  1784  or 
1785.  He  lived  and  died  on  the  farm,  and  in  the  house  now  owned  by 
Geo.  R.  Doolittle,  on  the  old  North  Road,  near  Colebrook  line.  He  d. 
Feb.  4,  1842,  aged  82.  His  widow,  Martha,  d.  June  29,  1845,  aged  87. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  amiability  of  character,  and  of  sincere  and  earn- 
est piety.  He  represented  the  town  in  the  General  Assembly  in  1798 
and  1802.     He  m.,  Norfolk,  Aug.  1,  1780,  Martha  Benham. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  297 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Elisha,  b.  March  28,  1785;  m.  Sally,  dau.  of  John  Fyler. 

II.  Orriel,  b.  Oct.  7,  1790;  m.  Samuel  E.  Mills  of  Colebrook. 

III.  Miles  Benham,  b.  1795;  d.,  uirm.,  March  14,  1816. 

Deacon  Elisha  Smith,  son  of  Capt.  Zebina,  lived  and  d.  on  the 
farm,  and  in  the  house  nearly  opposite  his  father's,  now  owned  by  Solo- 
mon Sacket.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  conservative  mind  and  anient 
temperament,  who  filled  a  prominent  place  in  the  community,  as  Deacon 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  a  Major  in  the  militia,  an  Assessor  of 
taxes  at  various  times,  and  in  1856,  a  representative  of  the  town.  He 
d.  Jan.  29,  1860,  aged  75.  He  m.  Sally,  dau.  of  John  Fyler;  she 
d.  1862. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Aurelia,  b.  Aug.  30,  1813;  m.  March,  1835,  Alexander  P.  Cleveland. 

II.  Miles,  b.  July  6,  1817  ;  m.  Dec.  4,  1839,  Matilda  Baldwin. 

III.  Zebina,  b.  Aug.  9,  1820;  d.  Nov.  25,  1841,  unm. 

IV.  Sarah,  b.  Dec.   11,   1825;    m.  Sept.  8,  1858,  Rev.  Henry  A.  Russell. 

Miles  Smith,  m.  Dec.  4,  1839,  Matilda  Baldwin;  lived  in  the  house 
previously  occupied  by  his  grandfather,  Capt.  Zebina  Smith,  and  d.  July 
27,  1851,  leaving  a  daughter,  Martha  Baldwin  Smith,  b.  May  18,  1848  ; 
m.  April  23,  1872,  King  T.  Sheldon. 

Aaron  West,  a  minor,  confessed  judgment  before  Esquire  Alvord, 
May  31,  1773,  "  for  playing  and  laughing  on  ye  Sabbath  or  Lord's  Day," 
and  was  fined  three  shillings,  and  one  shilling  cost.  His  name  next 
appears  as  grautee  of  the  Lockwood  Farm,  on  Spencer  street,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1787,  when  he  is  named  of  New  Hartford. 

John  Shaw,  a  Hessian  soldier  from  Burgoyne's  Army,  captured  at 
Saratoga,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  and  several  succeeding  years.  He  was 
a  currier  and  flaxdresser  by  trade,  and  after  living  in  various  parts  of  the 
town,  retired  to  the  Bourbon  region,  where  he  d.  April  13,  1806,  leaving 
a  widow  [Eunice],  who  rode  a  black  and  white  pacing  mare  between 
Bourbon  and  Winsted,  as  late  as  1815. 

John  Shaw,  Jr.,  son  of  the  Hessian,  though  a  citizen  of  Barkham- 
sted,  lived  at  frequent  intervals  in  Winsted,  grinding  scythes  through  a 
long  course  of  years,  in  defiance  of  the  grinder's  consumption,  and  dying 
at  the  allotted  age  of  man,  apparently  uninjured  by  irregular  habits.  His 
sons,  Levi  and  James,  still  dwell  among  us.  He  had  other  sons,  Jehila- 
mon,  Addison,  and  Andrew  Jackson,  and  one  or  more  daughters. 

38 


298  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Charles  Barnes,  son-in-law  of  John  Shaw,  Si\,  lived  at  this  period 
in  a  log-house  on  the  Thomas  Williams  farm,  and  afterwards  retired  to 
Bourbon. 


1786. 

John  Allen's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year,  as  the  owner  of 
the  farm  on  Spencer  street,  recently  owned,  successively,  by  Nishus  Kin- 
ney, Lucius  L.  Culver,  and  Luther  G.  Hinsdale.  He  built  the  large  red 
house,  on  the  premises,  in  which  he  lived  until  1798,  when  he  sold  out  to 
his  son-in-law,  Elihu  Rockwell,  and  removed,  as  is  believed,  to  Oneida 
Co.,  N.  Y. 

John  Allen,  Jr.,  supposed  to  have  been  son  of  the  above,  bought 
land  in  1797,  immediately  north  of  his  father's  farm,  which  he  sold 
in  1798. 

Jesse  Fillet's  name  is  on  the  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident  of 
Wi nsted,  and  is  not  found  elsewhere. 

David  Holmes,  son  of  Phebe  Holmes,  afterwards  second  wife  of 
Chileab  Smith,  of  Goshen,  served  in  the  army  at  New  York,  in  1776, 
and  came  to  Winsted  in  1786.  He  owned  and  occupied  the  south  part 
of  the  Rockwell  farm,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  J.  R.  Boyd,  and  built  the  old 
farm  house  now  standing  thereon.  He  sold  out  to  Merritt  Bull  in  1805, 
and  removed  to  Russell,  Hampshire  Co.,  Mass.  He  was  brother  of 
Joseph  Holmes,  step-brother  of  Capt.  Zebina  Smith,  and  half-brother  of 
Theodore  Smith,  all  of  Winsted.     He  m.  April  29,  1784,  Chloe  Strong. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  William,  b.  Sept.  18,  1784. 

II.  Charlotte,  b.  Aug.  29,  1786. 

III.  Asenath,  b.  Dec.  6,  1788. 

IV.  Clara,  b.  Oct.  21,  1790. 
V.  Chloe,  b.  May  7,  1792. 

VI.  Lyman,  b.  March  7,  1794. 

VII.  Sophia,  b.  Nov.  20,  1795;  d.  March  23,  1798,  of  small  pox. 

VIII.  Sally,  b.  Jan.  26,  1798;    d.  March  13,  1798,  of  small  pox. 

IX.  Sophia,  b.  Dec.  30,  1799. 

X.  Sally,  b.  July  20,  1802. 

XI.  Asahel,  b.  June  4,  1804. 

XII.  David,  b.  Bussell,  Mass.,  May  13,  1808. 

Isaac  Wheeler,  cousin  of  Benjamin  and  Nathan,  in  company  with 
Levi  Norton,  bought  the  Deacon  Hurlbut  farm,  east  of  Long  Lake,  in 
1786.     From  1788  to  1790,  he  lived  on  the  south  part  of  the  farm  be- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  299 

tween  the  lakes.  In  1795  he  bought  the  part  of  the  West  Village  ground 
south  of  M.  &  C.  J.  Camp's  line,  and  in  1798  built  the  old  Higley  tavern 
house  next  south  of  Camp's  brick  block,  the  first  frame  building  erected 
on  Main  street  between  Col.  Hinsdale's  corner  and  Still  River  Bridge. 
In  1799,  he  sold  out  to  Horace  Higley  and  removed  from  town.  He 
married,  October  17,  1784,  Mehitabel  Williams,  and  had  one  son: 

Riley,  b.  Nov.  29,  1785. 

Hezekiah  Woodruff,  Jr.,  named  "of  Southington,"  this  year  bought 
and  occupied  a  part  of  the  Amos  Pierce  farm,  on  Spencer  street,  and 
built  his  house  on  the  summit  of  the  hill  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  Mr. 
Pierce's  dwelling.  An  old  orchard  visible  from  the  village  indicates  the 
place  where  his  house  stood.  He  sold  out  to  Grinnell  Spencer  in  1791, 
and  removed  to  Colebrook. 

Luke  Hart's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  In  1787  his  wife, 
Deborah,  became  owner  of  a  lot  on  the  west  side  of  Spencer  street,  nearly 
opposite  Amos  Pierce,  on  which  they  lived  in  a  log  house,  and  probably 
died  there.     They  had  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  residents  of  Winsted, 

viz. :  Selah,  Stephen,  Samuel,  and ,  the  wife  of  Hawley  Oakley,  and 

mother  of  Alva  Oakley,  now  a  resident  of  Winsted. 

Selah  Hart,  son  of  Luke  and  Deborah,  lived  until  about  1812  in  a 
log  house  at  the  parting  of  the  two  Colebrook  roads,  a  little  west  of  Jud- 
son  Wadsworth's,  and  about  1816  removed  to  Canaan  Mountain,  where 
he  died.     He  was  the  tallest  man  in  town,  and  one  of  the  four  tallest  in 

the  county,  the  other  three  being  • Elmore  of  Torrington,  father  of 

Peleg,  Hon.  John  Allen,  M.  C,  of  Litchfield,  and  Rev.  Aaron  Kinney  of 
Winsted.  When  straightened  up,  his  height  was  6  feet  6|  inches.  He 
worked  at  wall  laying,  was  one  of  the  fathers  and  pillars  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  a  devout,  kind-hearted,  much-loved  man.  His  children  were : 
Deborah,  wife  of  Zenas  Alvord ;  Damy,  wife  of  David  Andrews,  Sally, 
Phoebus  Budd,  and  Newton.     None  of  the  family  now  reside  in  the  town. 

Stephen  Hart,  son  of  Luke  and  Deborah,  lived  and  died  in  the 
house  nearest  to  Colebrook  line,  on  the  west  side  of  the  old  Still  River 
turnpike.  He  died  September  17th,  1833,  aged  66.  His  wife  was  Sarah 
Munson,  from  Middlebury,  Connecticut.  Among  their  children  were 
Chester,  Roseville,  and  Lovina,  who  married,  March  19,  1825,  Zerah 
Doolittle.     All  of  them  .removed  to  the  West. 

Samuel  Hart,  son  of  Luke  and  Deborah,  lived  in  various  parts  of  the 
town  as  a  tenant  farmer.  In  his  later  years  he  owned  and  occupied  a 
house  that  stood  opposite  the  Uri  Church  bridge,  on  the  east  side  of  the 


300  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Green  Woods  turnpike,  in  which  he  died  March  26,  1867,  aged  70.     He 
married  a  daughter  of  Elemuel  Bassett. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Willard,  who  m  Dec.   11,  1822,  Rhoda  M.  Benedict;  he  ra.  (2d)  Maria 
Andrews. 
II.  Sylvester,         ra.,  June  23,  1822,  Charlotte  Walter. 

III.  Wells. 

IV.  Hawley. 
V.  Sylvia. 

VI.  Samuel,  m.,  Nov.  14,  183.3,  Laura  Benedict. 

Of  their  daughters,  one  was  wife  of  Samuel  Bandle,  one  of  Levi  Tuttle, 
and  another  of  Edward  Albro. 

1787. 
At  the  annual  town  meeting,  November  12, 1787,  in  addition  to  routine 
business,  it  was  voted  "  that  the  prayer  of  the  memorial  now  lying  in  the 
General  Assembly,  for  Winsted  to  be  made  a  town,  may  be  granted  by 
the  General  Assembly,  if  they  see  fit  to  grant  the  same,  without  opposi- 
tion from  the  First  Society  of  Winchester,  provided  the  west  tier  of 
lots  in  Winsted  be  not  included  in  the  proposed  town  of  Winsted. 
This  project,  now  agitated  for  the  first  time,  was  repeatedly  revived  in 
after  years.  The  main  reasons  for  seeking  a  division  of  the  town  were, 
the  want  of  a  central  place  for  public  meetings,  and  the  separation  of  the 
two  portions  by  Long  Lake,  and  the  mountain  ridges  along  the  south- 
westerly side  of  Mad  River,  rendering  communication  difficult.  Added  to 
this  was  an  embittered  local  feeling  growing  out  of  the  superior  number 
and  refinement  of  the  people  of  the  "  Old  Society,"  who  had  become  or- 
ganized and  assimilated ;  while  the  sparse  population  of  Winsted  was  as 
yet  in  a  state  of  comparative  poverty  and  barbarism.  The  projected 
town  of  Winsted  was  to  embrace  the  eastern  third  part  of  Winchester,  and 
the  part  of  Barkhamsted  west  of  Farmington  River.  Similar  difficulties 
of  communication,  arising  from  the  chain  of  mountains  west  of  the  river 
cutting  off  the  dwellers  along  the  Farmington  valley,  rendered  the  new 
organization  so  objectionable  that  all  the  applications  to  the  assembly  were 
unsuccessful ;  and  the  growth  of  the  village  of  Winsted  has  put  an  end  to 
all  desire  for  a  separation. 

Moses  Darbe,  named  of  Norfolk,  this  year  bought  the  lot  on  South 
street,  now  owned  by  Jonathan  Gilbert,  on  which  he  lived  a  short  time. 
He  is  named  of  Norfolk  in  1789. 

Benjamin  De  Wolf,  "  of  Killingworth,"  this  year  bought  jointly  with 
his  brother  Daniel  the  lot  on  Spencer  street,  on  which  widow  Lucy  Coe 
now  lives.     About  1792  he  bought  and  lived  in  a  house  now  torn  down 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  301 

on  West  Lake  street,  nearly  opposite  the  John  Stabell  house,  which  he 
sold  in  1 805  to  Benjamin  Johnson.  He  lived  in  Winsted  several  years 
later,  and  worked  in  a  wooden  dish  mill  on  the  lake  stream.  He  was  a 
man  of  violent  passions  and  a  blistering  tongue,  sometimes  very  pious  in 
profession,  but  always  quarrelsome  and  mischievous.  He  married,  May, 
1786,  Jerusha  Carter. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  James  (twin),  b.  Oct.  20,  1786. 

II.  Charlotte  (twin),  b.  Oct.  20,  1786. 

III.  Miller,  b.  May  21,  1790. 

IV.  Alvah,  b.  July  7,  1792. 

They  had  several  other  children  whose  names  are  not  recorded. 

Daniel  DeWolf,  from  Killingworth,  lived  with  his  brother  Benja- 
min, on  Spencer  street,  until  1793,  when  he  bought  and  removed  to  a 
lot  adjoining  Colebrook  line,  opposite  "William  E.  Cowles,  on  which  he 
lived  until  his  removal  to  the  northeast  part  of  Colebrook.  He  was 
father  and  grandfather  to  the  De Wolfs  now  at  Colebrook  River. 

Eleazer  Kellogg,  from  Barkhamsted,  lived  from  1787  to  1791, 
on  the  farm  lately  owned  by  Roswell  Smith,  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
town.     Wife,  Esther. 

children. 

I.  Elijah  (twin),  m.  Oct.  23,  1794,  Mabel  Clement. 
II.  Elisha       "         m.  June  28,  1792,  Persis  Dunham. 

III.  Isaac. 

IV.  Esther,  b.  Nov.  14,  1789. 

V.  Crusa,  (dau.)      b.  Aug.  13,  1791. 


Caleb  Mdnson,  Jr.,  from  Waterbury,  Middlebury  Society,  came  to 
Winsted  this  year,  and  owned  and  occupied  the  David  N.  Beardsley 
farm,  on  the  old  hill  road  to  Colebrook,  living  on  the  west  side  of  the 
road  in  a  house  (now  torn  down)  afterwards  successively  occupied  by 
James  Eggleston,  Hine  Clemons,  Joseph  Loomis,  Stephen  Hart,  Cyrus 
Buttrick,  and  others.  About  1800  he  lived  in  a  house,  now  torn  down, 
on  Lake  street,  near  the  "Old  Factory  house."  About  1807,  he  migrat- 
ed to  Marcellus,  N.  Y.     He  m.  April  20,  1790,  Mabel  Tuttle. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Caleb  Miles,  b.  Jan.  15,  1792. 

II.  Glover  Street,  b.  May  14,  1794. 

III.  Leve  Benham  (dau.),  b.  Jan.  13,  1797. 

IV.  Azdbah,  b.  May  21,  1799  ;  d.  Oct.  17,  1799. 


302  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

V.  Alvira,  b.  Nov.  24,  1800. 

VI.  Jerry,  b.  March  25,  1803. 

VII.  Lucy,  b.  March  8,  1806. 


Norton  Wright,  oldest  son  of  Moses,  and  brother  of  Alvin  of  Cole- 
brook,  lived  in  the  old  deserted  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  Old  Still 
River  Turnpike,  near  Colebrook  line,  from  this  year  until  1817,  when  he 
moved  to  Western  or  Northern  New  York.  He  m.,  July  7,  1781,  Lucy 
Banning. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel,  b.  Aug.  9,  1792. 

II.  Lucy,  b.  June  21,  1794. 

III.  Sarah,  b.  June  5,  1796. 

IV.  Abigail,  b.  May  23,  1798. 

V.  Moses  Norton,  b.  Sept.  1,  1800;   d.  1803. 

VI.  Wealthy,  b.  Oct.  2,  1802. 

VII.  Jonathan  Norton,  b.  Oct.  31,  1805. 

VIII.  Moses,  b.  Nov.  21,  1807. 


1788. 

Deacon  Shubael  Cook  and  Urijah  Cook,  of  Winsted,  herein- 
after mentioned,  were  sons  of  Deacon  John  Cook,4  of  Torrington, 
who  was  son  of  John,3  b.  in  Windsor  in  1692,  and  d.  May  25,  1751 : 
grandson  of  John,2  b.  Windsor,  April  3,  1662;  m.  Nov.  26,  1686,  Mary 
Downs,  of  Northampton  ;  and  great  grand-son  of  Nathaniel,1  an  early 
resident  of  Windsor,  who  m.  June  29,  1649,  Sarah  Vare. 

He,  Deacon  John1,  m.  June  22,  1741,  Rachel  Wilson,  of  Windsor. 
They  were  among  the  constituent  members  of  the  First  Church  of  Tor- 
rington, Oct.  21,  1741. 

children. 

I.  Rachel,5  b.  May  2,  1742;  m.  David  Soper. 

II.  John,5  b.  Aug.  29,  1743 ;  d.  in  Torrington,  aged  80. 

III.  Eunice5  b.  March  5,  1746;    m.  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe,  of  Win- 

chester. 

IV.  Frances,5  b.  Sept.  18,  1747;  d.  Dec.  23,  1750. 
V.  Dea.  Shubael,5       b.  April  21,  1749. 

VI.  Sarah,5  b.  Oct.  31,  1750 ;  m.  Hurlbut. 

VII.  Ede,5  b.  Nov.  28,  1752 ;  d.  in  early  life. 

VIII.  Urijah,5  b.  Sept.,  1754. 

IX.  Lucy,5  b.  Oct.  3,  1756;  m.  Moses  Loomis. 

X.  Hannah,5  b.  March  13,  1758;  m.  Simeon  More. 

XL  Elihu,5  b.  March  18,  1760  ;  d.  July  20,  1760. 

XII.  Elihu,5  b.  March  29,  1761  ;  d.  in  Torrington. 

XIII.  Mary,5  b.  Nov.  10,  1764;  d.  in  early  life. 


/^l^^^^T^^      0  £*T&^\_ 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  303 

Deacon  Shubael  Cook  came  to  Winsted  in  1792,  and  settled  on 
the  Daniel  Tattle  farm,  adjoining  Torringford  line  on  South  street. 
His  house,  long  since  torn  down,  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  a  little 
north  of  the  Daniel  Tuttle  house.  About  1815  he  removed  to  a  house 
on  the  south  side  of  Green  Woods  turnpike,  in  which  he  died,  Dec.  27, 
1824,  aged  75  years.  His  wife  died  in  1827,  aged  79.  In  1802,  he  was 
chosen  Deacon  of  the  Congregational  Church,  which  office  he  filled  with 
great  fidelity  and  acceptance,  until  his  death.  Deacon  Cook  was  a  man 
of  warm  and  cheerful  piety,  poor  in  this  world's  goods,  but  rich  in  Chris- 
tian attainments,  and  in  the  love  of  his  brethren.  He  m.  Sept.  17,  1778, 
Sarah  Bassett  Gillett. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rosinda,6  b.  1776;  m.  Asher  Loomis  of  Windsor,  where  she  d.  in  1855. 
II.  Reuben,6    b.  d.  young,  scalded. 

III.  Ede,6  b.  1783;  d.  single,  Feb.  1,  1818,  aged  35. 

IV.  Reuben,6    b.  Sept.  10,  1786. 


Urijah  Cook,5  came  to  Winsted  in  1788,  and  settled  on  the  east 
side  of  Spencer  street.  He  built  and  lived  in  the  Lockwood  House,  at 
the  top  of  the  hill,  in  sight  of  the  West  Village.  In  1819,  he  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Barkhamsted  (Wallen's  Hill),  where  he  died  June  28, 
1832,  aged  73.  His  wife  (Submit)  d.  Dec.  16,  1844,  aged  88.  In  addi- 
tion to  farming,  he  carried  on  brick  making  in  a  swale  at  the  east  end  of 
his  farm,  in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  He  was  a  man  of  ardent 
temperament,  a  zealous  Federalist,  and  equally  zealous  theologian  of  the 
Hamiltonian  and  Hopkinsian  schools,  —  not  over  tolerant  of  opposing 
views,  either  in  politics  or  religion.  In  his  old  age,  Christian  charity  pre- 
dominated over  party  and  sectarian  zeal,  and  he  died  in  peace  and  love 
with  all  men.     He  m.  Feb.  8,  1779,  Submit  Tuttle. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anson,6  b.  in  Torrington,  Oct.  4,  1779. 

II.  Lois,6  b.  "  March  25,  1781  ;  m.  Giles  Russell. 

III.  Sally,6  .    b.  "  March  28,  1782;  d.  unm. 

IV.  Rhoda,6  (twin),  b.  Winsted,  Jan.  7,  1790;  d.  April  29,  1807. 
V.  Rachel,6      "  b.  Jan.  7,  1790;  in.  Hamlin  Russell. 

VI.  Huldah,6  b.  Feb.  9,  1795. 

VII.  Philo,6  b.  Sept.  28,  1798;    in.  a  dau.  of  Capt.  William  Swift, 

of  Colebrook,  moved  with  his  father  to  Barkhamsted,  where  he  d.  about 
1858,  s.  p. 

Reuben  Cook,6  son  of  Dea.  Shubael,5  came  to  Winsted  with  his 
father,  —  was  clerk  for  S.  Rockwell  &  Brothers,  and  soon  after  coming 
of  age,  went   into  the   manufacture  of  bar  iron  in  the  works  erected  by 


304  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

him  on  Still  River,  recently  owned  by  the .  Cook  Axle  Co.  He  lived  in 
the  house  on  North  Main  street,  nearly  opposite  the  bridge  leading  to  his 
works,  until  a  recent  period.  He  m.  April  15,  1811,  Ruth  Shepard. 
She  d.  Jan.  8,  1841.     He  d.  March  16,  1872. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Jkuusha,7         b.  March  17,  1812;    in.  Jan.  1856,  Daniel  Spring. 
II.  Sarah,7  b.  June  9,  1813;  m.  Shepard  S.  Wheeler;  d.  Feb.  8,  1855. 

III.  Charles,7         b.    Oct.    15,    1815;    in.    Sept.,   1837,  Mary  Jane  Lewis,  <>t 

Suffield. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Jane  Elizabeth,8  b.  1838;  d.  June,  1842;  2.  Rolliu  Hillyer,8  b. 
Aug.  24,  1844,  m.  June  — ,  1866,  Minnie  Graves,  of  New  Milford  ; 
she  d.  Oct.  20,  1868,  leaving  children,  Minnie  Graves,9  b.  June, 
1867,  and  Eliza  Jane,9  b.  Sept.  30,  1868. 

IV.  Harriet,7  b.  May  29,  1818;  m.  Sept.  7,  1853,  Eli  R.  Miller. 
V.  Julia,7                b.  Dec.  1,  1820;  d.  Jan.  22,  1837. 

VI.  John  R.,7  b.  Feb.  18,  1823;  m.  Oct.  15,  1845,  Marietta  A.  Phelps,  of 

Norfolk;  she  d.  Jan.  21,  1861 ;  and  he  m.  (2d)  Sept.  29,  1863,  Jane  M. 
Dickinson,  of  New  Britain. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John  Phelps,8  b.  Jan.  25,  1849 ;  2.  Eliza  Phelps,8  b.  Feb.  15,  1851  ; 
3.  Marietta,8  b.  June  5,  1861,  d.  at  Chicago,  July  12,  1864. 

Anson  Cook,6  son  of  Urijah,  came  with  his  father  to  Winsted.  He 
was  by  trade  a  millwright,  and  lived  for  several  years  in  the  west  village, 
and  afterward  in  a  house  on  the  north  side  of  the  Wallen's  Hill  road,  a 
little  east  of  the  clock  shop,  until  a  few  years  before  his  death,  when  he 
removed  to  the  house  in  the  east  village  immediately  south  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  he  died  December  17,  1860,  aged  81.  His 
wife,  Amelia,  died  May  15,  1851,  aged  70.  He  was  an  industrious, 
quiet,  upright  man,  and  sincere  Christian.  He  married,  December  31, 
1806,  Amelia  Hinsdale,  sister  of  Colonel  Hosea.  She  died  May  15, 
1851,  aged  70. 

CHILDREN.  * 

I.  James,7        b.  March  9,  1809. 
II.  Rhoda  A7.,  b.  December  16,  1810. 

III.  Sherman  Tuttle,7  b.  March  22,  1813;  m.  November  27,  1839,  Cornelia 

Emeline  Jacqua,  b.  Canaan,  October  16,  1817.     She  died  by  a  railroad 
accident  about  1858,  and  he  married,  2d,  Mrs.  Lucia  (Stillman)  Cross. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Edward  Sherman,  b.  December  20,  1841. 

2.  Frederick  Monroe,  b.  March  28,  1843. 

3.  Cornelia  Elvira,  b.  September  15,  1850. 

4.  Emma  Amelia,  b.  October  3,  1853. 

IV.  Anson  Bissell,7        b.  December  12,  1814. 
V.  Laura,7  b.  May  24,  1818. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  305 

Lieutenant  Jonathan  Dunham,  named  of  Colchester,  this  year 
bought  a  part  of  the  Moses  M.  Camp  farm  on  South  street,  on  which  he 
lived  until  1790,  when  he  moved  to  the  highest  point  of  Wallen's  Hill, 
and  lived  until  1800  in  the  house  afterward  occupied  successively  by 
Reuben  Palmer  and  George  Treal,  and  now  torn  down,  when  he 
removed  to  "Whitestown,  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  His  children  are  not  on  our 
records.     The  following  may  be  only  an  incomplete  list  of  them  : — 

Jonathan  Dunham,  Junior,  married,  November  24,  1791,  Susanna 
Kelloffgr. 

Elias  Dunham  married,  March  10,  1791,  Jerusha  Lewis. 
Mehitabel  Dunham,  married  Asher  Rowley. 
Hazael  Dunham,  married  Abigail  Rowley  ;  lived  in  Utica,  N.  Y. 
William  Dunham,  settled  between  Erie  and  Ashtabula,  O.     • 


Deacon  Michael  Grinnkll's  name  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year. 
He  was  born  in  Saybrook,  Conn.,  March  20,  1752;  removed  with  his 
parents  to  Salisbury,  Conn.,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Revolution,  and 
about  1788  came  to  Winsted.  He  first  owned  land  on  the  east  side  of 
Long  Lake.  In  1793  he  bought  the  Wedge  lot  at  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  town,  lately  owned  by  Joel  Mead,  on  which  he  lived  (in  the 
Partridge  House)  until  1823,  when  he  removed  to  Clinton,  Wayne  Co., 
Penn.,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  on  the  12th  day  of  February, 
1858,  aged  one  hundred  and  six  years.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
Army,  and  witnessed  the  tearing  down  of  the  leaden  statute  of  George 
III.  at  the  Bowling  Green  in  New  York.  His  hearing  almost  entirely 
failed  during  the  last  thirty  years  of  his  life,  while  his  sight  continued 
nearly  unimpaired  until  past  his  hundredth  year.  He  was  a  deacon  of 
the  Baptist  Church  in  this  town,  and  was  always  in  his  place  in  the 
stated  meetings  of  the  Church,  until  more  than  one  hundred  years  old. 
He  married  in  1777,  Susanna  Balcom,  perhaps  daughter  of  John  ;  she 
died  in  August,  1825,  aged  70  years.  Of  their  six  children  only  two 
births  are  recorded  in  this  town. 

children. 

I.  Rufus,     b.  in  Salisbury ;  lived  in  this  town  on  the  old  North  road,  nearly- 
opposite  Biley  Smith's,  from  1805  to  1810,  and  afterward  removed  to 
Clinton,  Penn.     His  second  wife  was   Harriet,   daughter  of  Grinnell 
Spencer,  and  widow  of  Sheldon  Norton. 
II.  Beulah,     b.  December  31,  1787. 

III.  Michael,  b.  May  28,  1790;  m.  Susan  Hurlbut,  b.  Goshen,  Conn.,  March 
26,  1788,  daughter  of  Gideon  and  Anna  ( Beach)  Hurlbut.  They  had 
two  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  d.  November  30,  1857.  She  was 
living  in  1858,  and  so  were  Sally  and  Sibyl,  her  sisters,  who  were  born 
at  the  same  birth  with  her. 

39 


306  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Salmon  Treat  came  from  Wethersfield,  when  a  boy,  with  Deacon 
Josiah  Smith,  from  whom  he  this  year  received  a  deed  of  the  farm  on 
Wallen's  Hill,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  son  Sylvester,  on  which 
he  lived  during  the  remainder  of  his  long  life.  He  died  March  30, 
1858,  aged  91.  He  married  November  2,  1794,  Esther,  daughter  of 
Elisha  Mallory,  who  died  August  21,  1853,  aged  79.  They  had  sons, 
George,  Syra,  Asa,  Sylvester,  Luke,  Luther,  and  a  daughter  Betsey,  who 
married,  April  17,  1831,  Asahel  Castle  of  Harwinton.  No  record  of 
their  births  is  found. 

William  Waterman,  Jr.,  lived,  it  is  believed,  on  the  premises  east 
of  the  Still  Biver  turnpike,  near  the  Halsey  Burr  place.  There  is  a 
tradition  of  his  being  routed  out  of  the  town,  in  consequence  of  the 
quarters,  hide  and  horns  of  an  ox  belonging  to  his  neighbor  Captain 
Whitford  being  found  ingeniously  hid  under  a  pile  of  lumber  near  his 
house.  There  appears  to  have  been  also  a  William  Waterman,  Senior. 
There  is  a  quit  claim  in  1793  of  the  interest  by  inheritance  or  otherwise 
in  the  same  land  by  Walter,  Zebulon,  Lucy,  John,  and  Fanny  Waterman 
of  Barkhamsted. 


1789. 

Daniel  Eggleston,  Jr.,  from  Colebrook,  bought  land  in  the  town  this 
year,  and  his  name  also  appears  on  the  tax  list  as  a  resident.  His  farm 
on  the  old  road  adjoining  Colebrook  line  is  now  owned  by  William  E. 
Cowles.     He  died  on  this  farm  about  1820.      Wife,  Anne. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Erastus. 
II.  Chauncet,    m.  Chloe  Coe. 

III.  Nancv. 

IV.  Anne,  b.  Winsted,  July  17,  1792. 
V.  Sidney. 

Daniel  Eggleston,  Senior,  was  of  Winchester  in  March,  1779, 
and  by  wife  Sarah  had  daughter  Sarah,  born  September  17,  1779.  He 
was  from  Windsor,  and  removed  to  Colebrook  as  early  as  1785.  None 
of  the  family  remain  in  town. 

Lewis  Miller,  probably  from  Torrington,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year. 
He  lived  from  179G  to  about  1803  or  1804  in  a  small  house  that  stood 
on  north  side  of  West  Lake  street,  in  front  of  the  Sherman  T.  Cook 
house.  He  had  a  wooden  dish  mill  on  or  near  the  site  of  the  Beardsley 
Scythe  Co.'s  grinding  works.  He  went  to  parts  unknown  not  far  from 
1803,  leaving  behind  him  a  wife  and 


AND  FAMILY  RECOEDS.  307 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Belinda,  the  first  wife  of  James  C.  Cleveland;   she  died  December  26, 
1819,  aged  27. 
II.  Sheldon,     b.  November  10,  1799. 

III.  Aurelia,     d.  young. 

IV.  George. 

Sheldon  Miller  married,  October  31,  1822,  Jerusha  Ann  Stark- 
weather. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lewis  Allen,  b.  Nov.  3,  1823;  m.  in  Lee,  Mass.,  April  8,  1846,  Phebe 
Ann  Sheffield,  b.  Stonington,  Jan.  21,  1822.  Children:  Frances  Ame- 
lia, b.  Lee,  Aug.  11,  1847 ;  Edward  Lewis  (twin),  b.  Lee,  April  2, 1851 ; 
Eunice  Louisa  (twin),  b.  Lee,  April  2,  1851. 
II.  George  Hudson,  b.  June  24,  1825;  m.  in  Canaan,  N.  Y.,  October  16, 1848, 
Eusebia  N.  Herrick.  Children :  Emma  Jane,  b.  West  Stockbridge, 
Nov.  9,  1849;  d.  July  13,  1850;  Eva  Maria,  b.  West  Stockbridge,  June 
6,  1857. 

III.  Henry  Elijah,  b.  April  18,  1830;  m.,  Nov.  29,  1853,  Caroline  Moore. 

IV.  Laura  Ann,  b.  Aug.  29,  1832;   m.  May  7,  1851,  Henry  McCullock.     Chil- 

dren :  1.  Agnes  Marilla,  b.  April  9,  1852;  2.  Albert  Henry,  b.  April  5, 
1853,  d.  Aug.  28,  1853 ;  3.  Lila  Ann,  b.  May  1,  1855,  d.  March  8, 1857  ; 
4.  Charles  Sheldon,  b.  April  8,  1857. 
V.  Mart  Maria,        b.  Dec.  6,  1841 ;  d.  March  23,  1842. 
VI.  Mary  Jerusha,    b.  Jan.  13,  1844. 

Daniel  Marshall,  son  of  Eliakim  of  Windsor,  first  appears  on  the 
list  of  this  year  as  a  resident.  He  built  a  fulling  mill  on  the  lake  stream 
below  the  works  of  the  Henry  Spring  Co.,  and  a  clothier  shop  where 
Lake  street  now  runs  above  the  stone  tenement  house  of  E.  Beardsley. 
He  resided  until  his  death  in  a  dwelling  house  which  stood  adjoining  his 
clothier  shop.  He  died  in  1804,  and  was  buried  in  the  old  burying 
ground  above  the  clock  shop.  His  monument  is  the  only  one  now  stand- 
ing in  that  ground.     Wife  Sarah. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abraham,  b.  April  11,  1789.  III.  Daniel,       b.  June  12,  1792. 

II.  Lucy,  b.  July  6,  1790.  IV.  Garrison,  b.  July  20,  1794. 

1790. 

John  Burton,  supposed  from  Middlebury,  this  year  bought  the  farm 
on  the  hill  road  to  Colebrook,  now  owned  by  David  N.  Beardsley,  on 
which  he  lived  until  about  1810,  and  then  removed  from  the  town.  He 
married,  May  7,  1787,  Phebe  Wooster.  She  died  February  15,  1807  ; 
he  married  (2d)  Hannah,  daughter  of  George  Miller. 


308  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,  b.  March  10,  1789;  m.  Spencer  Shattuck. 

II.  Silas,  b.  March  15,  1781 ;  m.  Lucia,  daughter  of  Asahel  Miller. 

III.  David,  b.  Feb.  18,  1793. 

IV.  Polly,  b.  May  12,  1795. 

Thaddeus  Fay's  name  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  owned  the  part 
of  the  Augustus  Perkins  farm  lying  west  of  the  brook,  and  lived  in  a  log 
house  on  the  original  road  from  Old  Winchester  to  Colebrook,  which  has 
been  discontinued  since  about  1800.  He  died  September  1,  1798,  aged 
about  30  years.     He  married,  October  7,  1793,  Esther  Lucas. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucy,  b.  May  1,  1794. 

II.  Electa,       b.  Feb.  5,  1796 ;  d.  Feb.  8,  1796. 

III.  Sally,         b.  March  20,  1797  ;  d.  June  25,  1797. 

IV.  Thaddeds,  b.  Nov.  11,  1798;  d.  next  day. 

Ezra  Griffin,  from  Barkhamsted,  owned  land  lying  east  of  the  Win- 
sted  Manufacturing  Company's  Works  from  1788  to  1794,  and  is  on  the 
list  as  a  resident  this  year  only.  He  is  named  of  Barkhamsted  in  1794. 
Wife  Margery. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Abigail,       b.  Dec.  12,  1785. 
II.  Elizabeth,  b.  Nov.  17,  1788. 
III.  Sevilla,       b.  October  6,  1790;  d.  Aug.  11,  1792. 

Theodore  Hoskin,  son  of  Joseph,1  who  removed  from  Torrington  to 
Old  Winchester  in  1771,  this  year  came  to  Winsted  and  settled  on  the 
old  Colebrook  road,  and  built  the  house  now  occupied  by  his  son-in-law, 
Alvah  Oakley,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  death,  December  18,  1839, 
aged  74.  Eunice,  his  wife,  died  June  4,  1849,  aged  83.  The  names  and 
births  of  his  children  are  given  in  connection  with  the  family  of  Joseph 
Hoskin.  He  wore,  as  did  others  in  his  clay,  a  cue  which  hung  down  his 
back  some  fifteen  inches.  He  persisted  in  wearing  it  after  most  of  his 
cotemporaries  had  abandoned  their  "caudal  appendages,"  and  would 
probably  have  carried  it  with  him  to  the  grave  had  not  the  doctor  ordered 
it  to  be  "exscinded"  while  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  with  sickness. 

Roswell  Hoskin,  brother  of  Theodore,  came  with  him  to  Winsted, 
and  was  joint  owner  with  him  of  the  farm,  which  he  quit-claimed  to  The- 
odore in  1792.     He  afterward  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  T. 

Solomon  Palmer,  son  of  Enoch,  a  shoemaker,  this  year  bought  land 
on  Wallen's  Hill,  and  lived  in  a  logdaouse  on  the  highway  at  the  east  line 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  309 

of  the  town,  between  Harris  Brown's  and  the  Wallen's  Hill  school  house. 
He  is  named  in  1795  of  Barkhamsted.  He  married,  October  14,  1787, 
Hannah  De  Wolf. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Stephen  De  Wolf,  b.  April  3,  1788. 
II.  Lamentine,  (dau.)      b.  Jan.  7,  1791. 

Jonathan  Rogers,  from  Lynn,  a  blacksmith,  and  brother  of  Simeon, 
already  named,  owned  the  land  on  which  the  houses  of  John  Camp  and 
Edward  Whiting  stand,  and  extending  from  the  east  side  of  Still  River 
westerly  to  the  second  tier  line.  His  house  and  shop  stood  on  the  road 
then  running  along  the  east  side  of  the  river.  He  sold  out  in  1794,  and 
is  named  of  New  Marlborough,  Mass.,  in  1798.     Wife  Ruhama. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  William  Peck,  b.  June  1,  1790. 

II.  Joseph  (twin),  b.  Nov.  17,  1792. 

III.  Benjamin  (twin.),         b.  Nov.  17,  1792. 

Joseph  Looms,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  of  John  Burton,  a 
part  of  the  D.  N.  Beardsley  farm,  on  the  hill  road  to  Colebrook,  and  sold 
the  same  to  Asahel  Miller  in  1800.  He  is  named  of  New  Hartford  in 
1806,  in  a  joint  deed  of  himself  and  his  wife  Mary,  who  is  described  as 
daughter  of  David  Crissey. 

1791. 
Jonathan  Coe,  3d,  son  of  Ensign  Jonathan,  of  Winchester,  this  year 
came  to  Winsted,  and  built  the  rear  wing  of  the  red  house  on  the  Cole- 
brook  road,  one  mile  northerly  from  We~t  Winsted,  now  owned  by  Judson 
Wads  worth.  The  upright  part  of  the  house  was  built  soon  after  1800. 
In  this  house  he  lived  until  about  1830,  when  he  built  and  moved  into  the 
brick  house,  on  the  west  side  of  the  same  road,  now  owned  by  his  son 
Jehiel  Coe,  in  which  he  died  May  31,  1849,  aged  79.  He  was  a  tall, 
reverend-looking  man,  slow  of  speech,  a  man  of  great  shrewdness  and 
moderation,  an  early  Methodist  and  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat ;  steadfast 
in  the  support  of  his  sect,  yet  catholic  in  spirit :  zealous  in  politics,  yet 
incapable  of  changing  his  principles  to  square  with  the  changing  ideas  of 
party  expediency.  When  it  became  democratic  to  ignore  the  manhood  of 
the  African  race  and  deny  the  right  of  petition  and  free  speech  in  its  be- 
half, he  cheerfully  accepted  the  offensive  epithet  of  Abolitionist,  and  stood 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  little  band  that  battled  for  the  right  and  prevailed. 
He  died  with  his  armor  on,  while  the  conflict  seemed  doubtful  to  men  of 
feeble  faith.     In  him  there  was  no  doubt,  no  fear,  nor  trembling.     When 


310  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

the  minister  refused  to  read  from  the  pulpit  the  notices  of  prayer  meetings 
for  the  slave,  he  would  rise  from  his  pew  and  give  the  announcement. 
His  house  was  one  of  the  stations  of  the  "  Underground  Railroad  "  from 
Dixie  to  Canada,  where  the  panting  fugitive  was  fed,  clothed,  and  speeded 
on  his  journey.  His  influence  in  the  town  during  his  middle  age  probably 
transcended  that  of  any  other  man.  He  held  at  different  times  nearly 
every  town  office,  and  represented  the  town  in  the  Assembly  in  four  ses- 
sions between  1822  and  1828.  His  family  record  has  already  been  given 
on  page  53. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

winsted  immigrants  and  family  records  continued. 
From  1791  to  1801. 


1792. 
Jenkins  &  Boyd,  the  pioneer  manufacturers  of  Winsted,  came  into 
the  Society  this  year,  and  erected  the  first  scythe  factory  in  the  state 
and  the  third  in  the  country,  on  the  site  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing 
Company's  East  Village  Works.  About  1795,  in  company  with  Thomas 
Spencer,  Jr.,  they  erected  the  first  forge  for  making  bar  iron  in  the 
town,  on  the  lake  stream,  opposite  the  grinding  shop  of  the  Winsted 
Manufacturing  Company.  In  1802  they  erected  another  scythe  factory 
on  the  site  of  the  Winsted  Hoe  Company's  shop,  near  the  corner  of  Lake 
and  Meadow  streets. 

Benjamin  Jenkins,  of  the  above  firm,  was  born  October  15th,  1765, 
at  Scituate,  Mass.,  and  learned  the  scythe  maker's  trade  of  Colonel 
Robert  Orr  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  who  was  the  first  manufacturer  of 
scythes  by  water-power  in  this  country.  From  Bridgewater  he  went  to 
New  Windsor,  adjoining  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  as  foreman  of  the  scythe  works 
erected  by  Colonel  Robert  Boyd,  where  he  married,  September  10,  1791, 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Samuel  Boyd  of  Little  Britain,  soon  after  which 
he  removed  to  Torrington,  and  thence  in  1792  to  Winsted.  In  company 
with  Mr.  Boyd  he  built,  in  1795,  the  double  house  afterward  owned  and 
occupied  by  Rev.  James  Beach,  in  which  he  lived  until  about  1806,  when 
he  built  and  moved  into  the  original  building  of  the  Winsted  Hotel.  In 
1812,  he  built  a  scythe  shop  on  the  site  of  the  Strong  Manufacturing 
Company's  Works,  which  he  carried  on  until  about  1816.  In  1818  he 
removed  with  his  family  to  Wayne  County,  Penn.,  and  began  the  world 
anew,  in  the  then  unbroken  forest,  on  the  Lackawaxen,  four  miles  west 
of  Honesdale.  Here  he.  cleared  up  a  new  home,  built  a  scythe  shop  and 
saw  mill  before  the  first  explorers  of  the  Hudson  and  Delaware  Canal 
and  Rail  Road  route  visited  that  region,  and  before  Honesdale  existed. 
The  rail  road  was  located  through  his  farm,  and  the  pleasant  village  of 
Prompton  grew  up  around  him,  and  principally  on  the  land  which  he 
had  first  cleared.     Here  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age,  the  pioneer  and 


312  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

revered  patriarch  of  a  region  which  he  had  first  entered  at  the  age  of 
fifty-two.  He  died  January  18,  1853,  aged  87  years,  4  months  and  26 
days.  His  wife,  with  whom  he  had  lived  more  than  sixty  years,  died 
April  25,  1851,  aged  81. 

Mr.  Jenkins  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  and  pleasing 
address  —  genial  and  kind-hearted  —  liberal  and  public-spirited  —  ener- 
getic and  honorable  —  a  good  husband  and  kind  parent. 

He  represented  the  town  in  the  general  assembly  in  1803  and  1804. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,        b   October  5,  1792  ;  m.  Horace  Kent  of  Boston;  d.  October 
24,  1820. 
II.  Susan,  b.  April  25,  1794  ;  m.  Doctor  Henry  Noble  ;  d.  1814. 

III.  Benjamin,  Jr.,   b.  December  6,  1796;  rn.  October  4,  1820,  Mary  Kent. 

IV.  Samuel,  b.  December  4,  1798;    m.   1st,  Elizabeth  Buckland ;   2d, 

Mary  Jane  Buckland. 

V.  Lionel,  b.  1799;  A.  May  18,  1807. 

VI.  Louisa,  b.  1801;  m.  1st,  Arab.  Bartlett ;  2d,  Jacob  S.  Davis. 

VII.  Edward,  b.  1804;  d.  1854,  unmarried. 

VIII.  Maria,  b.  1806;  m.  Kalph  Case. 

IX.  John,  b.  1808;  m.  Jane  Greeley. 

X.  Henrietta,  b.  1810;  m.  Luman  Hubbcll. 

XI.  Marietta,  b.  1812;  m.  Benjamin  Jenkins  3d;  she  d.  1842. 

James  Boyd3  came  to  Winsted  with  his  brother-in-law  and  partner, 
Benjamin  Jenkins,  in  1792,  having  previously  learned  from  him  the 
scythe  maker's  trade  at  New  Windsor,  his  native  place.  He  first  lived 
in  a  small  house  that  stood  on  the  west  side  of  North  Main  street,  nearly 
opposite  the  parsonage  house  of  Rev.  James  Beach,  which  was  built  by 
him  and  his  partner  in  1795,  and  jointly  occupied  by  them  until  1802. 
He  then  built  and  moved  into  the  house  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street, 
west  village,  opposite  Munro  street,  now  owned  by  John  T.  Rockwell, 
where  he  spent  his  remaining  life,  and  died  February  1,  1849,  aged  78 
years.  In  1803  he  dissolved  partnership  with  Mr.  Jenkins,  taking  for 
his  share  the  joint  property  of  the  firm  in  the  west  village.  In  1808  he 
built-a  forge  and  saw  mill  on  the  water-power  opposite  the  Clarke  House, 
now  owned  by  the  New  England  Pin  Company.  In  1822  he  built  a 
drafting  and  forging  shop  in  rear  of  the  Beardsley  House,  and  in  1828  he 
rebuilt  the  "  Upper  Forge,"  on  the  lake  stream,  above  Hulbert's  present 
iron  works.  He  also  built,  in  1816,  the  old  iron  store  on  Main  street, 
next  north  of  Dudley's  brick  block. 

He  was  a  man  of  indomitable  energy.  Few  men  ever  did  more  hard 
work,  and  more  thoroughly  managed  a  large  business  than  he,  until  past 
the  prime  of  life.  Frugal  and  temperate  in  all  his  habits,  and  retiring 
in  his  disposition,  he  was  also  public-spirited  and  benevolent.  No 
wandering  outcast,  however  degraded,  ever  turned  away  from  his  door 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  313 

without  food,  and  lodging  if  needed.  With  a  good  common  school  educa- 
tion, he  possessed  a  strong,  discriminating  mind  and  studious  habits.  His 
range  of  reading  extended  from  "  Tristram  Shandy  "  through  general 
history  to  "  Edward's  on  the  Will,"  and  other  abstruse  theology. 
Trained  in  the  faith  of  the  Scotch  seceders,  he  made  the  Bible  his  con- 
stant study,  and  deduced  from  it  his  own  independent  belief,  matured  by 
careful  study,  and  reverently  cherished.  With  an  erect  figure  and  rapid 
gait,  he  had  a  sternness  of  aspect  and  an  immovable  decision  which 
repelled  familiarity  ;  yet,  he  had  a  strength  of  affection  and  tenderness  of 
heart  little  realized  by  those  who  superficially  knew  him.  Perfect 
integrity  was  a  dominant  trait  of  his  character. 

The  Little  Britain  branch  of  the  Boyd  family,  to  which  he  belonged, 
was  of  the  Kilmarnock  stock,  originating  in  Ayrshire,  Scotland,  trans- 
ferred to  County  Down  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  from  whence  four 
brothers,  Samuel,  Robert,  James,  and  Nathaniel  Boyd  migrated  to 
America. 

Samuel  Boyd,  the  oldest  of  the  brothers,  may  have  been  the  one 
among  the  so-named  North  of  Ireland  men  who  came  over  to  found  the 
Londonderry  settlement  in  New  Hampshire  about  1720,  many  of  whom 
finally  went  to  other  places.  He  settled  in  the  City  of  New  York  about 
that  period,  accumulated  a  large  estate,  and  died  a  bachelor.  By  his  aid 
and  counsel,  his  three  brothers,  before  named,  and  a  sister  Mary,  who 
married  —  Wargh,  came  over  from  County  Down,  and  settled  in  the 
town  of  New  Windsor,  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y. 

Robert  Boyd,  above-named,  settled  at  New  Windsor,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  creek  which  empties  into  the  Hudson  a  mile  below  Newburgh. 
He  had  a  son  Robert,2  and  a  daughter  Mary,2  who  married  —  Harris. 

Colonel  Robert  Boyd2  erected  iron  and  scythe  works  on  the  creek 
before  mentioned.  He  inherited  the  estate  of  his  bachelor  uncle,  and 
removed  to  the  City  of  New  York  early  in  this  century,  and  there  held 
the  office  of  sheriff  of  the  county.  He  died  Oct.  29, 1804,  aged  70,  as  ap- 
pears on  his  monument  in  Little  Britain  Church-yard.  He  married  — 
Smith,  and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samdel,  a  Counscllor-at  law  in  the  City  of  New  York. 

II.  John,  of  Ogdcnsburg,  Sheriff  of  St.  Lawrence  Co.,  N.  Y. 

III.  Jennett,  wife  of  Rev.  James  Schrimgeozir. 

IV.  Agses,  wife  of  Dr.  Baltus  Van  Klcck. 
V.  Elias,  died  a  bachelor. 

VI.  George,         Episcopal  clergyman,   Philadelphia. 
40 


314  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Nathaniel  Boyd,  the  fourth  brother,  lived  in  Little  Britain  Parish, 
New  Windsor,  and  had  sixteen  children  by  his  first  and  second  wives. 

BY    MARGARET    BECK. 

I.  Jane,    w.  of  —  Butler. 
II.  John,  of  Amenia,  N.  Y. 

III.  Samuel. 

IV.  James  S. 

V.  Mary,  w.  of  William  Bradner. 
VI.  Nathaniel.2 

VII.  Martha,  w.  of  —  Etonian. 

BY   MARTHA    MONSEL. 

VIII.  Jane.2 

IX.  Elizabeth.2 
X.  Nathaniel.2 
XI.  Mary,2  w.  of  —  Thompson  of  Esopus. 
Xll.  Charles.2 

XIII.  Hannah,2  w.  of — Alexander. 

XIV.  Jane.2 

XV.  Robert  W.2 
XVI.  Nathaniel.2 

James  Boyd,1  the  third  brother,  sailed  from  Belfast,  Ireland,  August 
9,  1756,  with  his  second  wife  and  children,  whose  names  and  date  of 
birth  are  recorded  in  his  family  bible,  as  follows  : — 

BY    SARAH,    HIS    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Samuel,2  b.  1734. 

II.  Sarah,2    b.  August  13,  1738. 

III.  Robert,2  b.  January  10,  1740. 

IV.  Mary,2      b.  March  2S,  1742,  married  and  settled  in  Scotland. 
V.  Jean,2        b.  January  20,  1749;  m.  —  Soper  of  Esopus,  N.  Y. 

BY    MARY,    SECOND    WIFE. 

VI.  Seaborn  Agnes,2    born  on  the  voyage,  September  23,  1756;  m.  Richard 

Hudson  of  Newburg. 
VII.  James2  (date  of  birth  torn  off). 
VIII.  Elizabeth,2  b.  February  (torn  off) ;  m.  —  Belknap  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y. 
IX.  David,2  b.  December  ,  of  Fhelps,  Ontario  Co.,  N.  Y. 

X.  Nathaniel,2  b. 
XL  Alice,2  b. ;  m.  John  Wood. 

Samuel  Boyd,2  oldest  son  of  James,1  visited  America  four  years 
earlier  than  his  father,  and  returned  to  Ireland,  whence  he  came  back  as 
a  permanent  settler  in  175 G,  and  thereafter  resided  in  Little  Britain  Par- 
ish until  his  death,  May  27,  1801,  in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  He  served 
in  the   French   Canadian  War,  and  furnished  a  substitute  in  the  Revolu- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  315 

tion.  He-  ra.  (1st)  Elizabeth,  dau.  of  Mathew  McDoel,  of  New  Wind- 
sor, who  d.  Aug.  25,  1775,  and  (2d)  Mary  Lyon,  who  d.  in  1812,  s.  p, 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    "WIFE. 

I.  Elizabeth,3  b.  at  Little  Britain,  N.  Y.,  1769;  m.  Benjamin  Jenkins. 
II.  James,3  b.  L.  B.,  Nov.*15,  1770. 

III.  Mathew,3       b.  d.  young. 

IV.  John,3  b.  d.  young. 

James  Boyd,3  son  of  Samuel,2  settled  in  TVinsted  as  already  stated. 
He  m.  at  Torringford,   Conn.,  Dec.  23,  1795,  Mary  Munro,  b.  Boston, 

Mass.,  March  10,  1771,  dau.  of  Alexander  and (Mcintosh)  Munro, 

from  Inverness,  Scotland.  She  d.,  Winsted,  Sept.  2,  1821 ;  and  he  m.  (2d) 
June  27,  1822,  Jane  Munro,  b.  at  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  June  8,  1788,  dau. 
of  Alexander  and  —  (Hutchinson)  Munro,  and  half-sister  of  his  first  wife. 
She  d.,  Winsted,  Dec.  29,  1852. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Nancy,4  b.  May  27,  1797  ;   m.  1820,  Lucius  Clarke. 

II.  John4  (twin),  b.  March  17,  1799. 

III.  James  Munro4  (twin),  b.  March  17,  1799;  d.  Aug.  28,  1826. 

IV.  Eliza,4  b.  March  18,  1801  ;  d.  April  1,  1801. 
V.  Samuel,4                         b.  June  24,  1802. 

VI.  Eliza,4  b.  June  25,  1804;  d.  Sept.  10,  1821. 

VII.  Mary,4  b.  Aug.  11,  1807  ;  d.  Aug.  30,  1821. 

VIII.  Jane  Munro,4  b.  Dec.  10,  1812;  m.  human  Hubbell. 

IX.  Susan,4  b.  March  19,  1815;  m.  Sept.  7,  1836,  Elijah  Phelps 

Grant,  b.  Norfolk,  Conn.,  Aug.  23,  1808,  son  of  Dea.  Elijah  and  Eliza- 
beth (Phelps)  Grant.     He  graduated  Yale  College,  1830;   lives  at  Can- 
ton, Ohio;    a  lawyer  and  banker.     Children,  all  born  in  Canton,  Ohio  : 
1.  Elizabeth,  b.  May  21,  1838  ;    m.  May  18,  1858,  Thomas   J.  Hurford, 
of  Omaha,  Neb.;     2.  Susan,  b.  Jan.  8,  1841 ;  d.  July  19,  1841 ;    3.  Ma- 
ry, b.  Sept.  12,  1842;  m.  ;  4.  Charles 
.Fourier,  b.   Aug.   12,   1844;    d.  May  25,   1845;     5.  Jane,  b.  Nov.  27, 
1846;    6.  Martha  A.,  b.  April  30,   1849;  d.  June  27,  1859;    7.  James 
Boyd,  b.  Nov.  10,  1853. 
X.  Alexander  Munro,4  b.  July  2,  1823;  d.  June  12,  1824. 
XL  Jennett,4                        b.  May  16,  1825;  d.  April  14,  1827. 
XII.  Elizabeth,4                    b.  Oct.  23,  1827  ;  m.  June  1,  1859,  Stephen  A.  Hub- 
bard, b.  Sunderland,  Mass. 
XIII.  Robert  Lewis,4            b.  Aug.   15,   1831 ;   commenced  and  carried  on  the 
manufacture  of  planter's  hoes,  in  Winsted,  from  1852  to  1860;    then 
went  to  New  York,  where  he  now  resides.     He  m.  Nov.  6,   1862,  Helen 
A.  Peck,  dau. ,  of  Edward  B.  and  Mary  Ann  Peck,  of  Fairfield  Co., 
Conn.,  b.  April  18,   1840.     Her  name  changed,  by  adoption,  to  Helen 
Annette  Wooster,  in  which  name  she  was  married. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Anna,  b.  N.  Y.  city,  June  30,  1864;  d.  July  2,  1864. 

2.  A  son,  still  born,  in  Brooklyn,  July  6,  1865. 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

3.  Ralph  Booth,  b.  Brooklyn,  June  4,  1866. 

4.  Louis  Roland,  b.  Brooklyn,  Dec.  10,  1867  ;  d.  Aug.  13,  1868. 

5.  James  Hubbcll,  b.  in  B.,  Nov.  13,  1369;  d.  Aug.  17,  1870. 


JoHtf  Boyd,4  m.,  New  Haven,  May  17,  1831,  Emily  Webster  Beers, 
b.  N.  H.,  March,  1805,  dau.  of  Elias  and  Jerusha  (Fitch)  Beers.  She 
d.  Nov.  25,  1842;  and  he  m.  (2d)  Dec.  10,  1843,  Mrs.  Jerusha  (Rock- 
well) Hinsdale,  widow  of  Theodore  Hinsdale,  and  dau.  of  Solomon  and 
Sarah  (McEwen)  Rockwell.  He  grad.  Yale  Coll.  1821  ;  admitted  to 
the  bar  of  New  Haven  Co.,  1825;  Rep.  General  Assembly,  1830  and 
1835;  County  Commissioner,  1840,  1849,  and  1850.  Town  Clerk, 
1829-33,  1837-41,  and  from  1855,  to  the  present  time,  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate for  fifieen  years,  till  disqualified  by  age,  in  18G9 ;  State  Senator, 
1854;  Secretary  of  State  of  Conn.,  1859,  1860,  and  1861 ;  a  manufact- 
urer of  the  firm  of  J.  Boyd  &  Son,  1827  to  1850,  afterwards  to  1853, 
alone. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Ellen  Wright,5  b.  Sept.  3,  1833. 

II.  James  Alexander,5       b.  Nov.  12,  1835;  d.  Oct.  5,  1837. 
III.  Emily  Beers,5  b.  June  23,  1842;  d.  Oct.  16,  1852. 

James  Munro  Boyd,4  was  trained  to  business  as  an  iron  manufact- 
urer and  trader,  under  his  father,  which  he  followed  with  decided  ability 
and  energy  until  his  death.  He  was  an  extensive  reader,  social,  warm- 
hearted and  upright.  He  died  unmarried,  Aug.  28,  1826,  beloved  and 
lamented. 

Samuel  Boyd,4  m.  Sept.  20,  1825,  Sylvia  Coe,  b.  Aug.  12,  1806, 
dau.  of  Jonathan  and  Charlotte  (Spencer)  Coe.  He  was  a  trader  and 
manufacturer  in  AVinsted,  till  1833;  Custom  House  Appraiser  in  New 
Orleans,  till  1850;  Commission  Hardware  in  New  York,  till  1860; 
Appraiser  in  Custom  House,  in  N.  Y.  to  the  present  time. 

CIIILDREN. 

I.  James  Munro,5        b.  Winsted,   Sept.  28,   1826;    was  drowned  in  Mad 
River,  June  10,  1829. 
II.  Marianne,5  b.  W.,  July  31,  1828;  m.  Aug.  28,  1850,  Henry  Bas- 

com  Keen,  a  merchant  and  banker,  of  New  York ;  b.  Pittsburg,  Penn., 
July  18,  1825,  son  of  Robert  Lewis  and  Phebe  A.  (Page)  Keen. 
He  d.  Dec,  1868. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Eobert  Lewis,6  b.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Aug.   23,   1851  ;    2.  Henry 
Boyd,6  b.  B.,  Jan.  9,  1854  ;    3.  James  Munro,  b.  B.,  July  16,  1856. 

III.  Sarah  Jane,5  b.  W.,  June  10,  1831 ;   m.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  30, 

1853,  Thomas  Howe  Bird,  b.  Boston,  Mass. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  317 

IV.  Robert  Munro,5  b.  W.,  Aug.  12,  1834-;  m.  Nov.  10, 1859,  Kate  Baldwin 
Crane,  b.  Bloomfield,  N.  J.,  Dec.  — ,  1838,  dau.  of  Matthias  and  Su^an 
(Baldwin)  Crane.  He  is  a  merchant  of  New  York;  resides  at  Mont 
Clair,  N.  J.  Children  :  1.  Susie;  2.  Robert  M. ;  3.  Bertha. 
V.  Alice  Isabel,5  b.  New  Orleans,  La.,  June  26,  1845  ;  m.  May  11,  1869, 
Rev.  Nelson  Millard.     Child :  Ernest  Boyd,  b.  Dec.  11,  1870. 


Crnus  Curtis,  of  Colebrook,  bought  land  adjoining  Colebrook  line, 
and  lived  thereon  in  a  house  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  above  Wm.  E. 
Cowles'  dwelling,  and  probably  left  town  the  next  year. 

Deacon  John  Lee  this  year  bought  the  Fyler  farm,  on  South  street, 
and  lived  in  the  Albro  Fyler  house,  recently  burned  down,  until  about 
1799.     He  was  chosen  Deacon  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  1795. 

EpnitAm  Scovill  and  Reuben  Scovill,  father  and  son,  from  Col- 
chester, this  year  bought  the  farm  on  South  street,  now  occupied  by  Good- 
loe  H.  Camp,  which  they  occupied  during  their  remaining  lives.  Ephraim 
quit-claimed  his  half  of  the  farm  to  Reuben  in  1801,  and  lived  not  many 
years  after. 

Reuben  Scovill  died  August  5,  1821,  aged  55.  He  had  a  daughter 
Deborah  who  married  John  Maltbie ;  a  son,  Truman,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  David  Talmadge  and  continued  to  occupy  the  homestead  until 
about  1837,  when  he  removed  to  Granville,  Mass. ;  and  a  daughter  Lydia 
who  married,  January  17,  1821,  Miles  Marsh,  of  New  Hartford. 

Capt.  Abijah  "Wilson,2  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  land  at  the 
crossing  of  the  old  North  Country  road  and  the  old  Still  River  turnpike, 
and  soon  after  built  the  house  at  that  point  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
his  youngest  son,  Daniel  13.  Wilson,  which  he  occupied  until  his  death, 
March  24,  1833,  aged  86.  He  was  a  representative  of  the  town  in  1798 
and  1802.  He  was  born  in  Torrington,  December  18,  1746,  son  of  Noah1 
and  Ann  Wilson  ;  married,  October  5,  1767,  Margaret  Beach,  of  Torring- 
ton. She  died  1794,  aged  47,  and  he  married  (2d),  Hannah  Bushnell,  of 
Haitland;  she  died  June  16,  1844,  aged  81. 

children  by  first  wife,  born  in  torrington. 
I.  Zenas,3  b.  Jan.  22,  1768;   d.  April  15,  1769. 

II.  Zenas,3  b.  April  11,  1769;  m.  Polly,  daughter  of  Daniel  Coe  Hudson, 

of  Torrington '. 

III.  Solomon,3      b.  Feb.  8,  1772;  d.  Nov.  26,  1775. 

IV.  Reynold,3       b.  June  18,  1774. 

V.  Okrel,3  b.  Jan.  5,  1777 ;  m.,  1795,  Nathaniel  Bacon,  of  Fabius,  N.  Y. 


318  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

VI.  Abijaii,3         b.  June  8,  1779;  m.  Lucy,  daughter  of  Freedom  Wright,  of 
Winsted. 
VII.  Lovisa,3  d.  unmarried,  Dec.  16,  1806,  aged  20. 

CHILDREN   BY   HIS    SECOND    WIFE,  BORN   IN    WINSTED. 
VIII.  Margaret,3  m.  Edgar  West,  of  Chardon,  Lake  Co.,  Ohio. 

IX.  Amanda,3  ■  m.  Henry  Munson,  of  Mentor,  Ohio. 

X.  Daniel.3  b.  Nov.  27,  1800;       m.,  April,  1825,  Adeline,  daughter  of  Lyman 
Doolittle. 

Capt.  Zenas  Wilson3  lived  on  the  old  North  Country  road,  on  the 
farm,  and  in  the  house  recently  sold  by  Henry  Dowd  to  Allen  N.  Hitch- 
cock, until  his  removal,  about  1821,  to  Fabius,  N.  Y.,  whence  he  afterward 
removed  to  Concord,  Lake  Co.,  0.,  where  he  died  in  1847.  His  wife  died 
in  1843. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Ansel4  had  children,  George5  and  Hiram.5 
II.  Orrin4  (twin)  had  children,  Zenas5  and  Hudson.5 
III.  Orson4  (twin)  had  children,  Henry,5  Eliza,5  and  Jane.5 

Reynold  Wilson3  lived  until  his  removal  to  Fabius,  N.  Y.,  about 
1815,  on  the  farm  on  Wallen's  Hill  recently  owned  by  Lorrin  Smith. 
He  married  Chloe,  daughter  of  Elisha  Mallory.     He  died  1835. 

Abijah  Wilson,  Jr.,3  lived  on  and  owned  until  his  death  the  Stephen 
Rowley  farm  on  the  Old  Country  road  west  of  Still  River.  He  died 
April  17,  1813,  aged  34.  He  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Freedom 
Wright.     He  died  April  17,  1813;   she  died  November  15,  1817. 

children. 

I.  Nelson  Wright,4  b.  Feb.  13,  1799;  m.,  May  10,  1820,  Wealthy  Coe, 
daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Charlotte  (Spencer)  Coe;  she  d.  at  Sudbury, 
Vt.,  Feb.  2,  1845;  he  d.  Nov.  21,  1851.  Children:  1.  George  Coe,5  b. 
Dec.  13,  1821 ;  m.,  Lenox,  Mass.,  Oct.  19,  1843,  Caroline  Miles,  b.  Lenox, 
Nov.  26,  1822,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Rhoda  (Porter)  Miles.  He  d. 
March  4,  1854.  Children  :  1.  Franklin  Henry,6  b.  Jan.  4,  1845 ;  d.  Jan.  6, 
1S45;  2.  James  H.,6b.  Jan.  27,  1846;  3.  Alice,6  b.  July  28, 1847;  4.  Ida,6 
b.  June  2,  1849,  d.  Sept.  7,  1849;  5.  Charles,6  b.  Sept.  17,  1850.  2. 
Charles  Horton,5  b.  May  22,  1826 ;  d.  May  18, 1847.  3.  Harriet  Elizabeth,5 
b. -April  23,  1831;  m.  Feb.  6,  1850,  Alexander  Charles  Thompson,  b. 
Martinsburgh,  N.  Y.,  July  20,  1822,  son  of  Enoch  and  Betsey  (Murdock) 
Thompson.  She  d.  Jan.  7,  1855,  s.p.,  and  he  m.  (2d)  May  31, 1856,  Mrs. 
Caroline  (Miles)  Wilson,  widow  of  George  Coe  Wilson.  He  d.  July  14, 
1866.  4.  Henry,5  b.  Oct.  20,  1833;  d.  Oct.  19,  1836. 
II.  Harriet  E.,4'm.,  May  22,  1825,  Charles  W.  Horton,  M.D. ;  had  children 

Jane  E.,5  and  Rollm  C.5 
III.  Hiram  A.,4  b.  Dec.  19,  1812;  m.,  May  12,  1841,  Hannah  Bosworth;  grad- 
uate of  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Coun. ;  late  principal  of  Janes- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  319 

ville  Academy,  N.  Y.  Now  resident  of  Saratoga,  N.  Y.  Children  : 
1.  A  son,5  b.  October,  1844,  d.  young;  2.  Laura,5  b.  July  20,  1846,  d. 
Sept.  15,  1847  ;  3.  Hiram  B.,5  b.  April  17,  1848,  d.  Feb  2, 1849 ;  4.  Mary 
Lenita,5  b.  March  5,  1S50. 

Daniel  B.  Wilson3  has  owned  and  occupied  the  homestead  of  his 
father  since  his  death.  He  married,  April  25,  1827,  Adeline,  daughter  of 
Lyman  Doolittle. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elvira  J.,4  m.,  Nov.  25,  1846,  V.  Rollin,4 

Allen  M.  Hitchcock.  VI.  Emorett,4 

II.  John,4  VII.  Adelaide,4 

III.  Margaret,4  VIII.  Henry,4 

IV.  Jane,4  IX.  Isabel.4 


1793. 

Levi  Acklet,  from  Chatham,  owned  and  lived  on  a  farm  on  the  east 
side  of  Long  Lake,  now  owned  by  John  T.  Rockwell.  He  sold  out  to 
John  Westlake,  in  1807,  and  removed  to  Tyringham,  Mass.,  and  died 
there  November  10,  1817,  aged  52.  He  married  January  6,  1795,  Lois 
Alvord,  daughter  of  Eliphaz.     She  died  April  20,  1841,  aged  70. 

Jehiel  Ackley  Burr,  son  of  Jehiel  Burr  of  Torrington  and  adopted 
son  of  Levi  and  Lois  Ackley,  born  June  25,  1795,  and  died  November 
24,  1814. 

Epapiiroditus  Bligh  this  year  bought  a  lot  "  on  the  brow  of  Dish 
Mill  Hill,"  with  a  potashery,  tannery  and  dwelling  house  thereon,  supposed 
to  be  the  tannery  and  dwelling  on  Still  River  turnpike,  near  Daniel '  B. 
Wilson's,  now  owned  by  Frederick  Woodruff.  He  sold  out  to  Asher 
Loomis  in  1795. 

Israel  Douglass  this  year  bought  the  portion  of  West  Winsted  vil- 
lage lying  south  of  M.  and  C.  I.  Camp's  store  and  dwellings.  He  sold  to 
Isaac  Wheeler  in  1795,  and  bought  the  Nisus  Kinney  farm,  on  Spencer 
street,  and  lived  in  a  log  house  nearly  opposite  Amos  Pierce  until  after 
1804,  when  he  removed  to  Leyden,  Lewis  Co.,  N.  Y.     Wife  Ruth. 

children. 

I.  Ruth,  b.  Oct.  29,  1794.  III.  Anna,  b.  March  10,  1798. 

II.  Anselm,  b.  April  28,  1796.  IV.  Elizabeth,  b.  April  16,  1800. 

Benjamin  Whiting,  Jr.,  (see  his  father's  record  under  1779),  this  year 
bought  and  settled  on  the  farm  on  Colebrook  road  lately  owned  by  Silas 


320  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Hoskin.  He  lived  in  what  is  now  the  rear  part  of  Mr.  Hoskin's  house 
until  his  removal  to  Austinburg,  Ashtabula  Co.,  Ohio,  in  1811.  He  mar- 
ried, May  24,  1791,  Rebecca  Swift. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Myron,  b.  Jan.  3,  1795.  III.  Benjamin,  b.  Dec.  30,  1801. 

II.  Milo,      b.  Feb.  26,  1793.  IV.  Melissa,  b. 

Guernsey  Goff,  this  year  bought  a  lot  at  the  outlet  of  Long  Lake, 
on  which  the  Beardsley  saw-mill  stands,  which  he  sold  out  in  1794  to 
Ananias  Dearthick. 

Enoch  Goff,  from  Colchester,  this  year  bought  the  Deacon  Hurlbut 
farm  on  the  east  side  of  Long  Lake,  —  and  sold  out  to  Levi  Norton  in 
1796. 

William  Merriam,  a  joiner,  this  year  bought  the  farm  on  Wallen's 
hill,  now  owned  by  Florin  Parsons,  near  the  school  house,  on  which  he 
lived  until  1797,  when  be  sold  out  to  Samuel  and  Moses  Camp.  He 
married,  Aug.  8,  1793,  Lydia  Wright. 

CHILDREN. 

I.William,  b.  Sept  14,  1794. 

II.  Sally  Wright,  b.  Aug.  12,  1796. 

III.  Sopiironia,  b.  Aug.  26,  1798. 


Joseph  Mitchell,  a  wheelwright,  from  Chatham,  first  lived  on  the 
west  side  of  South  street,  a  little  south  of  the  Ebenezer  Rowley  house. 
About  1805  he  built  a  house,  recently  torn  down,  at  the  east  corner  of 
Main  and  Walnut  streets,  in  which  he  lived  until  his  death  April  2S, 
1847,  at  the  age  of  81.  No  record  is  preserved  of  his  family.  His  chil- 
dren, as  far  as  recollected,  were  Selden,  who  built  and  occupied  until  1822 
the  Sheldon  Kinney  h<5use,  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street,  and  died 
in  Granville,  Mass., —  Diademia,  wife  of  Henry  S.  Brown,  of  Winsted, — 
Hubbard,  who  died  in  Granville,  Mass., —  Muldah,  wife  of  Zenas  Cady, 
and  Cordelia,  wife  of  Harmon  Cady. 

Andrew  Pratt,  from  Saybrook,  this  year  bought  of  Martin  Hurlbut, 
his  subsequent  homestead  on  the  hill,  three  quarters  of  a  mile  southerly 
from  the  railroad  depot,  now  occupied  by  his  grand-son,  James  W.  Ward. 
He  was  a  very  shy,  retiring  man,  rarely  seen  away  from  his  farm,  who  ac- 
quired a  large  eslate  of  timber  land,  which  he  carefully  preserved  during 
his  life.  He  died  May  2,  1849,  aged  83.  His  wife  died  April  18,  1835, 
aged  G4.     He  married  March  7,  1796,  Sarah  Miller  of  Torrington. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  321 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,  b.  Oct.  7,  1797;  m.  Oct.  19,  1820,  Harry  Ward,  of  Torring- 

ton;  had  one  child,  James  W.  Ward,  of  Winsted;  she  d.  1858. 
II.  Phebe,  b.  Feb.  22,  1800;  d.  single. 

III.  Orrel,  b.  Dec.  18,  1802;  d.  single. 

IV.  Andrew,  b.  ;  d.  1810. 

V.  Newell,         b.  ;  m.  Esther  Ann  Barnes ;  and  lived  on 

part  of  his  father's  farm  until  1S50,  then  moved  to  Norfolk,  and  from 
there  to  Illinois. 


1794. 

Thomas  Boyd,  from  Amenia,  New  York,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this 
year.  He  married,  Jan.  1,  1794,  Huldah,  daughter  of  David  and  Huldah 
Mills,  born  Oct.  19,  1776.  He  soon  after  returned  to  Amenia,  New 
York,  where  he  died,  leaving  children,  —  one  of  whom,  a  son,  became  a 
resident  of  Alabama. 

Ananias  Dearthick,  a  Baptist  preacher,  this  year  bought  ten  acres 
of  land  on  which  now  stand  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  the  Win- 
sted Bank,  S.  W.  Coe's  store,  and  the  residences  of  Doctor  Welch,  Moses 
Camp,  and  Caleb  J.  Camp.  He  also  owned  the  Beardsley  saw-mill  site 
and  lands  adjoining  on  the  west,  and  lived  in  a  log  house  thereon.  He 
sold  out  before  1797  ;  in  which  year  he  is  named  of  Warren,  in  a  writ  be- 
fore Justice  Alvord. 

James  Frisbie  is  on  the  tax  list  of  Winsted  this  year,  with  ten  acres 
of  land  set  to  his  name,  of  which  the  records  say  nothing. 

Godfrey  Jones,  "of  Winchester,"  this  year  bought  land  on  the  hill 
road  to  Colebrook,  between  the  Everitt  C.  Holmes  and  the  Elihu  Rock- 
well farms,  which  he  sold  soon  after.  In  a  court  record  of  1 79 G,  he  is 
named  as  "  late  of  Hartland,  Conn.,  and  now  of  Burke,  in  the  State  of 
Vermont." 

Joel  Lucas  this  year  bought  the  Clothiers'  works,  dwelling  house  and 
the  land  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  street  from  the  top  of  the  hill  to  Lake 
street  bridge,  previously  owned  by  Daniel  Marshall,  which  he  sold  in 
1795.  His  name  is  on  the  tax  lists  of  1795  and  179G  ;  and  he  lived  in 
Sandisfield,  Mass.,  in  1797. 

Zacjieus  Munsill,  this  year  bought  of  Ananias  Dearthick,  the  land 

in  West  Winsted  on  which  stand  the  Second  Congregational  Church  and 

other  huildings.     In  1798,  he  built  and  occupied  the  old  house  recently 

torn  down  on  the  north  side  of  West   Lake  street,  opposite  the   Stabells 

41 


•322  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

brick  house.  He  conveyed  this  property  in  1801  to  Preserved  Cri?sey 
by  a  deed  in  which  he  is  named  "of  Westmoreland,  Oneida  County? 
N.  Y."  He  married,  December  10,  1796,  Lovisa,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Spencer. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Stephen,        b.  June  12,  1796. 
II.  Lucy,  b.  Oct.  27,  1800. 

William  A.  Stone,  "  of  Winchester,"  this  year  bought  thirteen  acres 
of  land  near  the  west  end  of  the  Everitt  Holmes  farm,  which  he  conveyed 
away  in  1795  by  deed,  in  which  he  is  named  of  Goshen. 

The  names  of  Daniel  Brown  and  Absalom  Griffin  are  on  the  tax 
list  of  this  year  as  residents  of  Winsted,  and  are  not  found  elsewhere. 

Timotiiy  Cannon's  name  is  on  the  list  of  1795.  His  wife  Lucy  was 
received  into  the  Church  in  1794  by  letter  from  Southwick,  Mass.  They 
probably  lived  on  South  street.  He  died  soon  after  1800.  They  had 
children,  Benjamin,  Nathaniel,  Elijah,  and  Tracy,  who  lived  in  Winsted 
after  1800. 

David  Collins  is  on  the  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident.  From  1797 
to  1799  he  owned  land  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  north  of  David  N. 
Beardsley,  adjoining  the  Everitt  Holmes  farm.  In  1799  he  is  named  of 
Colebrook. 

Samuel  Cummins,  and  his  wife  Margaret,  from  Torrington,  this  year 
bought  the  farm  on  Spencer  street  now  owned  by  Edward  Manchester, 
which  they  sold  to  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe  in  1796,  and  then  moved  out  of 
the  town. 

Josiaii  Curtis,  and  his  wife  Emma,  named  of  Sheffield,  Mass.,  this 
year  bought  a  house  and  land  on  the  west  side  of  South  street,  near  Tor- 
rington line,  which  they  conveyed  to  Ulysses  Fyler  in  1798. 

James  Eggleston,  and  Jemima,  his  wife,  this  year  bought  a  house 
and  lot  on  the  east  side  of  the  road,  north  of  David  N.  Beardsley,  which 
they  sold  in  17i'8,  to  Hine  Clemmons,  and  left  the  town. 

Horace  Higley,  from  Windsor,  this  year,  jointly  with  Daniel  Phelps, 
bought  the  Artemas  Rowley  farm,  south  of  the  burying  ground  in  the  old 
society.  In  1799,  he  bought  of  Isaac  Wheeler,  the  tavern  property  on 
Main  street,  south  of  Camp's  Block,  and  all  the  land  on  Main  street  from 
M.  &  C.  J.  Camp's  south  line  to  the  Clifton  Mill  Bridge,  and  including 
High,  Elm,  Center  and  Willow  streets,  most  of  which  was   then  a  forest, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  323 

without  an  inhabited  tenement  thereon.  The  tavern  buildings  were 
erected  the  year  before  in  anticipation  of  the  opening  of  the  Green 
Woods  Turnpike,  a  new  and  shorter  avenue  of  travel,  which  was  to  su- 
percede the  Old  North  road,  on  the  route  from  Hartford  to  Albany.  Mr. 
Higley  was  a  model  farmer  and  tavern  keeper  of  the  old  school.  His 
lands  were  thoroughly  cleared  and  skilfully  tilled.  No  tippler  ever 
haunted  his  bar-room.  His  table  lare  was  suited  to  the  taste  of  an  epi- 
cure ;  his  beds  were  ever  clean  and  well  aired ;  and  his  guests  found  him 
a  social,  dignified,  and  gentlemanly  host.  The  travel  on  the  new  road 
was  so  abundant  that  he  could  choose  his  guests ;  and  his  choice  of  cus- 
tomers gave  him  an  aristocratic  reputation,  which  was  by  no  means  les- 
sened by  a  sight  of  the  unchained  lion  on  his  sign-board,  indicative  of  his 
strong  federal  propensities.  He  was  a  public-spirited  and  influential  man 
in  the  community,  largely  employed  in  public  business,  —  was  Postmaster 
from  1806  to  1830,  and  six  times  a  representative  of  the  town  in  the 
General  Assembly.  In  1828,  he  retired  from  the  tavern,  and  built  and 
occupied  the  house  on  the  flat,  now  owned  by  A.  N.  Beach.  In  1838  he 
moved  to  Painesville,  O.,  where  he  died  Jan.  5, 1842,  aged  77.  His  wife 
d.  at  Painesville,  Aug.  17,  1849,  aged  82.  He  was  son  of  Nathan  and 
Anna  (Barret)  Higby,  of  Windsor,  was  b.  East  Windsor,  1765,  and  m. 
Eleanor  Looniis. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hoeace  Loomis,    b.  Windsor,  Dec.  29,  1794;  lived  at  Pensacola  and  Mo- 
bile; d.  Mobile,  Aug.  20,  1856,  leaving  a  family. 
II.  Homer,  b.  "Winchester,  Dec.  30,  1796;   m.  Amelia,  dau.  of  Ra- 

phael Marshall,  Tor. ;  moved  to  Painesville,  O.,  in  1829,  where  be  d.  in 
1862. 

III.  Peter,  b.  Feb.  10,  1802;  d.  Sept.  17,  1813. 

IV.  Marv,  b.  May  18,  1804;    d.  in  Painesville,  O.,  Aug.  10,  1841; 

unmarried. 
V.  Charles,  b.  Nov.  14,  1806  ;    d.  at  Satartia,  Miss.,  Aug.  19,  1835  ; 

unmarried. 

VI.  William,         .         b.  April  3,  1809 ;  m.  Sept.,  1831, ~  Beach  of  San- 

disficld,  Mass.;  d.  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  in  1863. 

Asher  Loomis,  a  tanner  and  shoemaker,  from  Windsor,  this  year 
bought  the  Widow  Hawley  place  on  Dishmill  Hill,  immediately  west  of 
Daniel  B.  Wilson's,  where  he  lived  until  about  1800,  after  which  he  lived 
on  South  street,  near  the  Salmon  Burr  place,  until  about  1808,  when  he 
returned  to  Windsor.  He  m.  in  1796,  Rosinda,  dau.  of  Deacon  Shubael 
Cook,  and  had  sons  and  daughters  born  in  this  town.  One  of  his  daugh- 
ters was  second  wife  of  Riley  Smith,  of  Winsted. 

Setii  Lucas,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  a  farm  now  compos- 
ing part  of  the  Gillett  and  Fosket  farms,  and  lived  in  a  house  now  torn 


324  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

down,  on  the  discontinued  road  north  of  Gillett's.     He  sold  out  to  Theo- 
dore Smith,  in  1803,  and  removed  to  Colebrook. 

Tutjman  Seymour,  from  Colebrook,  a  blacksmith,  came  from  Cole- 
brook  and  resided  in  Winsted  two  years,  —  after  which  he  lived  in 
Colebrook,  until  1807,  when  he  returned  to  Winsted  and  lived  in  the 
pambrel-roofed  house  on  Lake  street,  near  the  bridge,  until  1815,  when 
he  removed  to  Oneida  Co.,  N.  Y.  He  was  an  ingenious  mechanic,  and 
much  esteemed  for  his  social  qualities  and  obliging  disposition.  He  had 
a  large  family  of  children,  among  them  three  sons,  George,  Chauncey,  and 
Aiah,  and  three  daughters,  Ann,  Sophia,  and  Parnel.  There  were 
younger  children,  whose  names  are  not  remembered. 

Amos  Tollf.s,  from  Durham,  Green  Co.,  N.  Y.,  owned  the  farm  on 
Coe  street,  late  owned  by  Anson  Fosket,  and  buiit  the  house  thereon, 
in  which  he  lived  until  1837,  when  lie  went  to  live  with  a  son-in-law  and 
daughter  in  Barkhamsted.  He  d.  July  18,  1845,  aged  80.  His  wife  d. 
June  2,  1838,  aged  G4.  He  m.  Marian  Baldwin,  b.  Goshen,  Conn.,  INov. 
29, 1773,  dau.  of  Bruin  Baldwin. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hannah,  b.  about  1793;  m.  Daniel  Sage,  of  Colebrook. 

II.  Eli^ha,  b.  about  1794;    m.  Harriet  Frisbie ;  d.  at  Cincinnati,  July  13, 
1849. 

III.  Riley,  b.  1796;  d.  at  the  South,  unmarried. 

IV.  Lucia,  b.  1798;  m.  Amasa  Mallory,  Jr. ;   d.  Dec.  17,  1834. 
V.  Sylvia,  b.  m.  May,  1826,  William  S.  Boyd. 

VI.  Mary  Ann,   b.  m.  Amasa  Mallory,  Jr. 

CHILDREN    OF    ELISHA    AND    HARRIET    (FRISBIE)    TOLLES. 

I.  Helen  Maria,  b.  March,  1820;    m.  Augustus  B.  Clark,  of  New 

Britain. 
II.  Robert  Bruce. 

III.  Hiram  Frisbie. 

IV.  Mary  Augusta,  m.  May  16,  1830,  Elder  Miles  Grant. 
V.  Harriet  Frisbie. 

Elisha  Lewis,  from  Goshen,  this  year  built  a  gambrel-roofed  house, 
that  stood  on  the  site  of  Moses  Camp's  dwelling,  on  Main  street,  opposite 
Lake  street  bridge,  in  which,  in  company  with  Moses  Lyman  and  Elihu 
Lewis,  of  Goshen,  he  kept  a  store  until  1798,  when  he  returned  to 
Goshen. 

1796. 
Levi  Barnes,  from  Torrington,  owned  a  lot  with  a  house  and  barn 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  325 

thereon,  now  owned  by  Jonathan  Gilbert,  on  the  east  side  of  South  street, 
until  1799,  and  continued  to  reside  in  the  town  until  18U2. 

Jkhiel  Burr,  from  Torrington, -lived  first  on  the  east  side  of  South 
street,  below  Jonathan  Gilbert's,  and  afterwards  in  a  house  on  same  street, 
next  south  of  Whiting  J.  Miner's.  He  and  his  wife,  Mabel,  d.  about 
1800.     They  had  three  sons,  who  resided  in  the  town. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Erastus,     m.  Polly  West;  moved  to  Western  N.  Y.,  about  1812. 
II.  Roswell,   m.  Nancy  West;  moved  to  Ohio  about  1830. 
III.  Hclsey,      d.  in  Winsted,  Jan.  25,  18G1,  aged  71. 

Eli  Fox,  probably  from  Chatham,  this  year  bought  the  Roswell 
Pond  lot  on  North  Main  street,  and  became  a  pauper,  as  appears  by  a 
vote  of  the  town  in  1802,  directing  a  >-uit  to  be  brought  against  the  town 
of  Chatham  for  his  support. 

Levi  Fox  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year.  In  1797  he  boughL  the 
Halsey  Burr  place,  and  sold  it  the  following  year.  In  1798,  he  bought 
the  Roswell  Pond  place,  above  mentioned,  and  sold  it  in  1802. 

Doctor  Aaron  Moore  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident  of 
Winsted.  In  1802  he  bought  the  Roswell  Pond  lot,  and  during  his  re- 
maining life  resided  in  the  house  now  torn  down,  about  eight  rods  east  of 
the  road.  He  was  a  physician  of  some  note  in  his  day,  being  the  only 
practitioner  in  the  society  until  1810,  and  the  teacher  of  many  doctors 
who  have  recently  gone  off  the  stage,  among  whom  were  Doctors  Luman 
Wakefield,  and  T.  S.  Wefmore,  of  this  town,  lie  died  February  16, 
1S13,  aged  40,  of  pulrid  pleurisy,  which  prevailed  at  that  period.  The 
doctor  of  the  beginning  of  this  century  was  a  more  marked  personage 
than  his  successor  of  the  present  day.  Doctor  Moore,  mounted  on  his 
Narraganset  pacer,  with  his  capacious  saddle-bags  crammed  with  phy.-ic 
enough  to  doctor  a  cavalry  regiment,  hordes  and  riders,  projecting  beyond 
and  above  the  sides  of  the  animal,  making  a  safe  seat  for  the  rider,  with 
stirrups  so  shortened  as  to  bring  his  knees  to  a  right  angle,  was  a  sight 
next  in  solemnity  to  that  of  his  cotemporary,  Parson  Kinney,  with  his 
gaunt  six-and-aJaalf-foot  length  of  figure,  surmounted  with  a  cocked  hat 
and  white  flowing  wig.  He  married  Polly  Fyler,  sister  of  Ulysses.  She 
died  May  26,  1807. 

CIIILDREN. 
I.  Cullen,  '  drowned  in  Georgia ;  ivnm. 

II.  Erasmus  Darwin,       b.  September  30,  1802;  a  clergyman. 

III.  Osta  (daughter),  b.  March  12,  1805 ;  d.  Nov.  30,  1806. 

IV.  Jeremiah  Markham,  b.  May  9,  1806;  d.  Nov.  16,  1806. 


326  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Gideon  Hall  came  from  Litchfield  a  young  man,  and  had  charge  of  a 
store  near  Wallen's  Hill  school-house,  owned  by  Arthur  Emmons.  In 
1803  he  bought  the  Moses  M.  Camp  farm,  on  South  street,  and  there  re- 
sided until  1814,  when  he  bought  of  Benjamin  Wheeler  the  farm  at  the 
parting  of  South  street  from  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  which  he  occu- 
pied, with  an  interval  of  a  few  years  of  tavern  keeping  in  the  East  Village 
hotel,  until  his  death,  February  23,  1850,  aged  75.  He  was  a  shrewd, 
uncultivated  man  of  indomitable  energy,  but  without  system  or  method 
in  his  business  transactions.  He  was  largely  employed  in  public  affairs, 
and  in  settling  the  estates  of  insolvent  and  deceased  persons.  As  a  select- 
man he  managed  the  affairs  of  the  town  with  economy,  but  could  render 
no  intelligible  account  of  his  doings.  As  sheriff's  officer,  in  which  capacity 
he  acted  for  many  years,  his  success  was  wonderful  in  escaping  the  conse- 
quences of  his  bungling  mode  of  serving  and  returning  legal  process. 
As  a  politician,  he  could  pull  the  strings  and  manage  the  wires  of  a  can- 
vass with  great  adroitness.  As  a  neighbor  he  was  kind  and  useful  in  ways 
of  his  own.  His  religious  profession  was  zealous  and  sincere,  but  spas- 
modic. He  filled  a  large  place  in  the  doings  of  the  community,  worked 
hard  during  the  day,  and  spent  the  night  in  serving  writp,  canvassing 
votes,  and  attending  political  or  religious  meetings.  He  accumulated  a 
handsome  estate,  and  enjoyed  the  good  will  of  the  community.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1797,  Polly,  daughter  of  Samuel' Hayden,  Esq.  She  died  March 
16, 1830,  aged  53.  He  married  (2d),  October  4, 1835,  Lavinia,  daughter 
of  Daniel  White,  who  survives  him. 

CHILDREN   BT    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Samuel  Hayden,  b.  April  9,  1801  ;  cl.  October,  1820. 
II.  Abigail,  b.  Oct.  17,  1S04;  d.  Sept.  12,  1823. 

III.  Gideon*,  Jr.,  b.  May  1,  1808,  m.  Lydia  Foskett;   graduated  at  Litch- 

field Law  School  and  admitted  to  the  Litchfield  county  bar  1829.  He 
practised  law  with  success  in  Winstcd  until  18C6,  when  he  was  appointed 
a  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  Dec. 
8,  18G7.  He  was  representative  of  the  town  in  1838,  1846,  and  1854;  a 
state  senator  in  1847,  and  Judge  of  Probate  from  1839  to  1841,  and  from 
1S44  to  1848. 

IV.  William  Smith,  b.  June  26,  1817;  d.  Feb.,  1819. 

CHILD    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

V.  Jane  Catharine,  b.  Oct.  20,  1845;  m.  May  9,  1871,  Samuel  A.  Wctmore, 
of  New  Haven;  had  a  son,  b.  Sept.  18,  1872. 

Nathan  Rose,  when  a  child,  was  brought  away  from  Wyoming  to 
Woodbury  by  his  mother,  after  the  British  and  Indian  mnssacre,  cf  which 
his  father  was  a  victim.  He  came  from  Woodbury  to  Winsted  this  year, 
married  a  daughter  of  William  Davis,  lived  in  a  log  house  on  Pratt  street, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  327 

afterwards  owned  successively  by  Aaron  Marshall,  and  Joseph  Cook,  until 
his  removal  to  Bridge  water,  Herkimer  Co.,  N.  Y.,  in  1798. 

Samuel  Westlake,  an  iron  refiner  from  Orange  or  Rockland  Co., 
N.  Y.,  came  into  the  employ  of  Jenkins  &  Boyd  this  or  the  preceding 
year,  and  lived  in  a  house  long  since  torn  down,  which  stood  near  Timothy 
Hulbert's  office.  He  died  October  13,  1818,  aged  75.  His  wife  died 
June  7,  1815,  aged  G4. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah,  b.  March  31,  1770;  m. Timpson. 

II.  Mary,  b.  Dec.  17,  1777  ;  m. Blakcslce. 

III.  William,  b.  March  18,  1780. 

IV.  Samuel,  b.  March  24,  1782. 

V.  Abigail,  b.  Jan.  9,  1785;  m.  Andrew  Walter. 

VI.  John,  b.  April  26,  1787. 

VII.  Thomas,  b.  Nov.  20,  1789. 

VIII.  Nancy,  b.  March  12,  1792  ;  m.  Daniel  Albro. 

Saimuel  Westlake,  Jr.,  removed,  soon  after  his  first  marriage,  to 
Wolcottville,  where  he  died.  He  married  (1st)  Clarissa,  daughter  of 
Christopher  Whiting,  by  whom  he  had  a  daughter. 

"William  Westlake  resided  in  one  of  the  two  houses  recently  removed 
from  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  track  to  the  bank  of  Mad  River, 
near  the  pin  factory,  from  1809  to  the  time  of  his  death  on  January  7, 
1848,  and  worked  in  the  forge  of  James  Boyd,  opposite  the  Clark 
House.     He  married  Laura  Peet,  of  Sheffield,  Mass. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,  who  d.  young.  VI.  Laura  Ann,  m. Woodward. 

II.  George,  d.  unmarried.  VII.  James. 

III.  Fanny,  m.  Franklin  Wolcott.  VIII.  Jane,  m. Martin. 

IV.  Mary',  m.  Wm.  Barker.  IX.  Samuel,  d.  young. 

V.  William.  X.  Louisa. 

John  Westlake  came  into  the  town  with  his  father  and  was  esteemed 
the  best  iron  refiner  in  the  place.  He  first  lived  in  a  hou?e  adjoining  his 
brother  William's  residence,  near  the  pin  factory,  for  several  years.  About 
1831  he  bought  the  Philo  G.  Sheldon  place  on  Main  street,  where  he  lived 
until  his  removal  to  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1841.  Returning  to  Winsted  in  1848, 
he  soon  after  built  the  house  at  the  east  corner  of  High  and  Union  streets, 
where  he  lived  a  few  years,  and  then  moved  to  the  Old  Society  of  Win- 
chester, where  he  died  Nov.  9,  1860,  aged  74  years.  He  wras  a  kind- 
hearted  man,  of  genial  humor  and  unblemished  character,  respected  and 


328  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

loved  for  liis  many  virtues.     He  married,  in   1809,   Flora,  daughter  of 
Ebenezer  Rowley,  of  W. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Riley,  who  d.  unmarried.  III.  Florania,  m.  Lcm'l  Hurlbnt,  Jr. 

II.  Julia,  m.  Edwin  R.  White.  IV.  Amanda,  m.  Thomas  Senior. 

Thomas  Westlake  became  a  permanent  resident  of  Winsted  about 
1816.  He  first  lived  southward  of  the  pin  factory,and  afterward,  until 
his  death,  in  the  house  of  his  son-in-law,  Philo  G.  Sheldon,  on  Main 
street.     He  was  an  industrious,  well-informed  man,  and  good  citizen. 

He  married,  in  181 6,  Sophia  Goodwin  of  New  Hartford.  He  died 
July  11,  1858,  aged  G8  years.     She  died  June  11,  1864,  aged  69.  . 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Matilda,         b.  January  1,  1817;  m.  August  18,  1835,  Philo  G.  Sheldon. 
II.  Rltii,  b.  November  20,  1825  ;  m.  October  22,  1845,  Upson  Bunnell. 

III.  Horace,  b.  February  9,  1828;  m.  at  Hillsdale,  N.  Y.,  in  April,  1851, 

Henrietta  Foster.     He  was  licensed  as  a  physician  in  1850,  and  has  since 
practised  at  Hillsdale  to  the  present  time. 

Randall  Shattuck  "of  Middletown,"  owned  a  dish  mill  near 
Meadow  street  bridge,  on  the  lake  stream,  from  1797  to  1S03.  He  is 
said  to  have  lived  in  a  log  house  on  the  site  of  the  Beardsley  House. 
He  removed  to  Torrington  in  1803,  and  had  a  son,  Randall  Shattuck, 
Jr.,  who  is  now  living. 

Oliver  White  is  on  the  tax  list  of  Winsted  for  1796  and  1797, 
and  lived  in  the  Lazarus  Palmer  house,  near  the  Wallen's  Hill  school- 
house,  wrhence  he  moved  over  the  line  into  Barkhamsted,  and  thence  to 
Dyberry,  Wayne  Co.,  Penn.,  where  he  died  about  1855,  aged  82.  He 
manied  Lucy  Wood. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Oliver,     b.  November  12,  1796. 
II.  Ralph,       b.  1S03  ;  d.  December  27,  1809. 

III.  Daniel. 

IV.  Lucy,         m.  Halscy  Burr. 
V.  Charlotte. 

VI.  Maria,        m.  November  25,  1838,  Alonzo  R.  Bishop. 
VII.  Rietta,      m.  March  8,  1S37,  William  Weaver. 
VIII.  Eliza,         m.  Jonas  Stanton. 

Oliver  White,  Jr.,  as  early  as  1825  began  to  manufacture  farming 
implements,  between  the  Clock  Factory  and  the  Cook  Axle  Factory, 
on  the  road  east  of  Still  River,  where  he  still  resides.  He  married, 
July  6,  1817,  Pamelia  Bacon  of  Barkhamsted. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  329 


CHILDREN. 

I.  James,  b.  April  9,  1S18;  m.  Charlotte  Greene. 

II.  Luman,  '  b.  July  19,  1819;  m.  Sarepta  Reynolds. 

III.  Orrin  Washington,  b.  April  5,  1821  ;  a  clergyman. 

IV.  Wilson  B.,  b.  January  24,  1823  ;  m.  Harriet  Leach. 

V.  George,  b.  June  4,  1825;  representative  in  1861;  m.  Ellen 

M.  Kelsey ;  she  d.  December  24,  1864,  and  he  m.  (2d)  Mrs.  Emily  M. 
Putnam. 
VI.  Julia  A.,  b.  May  29,  1827 ;  m.  Charles  H.  Wattles. 

VII.  Aurelia  A.,  b.  July  18,  1830;  m.  Grove  Stannard. 

VIII.  Susan  P.,  b.  May  11,  1832;  m.  Hiram  J.  Norton. 


1796. 

Asaiiel  Miller  from  Torrington,  owned  and  lived  from  1797  to 
about  1810  on  the  farm  lately  owned  by  Anson  Fosket,  on  the  old  hill 
road  to  Colebrook,  in  a  house  that  stood  nearly  opposite  that  of  D.  N. 
Beardsley.  About  1811,  he  built  the  house  on  the  easterly  side  of 
Main  street,  next  above  the  Dudley  Tannery,  and  in  company  with 
James  Shepard  built  the  original  tannery  at  that  point.  In  1815  he  sold 
out  to  Abiel  Loomis,  and  removed  to  Tyringham,  Mass.  He  was  a 
carpenter ;  an  intelligent,  industrious  man,  and  much  respected.  He  was 
born  at  Torrington,  October  24,  1760,  son  of  George  and  Sarah  Miller. 
Married,  October  26,  1788,  Lovina,  daughter  of  Ensign  Jonathan  Coe  of 
Winchester.     They  died  in  Erie,  Penn. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joel,  b.  Tor.,  June  26,  1790.         V.  Willard. 

II.  Lucia,  m.  Silas  Burton.  VI.  Kirby. 

III.  Laura,  m.  John  W.  Sweet.  VII.  Sarah. 

IV.  Arvin. 

Joel  Miller,  oldest  son  of  Asahel,  an  ingenious  mechanic  and 
deeply  religious  man,  married  a  daughter  of  Grove  Pinney  of  Colebrook, 
and  resided  in  Wins  led,  dying  childless  before  middle  life. 

Timothy  and  William  Soper,  father  and  son,  from  Windsor,  lived 
from  1797  to  1800,  on  the  Roswell  Smith  farm,  on  Wallen's  Hill,  and 
returned  to  Windsor. 

Daniel  Wilcox  from  Berlin,  this  year  bought  the  clothier's  shop 

and  fulling  mill  on  Lake  street,  and  lived  in  the  "  Old  Factory  house," 

at  the  easterly  corner  of  Lake  and  Rockwell  streets,  until  1813,  when  he 

sold  out  to  S.  Rockwell  &  Brothers,  and  removed  to  Great  Barrington, 

42 


330  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Mass.     He   was-  a  man  of  iron   constitution,  energetic,  social   and  hos- 
pitable.    He  married,  September  7,  1797,  Mehitabel  Wright. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Patty,  b.  August  31,  1799  ;  m.  —  Beckwith  of  Great  Barrington. 

II.  Maurice,  b.  May  15,  1801. 

III.  Mercy,  b.  June  29,  1803. 

IV.  Emily,  b.  December  11,  1805. 
V.Juliette,  b.  April  30,  1808.      ■ 

Frederick  Eggleston  from  Colebrook  is  on  the  list  of  this  year. 
In  1799  he  bought  the  house  that  stood  on  the  site  of  George  Dudley's 
dwelling  on  Main  street,  which  he  sold  in  1801  to  David  West,  and  then 
returned  to  Colebrook.  He  again  lived  in  Winsted  from  1810  to  1814, 
working  for  S.  &  M.  Rockwell  as  a  blacksmith,  after  which  he  returned 
to  Colebrook. 

Samuel  and  Moses  Camp,  sons  of  Moses  Camp  of  Norfolk,  and 
grandsons  of  Abraham  Camp  of  New  Milford,  this  year  bought  the 
Florin  Parsons  farm,  near  the  Wallen's  Hill  schoolhouse,  where  they 
carried  on  the  hatter's  trade  until  1804,  when  they  bought  the  Stephen 
Knowlton  farm  on  south  street,  next  south  of  the  Ebenezer  Rowley 
farm,  and  lived  in  a  house,  now  torn  down,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
road. 

Samuel  Camp  continued  his  residence  here  until  his  removal  in  1824, 
to  the  farm  now  owned  by  Hiram  Burnham,  in  Barkhamsted,  where  he 
died  May  10,  1850,  aged  77,  a  pious  and  highly  respected  man.  He 
was  born  in  Norfolk,  March  4,  1773  ;  married  July  10,  1799,  Mercy 
Sheldon  of  New  Marlboro,  Mass.     She  died  August  21,  1854. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Samuel    Sheldon,  b.  December   13,    1800;    m.   Elizabeth,  daughter  of 

Amasa  Mallory. 
II.  Moses,  b.  October  5,  1803;  m.  Miranda  Goodwin  of  Goshen.  She  died 
April  7,  1865,  aged  57  years,  s.  p.  He  m.  (2d)  February  12,  1867, 
Amelia  S.  Humphrey  of  Guilford,  N.  Y.  He  has  been  town  clerk, 
representative  in  general  assembly,  and  president  of  the  Winsted 
Savings  Bank. 
III.  Electa,  b.  November  27,  1806;  m.  April  28,  1831,  George  Dudley,  b. 
Bloomfieid,  September  17,  1803,  son  of  Levi  and  Abigail  (Hitchcock) 
Dudley.  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  bookbinders'  leather;  president  of 
the  "Winsted  Bank  for  many  years ;  postmaster,  state  senator,  and 
presidential  elector,  at  General  Grant's  election. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Jane  Mehitabel,  b.  June  28,  1833  ;  d.  October  6,  1851. 

2.  Emily  Sheldon,  b.  July  17,  1838. 

3.  Mary  Beach,        b.  May  21,  1840. 


AND  FAMILY  EECORDS.  331 

4.  Alice  Mercy,       b.  April  6,  1842;  m.  June  11,   1868,  Theodore 

F.  Vaill,  editor  of  The    Winsted  Herald,  and  Adjutant  of  the 
Second  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery. 

5.  George,  b.  July  1,  1844. 

IV.  Edward,  b.  April  25,  1809;  m.  September  29,  1831,  Maria  Norton,  daugh- 
ter of  Deacon  Lewis  M.  Norton  of  Goshen  ;  she  d.  October  6,  1848,  and 
he  m.  (2d)  December  18,  1850,  Desiah  Knapp,  daughter  of  Bushnell 
Knapp  of  Norfolk;  she  d.  November  29,  1856,  s.  p.,  and  he  m.  (3d) 
January  20,  1858,  Louisa  A.  Williams  of  Natick,  R.  I.  He  represented 
the  town  of  Barkhamsted  in  1848  ;  has  been  selectman  of  Winchester, 
and  burgess  of  the  Borough  of  Winsted  ;  has  one  child,  Frances  Maria, 
b.  July  28,  1844. 
V.  Beulah,  b.  June  20,  1811  ;  m.  September  29,  1845,  George  Kellogg. 
VI.  Mehitabel,  b.  May  9,  1813;  m.  October  22,  1840,  George  Kellogg;  she 
died  at  Columbus,  O.,  June  13,  1842. 
VII.  Caleb  Jackson,  b.  June  12,  1815;  m.  May  22,  1839,  Mary,  daughter 
of  Rev.  James  Beach ;  was  associated  with  his  brothers,  though,  being  a 
minor,  his  name  did  not  appear  in  the  mercantile  firm  of  M.  &  E.  Camp, 
organized  March  1,  1835 ;  in  the  firm  of  M.  &  C.  J.  Camp,  which  suc- 
ceeded it,  March  1,  1839,  and  that  of  M.  &.  C.  J.  Camp  and  Co.,  formed 
March  1,  1854,  he  has  long  been  the  principal  manager. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Mary  Mehitabel,   b.  March  4,  1842;  m.  October  23,  1866,  Her- 

man E.  Curtis  of  N.  Y. ;  settled  in  Winona,  Minnesota,  where 
her  son,  Clinton  James,  was  born  August  21,  1870. 

2.  Augusta,  b.  April  3,  1845;  m.  October  17,   1871,  Franklin  A. 

Rising  of  N.  Y. 

3.  James  Beach,  b.  October  15, 1846;  d.  November  13,  1849. 

4.  Anna  Beach,    b.  August  2,  1850;  d.  March  24,  1852. 

5.  Ellen  Baldwin,  b.  August  16,  1855. 


Moses  Camp,  Sr.,  in  1814,  bought  the  farm  on  the  South  street,  now 
owned  and  occupied  by  his  son,  Moses  M.  Camp,  where  he  died  March 
6,  1852,  aged  78.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  mind  and  decided  principles, 
highly  esteemed  and  respected.  He  married  Deidamia  Knowlton,  daugh- 
ter of  Stephen. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,  the  able  and  efficient  manager  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany from  May,  1835,  till  his  death  Aug.  16,  1862,  aged  56  years.  He 
was  Representative,  Selectman,  and  Judge  of  Probate.  He  m.  Ursula 
Whiting,  who  d.  s.  p. ;  and  he  m.  (2d),  Julia  Root;  had 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Julia,  d.  4.  Alice. 

2.  Electa,  d.  Jan.  16, 1866,  aged  17.      5.  Lewis  L. 

3.  John  K.  6.     William. 
II.  Harriet,             m.  Henry  Dutton  of  New  Hartford. 

III.  Mary,  m.  Sept.  4,  1833,  Elijah  B.  White. 

IV.  Adeline,  m.  James  J.  Preston. 


332  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

V.  Gooploe  H.,  m.  Tuttle. 

VI.  Moses  M.,  m.  Worthington. 

VII.  Emeline,  m.  Lewis  E.  Loomis. 

VIII.  George  G.,         m.  Sept.  19,  1850,  Sarah  A.  Hart. 


Aaron  Marshall,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  a  farm,  with  a 
log  house  thereon,  on  the  east  side  of  Pratt  street,  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  south  of  the  depot.  He  died  Sept.  7,  1807,  aged  74,  leaving  two  in- 
competent daughters,  Chloe  and  Asenath,  both  of  them  now  deceased  and 
unmarried. 

Daniel  White  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident.  He  after- 
ward lived  for  many  years  over  the  Barkham stead  line  on  Wallen's  hill, 
where  he  raised  a  family  of  children.  In  his  latter  years,  he  resided  with 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Hall,  where  he  died  Dec.  28,  1859,  aged  85.  His 
wife,  Clarissa  (Cleveland),  died  June  12,  1822,  aged  40. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Emily,  b.  Feb.  9,  1801 ;  m.  Hezekiah  G.  Butler. 

II.  Lavinia,  b.  Aug.  20,  1 803  ;  m.  Gideon  Hall  of  Winsted. 

III.  Mart  Cleveland,  b.  Jan.  31,  1805  ;  m.  Edward  A.  Pugg. 

IV.  Harriet,  b.  Jan.  28,  1807  ;  m.  Oren  Kellogg. 

V.  Horace  Cleveland,  b.  Feb.  22,  1809 ;  m.  Susan  A.  Wolcott. 
VI.  Urania  Clarissa,      b.  July  20,  1811;    d.  near  Lake  Superior,  Aug.  5, 
1839. 
VII.  Philenda  Miller,     b.  June  11,  1814;  m.  Elizur  G.  Perry. 
VIII.  Jennett,  b.  April  6,  1816  ;  d.  July  26,  1816. 

IX.  Pembroke,  b.  Sept.  18,  1819;  went  to  Iowa.     See  Allyn  S.  Kel- 

logg's  White  Memorials,  p.  179. 


1798. 

Merritt  Bull,  came  from  Harwinton  to  Winsted  and  served  his  ap- 
prenticeship as  a  scythe  maker.  He  is  first  on  the  tax  list  as  an  inhabi- 
tant this  year.  He  first  lived  in  the  house  on  Spencer  street,  now  owned 
by  Sarah  Loomis,  and  carried  on  blacksmithing  in  a  shop  that  then  stood 
on  the  house  lot  of  Samuel  W.  Coe.  In  1802  or  1803,  he  built  a  scythe 
hop  where  the  stone  shop  of  the  Winsted  Hoe  Company  now  stands,  on 
Meadow  street,  which  he  carried  on  until  his  death.  In  1809  he  bought, 
and  thereafter  occupied,  the  gambrel-roofed  house  which  stood  on  the  site 
of  Moses  Camp's  dwelling,  opposite  Lake  street.  He  was  instantly  killed 
by  falling  among  the  gears  of  his  grinding  works,  May  28,  1824,  at  the 
age  of  49.  He  was  an  amiable  and  industrious  man,  who  failed  of  success 
in  business  by  attempting  more   than  he  could  accomplish.     He  repre- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  333 

sented  the  town  in  the  General  Assembly  of  1827.  He  married,  Nov. 
26,  1801,  Hannah,  daughter  of  Aaron  Cook,  of  Winchester;  born  Jan- 
uary 20,  1775. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Eliza  Mieiam,  b.  Sept.  20,  1802. 

II.  Nelson,  b.  Feb.  6,  1804 ;  d.  April  17,  1817. 

III.  Sidney,  b.    "     18,  1806. 

IV.  Trumbull,  b.  Dec.  2,  1807. 
V.  Henry  Bogue,  b.  Feb.  2,  1810. 

VI.  Wolcott,  b.  Nov.  2,  1812  ;  d.  May  7,  1815. 

VII.  Delia,  b.  May  29,  1815. 

Cyrus  Butrick,  a  blacksmith,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year  as  a 
resident  of  Winsted.  In  1801  he  bought  the  house  that  stood  where 
Lake  street  now  runs,  at  the  turning  of  the  hill  a  little  east  of  the  works 
of  the  Henry  Spriug  Company,  and  worked  in  a  shop  that  stood  on  the 
west  side  of  Lake  street,  opposite  the  old  mill  house.  In  1803  he  re- 
moved to  the  old  hill  road  to  Colebrook,  above  the  D.  N.  Beardsley 
place.  He  left  the  town  about  1805.  He  married,  Oct.  18,  1798, 
Phebe,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Sweet. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Polly,  b.  Dec.  16,  1799.  II.  Phebe,  b.  Feb.  21,  1802. 

Joseph  Cook,  son  of  Aaron  and  Lydia,  and  a  native  of  the  town,  is 
on  the  list  of  this  year  as  a  resident  of  the  Old  Society.  In  1809  he 
bought  the  Aaron  Marshall  place,  on  the  Pratt  road,  where  he  afterward 
dwelt  until  his  death  Oct.  11,  1814,  aged  39.  He  left  a  son  and  two 
daughters.  One  of  the  latter  is  wife  of  Allen  Roberts,  of  this  town.  He 
married,  July  — ,  1803,  Amelia  Davis,  who,  after  his  death,  married  Syl- 
vester Roberts. 

Jonathan  Douglass,  brother  of  Israel,  owned  from  1798  to  1801,  a 
part  of  the  Kinney  farm,  on  Spencer  street  road,  and  lived  on  the  west 
side  of  the  road,  not  far  from  Amos  Pierce's  residence. 

Capt.  George  Frasier,  a  Scotchman,  is  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year 
as  a  resident  of  Winsted.  He  was  a  trader  near  the  Wallen's  Hill 
school-house  for  a  few  years,  and  probably  for  the  most  part  resided  over 
the  line  in  Barkhamsted. 

Levi  Norton,  2d,  from  Norfolk,  lived  in  the  northernmost  of  the  two 
contiguous  houses  recently  owned  by  Halsey  Burr,  deceased,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  old  Still  River  turnpike  until  after  1817.     In   1822,  he  is 


334  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

named  "  of  Hartland,"  in  a  deed  on  record.  His  wife  was  Rhoda, 
daughter  of  Enoch  Palmer ;  the  land  records  give  the  names  of  five  of 
their  children,  viz : 

CHILDREN. 

Eden,  of  Benson,  Vt.,  in  1822.  Fanny,  wife  of  Asa  Mallory. 

Isaac  A.,  of  Cornwall,  in  1821.  Jemima, 

Solomon. 

Elihu  Rockwell,  youngest  son  of  Joseph,  and  descended  in  the  fifth 
generation  from  Deacon  William  Rockwell,  a  first  planter  of  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  and  Windsor,  Conn.,  came  this  year  from  Torrington  to  Winsted, 
and  purchased  from  his  father-in-law,  John  Allen,  the  farm  on  Spencer 
street  recently  successively  owned  by  Nisus  Kinney  and  Luther  G.  Hins- 
dale. He  lived  on  this  farm  until  his  removal  to  Euclid,  Cuyahoga  Co., 
Ohio,  in  1825.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  character  and  influence,  enter- 
taining political  and  religious  sentiments  not  in  harmony  with  those  of  his 
Puritan  ancestors.  No  record  is  found  of  his  family.  His  daughter, 
Lydia,  by  his  first  wife,  married  Clarke  H.  Roberts,  late  of  Colebrook, 
deceased.  He  also  had  by  his  second  wife  a  son  and  daughter  who  re- 
moved with  him  to  Ohio. 

Reuben  Rowley,  oldest  son  of  Ebenezer,  and  a  native  of  the  town,  is 
on  the  list  of  this  year.  In  1801  he  became  owner  of  the  portion  of  the 
East  Village  bordered  by  the  Holabird  property  on  the  north,  Still  river 
east,  Main  street  south,  and  Oak  street  west,  which  he  exchanged  in  1802 
for  a  farm  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  town,  recently  owned  by  Joel 
Mead,  now  deceased,  on  which  he  lived  until  his  removal  to  Hitchcockville 
in  1847,  where  he  died  May  2,  1851,  aged  74. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Orpha,  m.,  Oct.  23,  1823,  Isaac  Brown  ;  she  d.  Sept.  26,  1827,  aged  23. 
II.  Sophronia,  m.,  Aug.  29,  1832,  Allen  Bacon;  she  d.  ahout  1855. 
III.  Gad. 

Joel  Wright  lived  on  the  road  to  Colebrook  above  David  N.  Beards- 
ley's  until  his  death,  March  16,  1813.  He  was  a  hard-working,  faithful 
man,  much  employed  as  a  farm  laborer  and  teamster.  His  wife  died  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1813,  aged  40.  They  had  children,  Sally,  Joel,  Flora,  and 
Artemas.     Flora  married,  February  7,  1821,  Alexander  Baldwin. 

Joseph  Holmes,  brother  of  David,  named  in  1786,  while  living  in 
Torrington,  owned  land  in  this  society  as  early  as  1796,  but  his  name  first 
appeai-s  on  the  li^t  as  a  resident  in  1798.  He  owned  and  occupied  the 
farm  on  the  Spencer  street  road,  near  Colebrook  line,  afterward  occupied 
by  his  6on  Willard,  and  now  by  Everett  E.  Holmes,  son  of  Willard.     He 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  335 

represented  the  town  in  six  sessions  of  the  Assembly  between  1807  and 
1815,  and  was  in  all  respects  an  exemplary  man  and  citizen.  He  died 
September  1,  1826,  aged  68.  His  wife  died  October  31,  1820,  aged  68. 
He  married,  at  Torringtou,  Conn.,  .Sept.  9,  1788,  Lydia  Curtis,  born  in 
Torringtou,  Dec.  29,  1751. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  David,  b.  April  27,  1779 ;  d.  at  the  age  of  9  years. 

II.  Rufus,  b.  April  29,  1781. 

III.  Jekusha,  b.  April  25, 1783;  m.  Jan.  27, 1807,  Henry  Bass,  of  Colebrook. 

IV.  Roxana,  b.  Sept.  21,  1785 ;  m.  David  Collins,  Blanford,  Mass. 
V.  Phebe,  b.  1787;  m.  Daniel  Deming,  Colebrook. 

VI.  Polly,  b.  d.  aged  2£  years. 

VII.  Willard,       b.  Nov.  14,  1792. 

Rufus  Holmes,  second  son  of  Joseph,  lived  after  his  first  marriage  in 
Colebrook,  adjoining  Winchester  line,  until  1850,  when  he  bought  of 
Henry  E.  Rockwell  the  Seminary  building  near  High  street  in  Winsted, 
in  which  he  and  his  son,  Lucius  L.,  afterwards  resided  until  their  death. 
He  was  a  thrifty  farmer,  an  upright,  public-spirited,  and  highly  respected 
man,  and  a  sincere  Christian.  He  married  (1st),  Esther  Eno,  of  Cole- 
brook. She  died  August  18,  1831.  He  married  (2d),  July  1,  1835,  Be- 
linda, daughter  of  Nathan  Bass,  of  Colebrook.  He  died  Juue  26,  1855, 
aged  74  years.     She  died  October  6,  1855,  aged  60. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.  Lucius  Lorenzo,  b.  Colebrook,  Nov.  7,  1811 ;   m.,  March  20,  1833,  Mary 
A.  Gaylord,  b.  Nov.  7,  1810.     He  d.  at  Winsted  May  14,  1854.     She  d. 
at  Winsted  Nov.  26,  1854. 
II.  Susan  Jennett,  b.  Colebrook,  Dec.  6,  1816;  m.  Rollin  S.  Beecher. 

CHILD    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Rufus  (Edward),  b.  Colebrook,  May  4,  1857.  He  m.,  Dec.  24, 1857,  Lucy, 
daughter  of  Nelson  D.  Coe,  b.  Winchester,  Nov.  18, 1834.  He  was  cashier 
of  the  Hurlbut  bank  from  June  3,  1857,  to  Dec.  7,  1863;  cashier  of  the 
Winsted  bank  from  Dec.  7,  1863  to  Aug.  27,  1864;  and  president  of  the 
Hurlbut  bank  from  the  last  date  to  the  present  time.  Children:  1.  Anna 
Louisa,  b.  Sept.  17,  1860;  2.  Susan  Beecher,  b.  Oct.  27,  1862;  3.  Rufus, 
b.  April  4,  1865,  d.  March  16,  1866  ;  4.  Edward  Rufus,  b.  March  7,  1867; 
5.  Ralph  Winthrop,  b.  Oct.  6,  1869. 


CHILDREN    OF    LUCIUS    L.    AND    MARY    G.    HOLMES. 

I.  An  infant  b.  Jan.,  1834  ;  d.  Feb.,  1854. 

II.  Susan  Jane,  b.  Colebrook,  March  26,  1835;   m.  Dec.  10,  1854,  Edward 
Clarke,  b.  Winsted. 

III.  Lucius  Lorenzo,  b.  April  12,  1840;  m.,  Dec.  25,  1861. 

IV.  Charles  Beecher,  b.  Jan.  25,  1846  ;  m.  Abby,  daughter  of  Amos.  Pierce. 


336  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Willard  Holmes,  youngest  child  of  Joseph  and  Lydia  (Curtis) 
Holmes,  resided  from  birth  to  death  in  his  father's  homestead.  On  the 
night  of  Feb.  22,  1857,  he  was  awakened  by  finding  his  house  in  flames. 
He  and  his  wife,  the  sole  occcupants,  having  escaped  to  the  open  air,  he 
re-entered  the  burning  building  to  secure  his  papers  and  valuables,  when 
suffocation  ensued,  and  he  was  burned  in  the  ruins.  He  was  a  well- 
educated,  thoughtful  man,  of  strong  convictions  and  independent  actions ; 
a  friend  of  the  slave,  the  opponent  of  every  wrong,  and  a  humble  Christian. 
He  married  at  Norfolk,  Oct.,  1819,  Miranda,  daughter  of  David  and  Mary 
(Everett)  Frisbie. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Luther  Willard,  b.  Sept.,  1820;   m. 

II.  Everett  Curtis,    b.  April  28,  1821  ;  in.,  Nov.  1,  1848,  Laura  Pease,  b. 

April  22,  1824. 

III.  Lydia,  b.  1823 ;  d.  August,  1833. 

IV.  Mary  Melissa,       b. 

CHILDREN  OF  EVERETT  C.  AND  LAURA  (PEASE)  HOLMES. 

I.  Edward  E.,  b.  Dec.  27,  1849. 

II.  Elizabeth  S.,  b.  Sept.  1,  1852,  adopted  Nov.  1,  1854. 

III.  Willard  P.,  b.  Aug.  22,  1857. 

IV.  Lumas  H.,  b.  Nov.  4,  1864. 
V.  Mary  Isabel,  b.  July  25,  1867. 


1799. 

Isaac  and  Mary  Bellows  owned  land  on  the  Colebrook  road,  and 
lived  above  D.  N.  Beardsley's.  They  sold  out  in  1800,  —  and  afterwards 
lived  until  1814,  on  Colebrook  line  on  the  site  of  the  house  recently 
built  by  Birdsey  Gibbs. 

Roswell  Marshall,  from  Torrington,  this  year  lived  in  the  De- 
Wolf  house  on  the  west  side  of  Colebrook  road,  adjoining  Colebrook 
line,  above  the  house  of  W.  E.  Cowles.  He  removed,  in  1800,  to  his 
adjoining  farm  in  Colebrook. 

Charles  Osborn  is  on  the  Winsted  list  of  this  year,  and  owned  land 
west  of  the  D.  N.  Beardsley  road,  near  Colebrook  line.  Charles  and 
William  owned  land  on  east  side  of  Green  Woods  Turnpike,  opposite 
the  Uri  Church  bridge,  from  1801  to  1805,  and  probably  occupied  the 
house  thereon,  which  has  been  recently  torn  down. 

Nathaniel  Parks,  probably  from  Bristol,  this  year  lived  in  a  "  pest 
house  "  that  stood  on  East  Lake  street,  near  the  great  spring.  He  after- 
wards  owned  and  lived  on  land  on   the  Still  River  Turnpike,  south  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  337 

Roswell  Pond's,  which  he  conveyed  to  the  town  of  Bristol  in  1801.  He 
was  a  miller,  and  had  charge  of  the  Doolittle  Mill,  opposite  the  Clock 
Factory.  His  wife  was  a  woman  of  weight,  who  pressed  her  cheese  by 
sitting  on  the  driver  of  the  hoop  while  knitting  her  stockings,  thereby 
dispensing  with  a  cheese  press.  Their  son,  Jonathan,  became  a  showman 
of  pictures,  through  a  magnifying  glass;  —  and  when  moving  from  house 
to  house,  with  his  show  box  on  his  bark,  appeared  as  majestic  as  a  cas- 
tellated elephant.  His  drawling,  snuffling,  yankee  twang,  in  describing 
his  pictorial  views,  was  inimitably  and  irresistibly  ludicrous.  He  outgrew 
his  maternal  fatness,  and  became  a  Daniel  Lambert.  While  on  a  visit 
here,  about  1812,  his  pants  were  surreptitiously  obtained  from  a  tailor, 
with  whom  he  had  left  them  to  be  mended ;  and  three  full  grown  men 
invested  themselves  within  their  ample  fold?,  adjusting  their  right  and 
left  legs  in  the  corresponding  legs  of  the  garment  —  and  after  some  prac- 
tice in  the  lock  step,  were  able  to  march  around  the  east  village  green,  to 
the  great  entertainment  of  the  public.  The  fit  of  the  garment,  however, 
to  the  triple  nondescript,  was  not  perfect,  —  there  being  room  within  the 
girth  for  another  legless  body. 

Jonathan  was  self-important,  and  affected  sanctimony.  He  gave  up 
the  show  business,  and  took  to  distributing  tracts  and  bejrain"-  for  cinder- 
bread  and  other  sweet  food,  —  was  advertised  as  an  impostor,  and  died  in 
a  poor  house.     Byron  may  have  had  his  epitaph  in  view  when  he  wrote, 

"  'Tis  Greece,  but  living  Greece  no  more." 

Tiieodore  Smith,  from  Goshen,  first  lived  on  Brooks  street,  in  the 
Danbury  quarter,  south  of,  and  adjoining  the  Asaph  Brooks  farm.  In 
1803,  he  removed  to  Winsted,  and  lived  until  1815,  in  the  house  now 
torn  down  on  the  discontinued  part  of  the  old  Colebrook  road,  between 
Junius  Gillett,  and  Anson  Fosket's.  He  removed  thence  to  Tolland, 
Mass.  He  was  son  of  Chileab,  of  Goshen,  and  half-brother  of  Capt. 
Zebina,  of  "Winsted.  His  wife's  name  was  Rhoda.  They  had  sons, 
Erastus,  late  of  Colebrook ;  Riley,  who  cl.  June  4,  18G5,  in  Winsted,  on 
the  Old  Country  road,  west  of  Daniel  B.  Wilson's,  leaving  two  sons,  who 
live  at  Riverton.  Roswell  living  on  Wallen's  Hill,  and  Lorrain  living 
over  the  line  in  Barkhamsted. 

Henry  Sanford,  from  Barkhamsted,  lived  first  on  South  street,  and 
after  1801,  in  a  log  house  on  Hinsdale  street,  on  land  lately  owned  by 
Nathan  Champion.  He  left  the  town  about  1805.  His  son,  William 
Sanford,  kept  the  Tavern  and  Livery  Stable,  south  of  Camp's  Block,  for 
several  years  before  his  death,  which  occurred  Jan.  20,  1859,  at  the  age 
of  53  years.  He  m.  (1st)  Sophronia,  dan.  of  Stephen  Fyler,  who  d.  May 
7,1832,  aged  32;  (2d),  Harriet  Wade,  now  living.  By  first  wife  he 
43 


338  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

had  daughter,  Jane,  now  wife  of  George  M.   Wentworth.     By  second 
wife,  he  had  a  son,  William. 

1800. 

The  new  comers  of  this  year  were  Bissell  Hinsdale,  Philemon  Kirk- 
ham,  Josiah  Apley,  Elijah  Benedict,  Nathaniel  Smith,  Solomon  Lemley, 
Jacob  Lemley,  William  Davis,  and  Gedeliah  Chase. 

Bissell  Hinsdale,  a  native  of  Windsor,  began  mercantile  business 
on  the  old  North  Country  road  in  Colebrook,  near  the  Rowley  Pond, 
whence  he  this  year  removed  to  Winsted,  and  built  the  store  which 
was  removed  about  1848,  to  make  room  for  the  brick  block,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Lake  streets.  Here  he  carried  on  a  large  and  for  many  years 
a  prosperous  business,  —  selling  goods,  buying  and  slaughtering  cattle  for 
the  West  India  trade,  making  potash  and  buying  cheese  for  the  New 
York  and  Southern  markets.  He  bought  the  gambrel-roofed  house, 
built  by  Mr.  Kirkham  on  the  site  of  Weed's  brick  block,  where  he  lived 
until  1814,  when  he  built  and  occupied  the  house  removed  by  Doctor 
Welch  from  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  Second  m  Congregational 
Church.  In  1826  he  became  involved  in  the  failure  of  his  brothers,  J. 
&  D.  Hinsdale,  of  Middletown,  on  whose  paper  he  was  indorser  to  a 
large  amount,  and  thereby  his  business  was  broken  up,  and  his  property 
swept  away.  He  continued  to  reside  in  AVinsted  until  about  1842,  when, 
after  the  death  of  his  son,  Theodore  Hinsdale,  he  removed  to  Rochester, 
N.  Y.,  where  his  two  daughters  resided,  and  where  he  carried  on  a  com- 
mission business  for  several  years.  He  died  at  Rochester,  in  February, 
1866,  aged  ninety-one  years,  and  his  remains  were  buried  in  Winsted. 
Mr.  Hinsdale  was  a  thoroughly  trained  merchant  of  the  old  school, — 
large  of  frame,  dignified  and  reserved  in  manner  —  diligent  in  business, 
a  stern  but  indulgent  parent,  a  firm  supporter  of  good  order  and  good 
morals.  He  made  a  profession  of  religion  at  middle  age,  which  he  sus- 
tained by  a  consistent  life,  and  verified  by  a  steady  growth  in  Christian 
graces  to  the  close  of  life.  He  was  liberal  in  the  support  of  education 
and  religion,  kind  to  the  poor,  and  firm  for  the  right.  If  there  were 
those  who  considered  him  overbearing  in  his  prosperous  days,  their  hos- 
tility was  disarmed  by  his  patience  in  adversity,  his  cheerful  acquiescence 
in  his  altered  circumstances,  and  his  blameless  life.  For  many  years 
after  removing  to  Rochester  he  annually  visited  his  family  friends  in 
Winsted,  and  was  greeted  with  reverent  regard  by  all  who  had  known 
him  in  his  earlier  years.  The  infirmities  of  age  abated  not  his  loving 
trust  in  his  Saviour.  He  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  as  a  shock  of  corn 
fully  ripe. 


AND  FAMILY  KEC011DS.  339 

The  following  line  of  families  shows  his  descent  from  an  early  settler 
of  New  England : — 

Robert  Hinsdale1  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  church  at  Ded- 
ham,  Mass.,  November  8,  1G38,  freeman  of  Mass.,  March  13,  1639; 
member  of  the  Artillery  Company,  1645;  had  wife  Ann;  removed  to 
Medfield,  Mass.,  where  he  aided  in  forming  the  church ;  thence,  as  early 
as  1672,  to  Hadley,  Mass.,  where  he  lived  several  years,  and  married 
(2d)  Elizabeth,  widow  of  John  Hawks  ;  removed  to  Deerfield,  Mass., 
where  he  was  gathering  his  harvest  in  the  cornfield,  and  was  killed,  with 
his  sons,  Barnabas,  John,  and  Samuel,  when  Captain  Lathrop,  with  the 
flower  of  Essex,  fell  at  Bloody  Brook,  surprised  by  the  Indians,  Sept.  18, 
1675.     His  widow  married  (3d)  Thomas  Dibble. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Elizabeth,2    m.  July  7,  1657,  James  Rising  of  Boston. 
II.  Barnabas,2      b.  November  13,  1G39;  bap.  November  17,  1639. 

III.  Samuel,2  birth  record  not  found;  m.  Mehitabel  Johnson,  and  had  six 

children  before  he  was  killed  by  the  Indians. 

IV.  Gamaliel2,    (supposed  by  Savage  to  be  a  mistake  for  Samuel),  b.  March  5, 

1642;  bap.  March  13,  1642. 
V.  Mary,2  b.  February  14,  1644-;  bap.  February  25,  1644. 

VI.  Experience,2  b.  January  23,  1646  ;  bap.  February  8,  1646. 
VII.  John,2  b.  January  27,  1648;  bap.  April  16,  1648. 

VIII.  Epuraim,2        b.  September  26,  1650  ;  bap.  October  27,  1650. 

Barnabas  Hinsdale,2  of  Hatfield,  Mass.,  married  October  15,  1666, 
Sarah  (White)  Taylor,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  White,  and  widow 
of  Stephen  Taylor.     He  was  slain  by  the  Indians,  September  18,  1675. 

CniLDREN. 

I.  Barnabas,3        b.  Hatfield,  February  20,  1668. 
II.  Sarah,3  b.  — ;  m.  January  8,1691,  Deacon   Samuel  Hall  of  East 

Middletown,  now  Chatham.  Conn. 

III.  Elizabeth,3       b.  October  29,  1671";  d.  March  8,  1672. 

IV.  Isaac,3  b.  September  15,  1673. 
V.  Mary,3  b.  March  27,  1677. 

Barnabas  Hinsdale'3  was  admitted  an  inhabitant  of  Hartford,  Conn., 
in  1693,  and  died  there  January  25,  1725,  aged  57.  He  married, 
November  9,  1693,  Martha  Smith  of  Hartford,  who  died  December  — , 
1738,  aged  68. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Barnabas,4     b.  August  28,  1694  ;  settled  in  Tolland,  Conn. 
II.  Martha,4         b.  February   17,  1C96;  m.   November  9,  1736,  Thomas  Bull 
of  Harwinton,  Conn.,  and  d.  April  15,  1761. 
III.  Jacob,4  b.  July  14,  1698. 


340  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  SARAH,4  b.  July  22,   1700;  m.  Nathaniel  White  [see  "White  Memo- 

rials," pp.  32-3,  and  49]. 
V.  Elizabeth,4    b.  January  9,    1702;   m.    April  4,    1728,  Jacob   Benton   of 

Harwinton. 
VI.  Mary,1  b.  July  13,  1704 ;  m.  March  30,  1738,  James  Skinner,  Jr. 

VII.  John,4  b.  August  13,  1700. 

VIII.  Daniel,4  b.  May  15,  1708;  m.  August  21,  1737,  Catharine  Curtis  of 

Wcthersfiehi,  who   was  buried  April    12,   1788,  aged  68.     He  was  a 
deacon;  lived  in  Hartford;  buried  Septemhcr  13,  1781,  aged  73. 
IX.  Amos,4  b.  August  24,   1710;   m.  Experience  — ,   who  d.  May  4, 

1781,  aged  Gl. 

Captain  John  Hinsdale4  married,  November  8,  1733,  Elizabeth 
Cole,  born  March  18,  1711  ;  she  died  July  1,  1784,  aged  73.  He  lived 
in  Kensington,  now  Berlin,  Conn.,  and  died  December  2,  1792,  aged  86. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,5  b.  August  19,  1734  ;  d.  October  13,  1743. 

II.  Elizabeth,5  b.  June  29,  173G  ;  m.  David  Atkins  of  Middletown. 

III.  Theodore,5    b.  November  25,  1738. 

IV.  Lucv,5  b.  July  16,  1741 ;  m.  Samuel  Plumb  of  Middletown;  d.  Ecb. 

— ,  1791. 
V.  Elijah,5  b.  April   1,   1744^  m.  Ruth  Bidwell;  had  a  daughter  Eliza- 

bctb,  who  was  the  mother  of  Elijah  Hinsdale  Burritt,  the  astronomer, 
and  of  Elihu  Burritt,  "  the  learned  blacksmith." 
VI.  Lydia,5  b.  August  11,  1747  ;  m.  Samuel  Hart  of  Berlin,  and  was  the 

mother  of  Mrs.  Emma  Willard,  and  of  Mrs.  Almira-Lincoln  Phelps, 
each  of  them  widely  known  as  an  instructress  and  authoress. 
VII.  John,5  b.  August  21,  1749. 


Theodore  Hinsdale5  graduated  Yale  College,  1762  ;  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  church  at  North  AVindsor,  April  30,  1766  ;  married  July 
14,  1768,  Anna  Bissell,  born  March  11,  1748.  They  removed  to  Hins- 
dale, Mass.,  which  town  was  named  in  his  honor,  where  she  died,  March 
14,  1817,  in  her  69th  year.     He  died  December  29,  1818,  aged  80  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Anne  (Nancy)0,  b.  April  16,  1769;  d.  Troy,  N.  Y.,  May  16,  1851. 

II.  Lucy,0  b.  December  31,  1770  ;  d.  March  21,  1792. 

III.  Theodore,6  b.  November  12,  1772;  d.  October  14,  1855. 

IV.  Josiah  Bissell,0  b.  November  15,   1774;  he  discarded   the  first  name 

"  Josia'.!,"  and  was  always  known  as  Bissell. 
V.  James,0  b.  September  28,  1776;  d.  September  28,  1777. 

VI.  John,0  1).  November  10,  1778;  d.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  March  13, 

185G. 
VII.  Levi,0  b.  November  29,  1780  ;  d.  February  19,  1S30. 

VIII.  Altamiua,6  b.  November   8,    1782;   m.   —   Emmons;    she   d.    at 

Princeton,  N.  J.,  November  11,  1836. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS  .  341 

IX.  Daniel,0  b.  March   22,  1785;   d.  at  Rising   Sun,   la.,  May  4, 
1837. 

X.  Horatio,6  b.  November  3,  1787;  d.  April  9,  1813. 

XI.  William,6  b.  March  5,  1790. 

John  Hinsdale5  married  Philomela  Hurlbut,  daughter  of  Dr.  James 
Harvey,  and  —  (Hart)  Hurlbut.  She  died  in  1790,  aged  3G  years. 
He  died  at  Berlin,  Conn.,  December  9,  1795. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Rosea,6  b.  Berlin,  Conn.,  February  15,  1775.     [Sec  1802.] 

II.  Abigail,6  b.  — ;  m.  Wm.  Benham  ;  settled  in  West  Hartford. 

III.  Esther,6  b.  — ;  m.  Amos  Hills  of  Farmington ;  d.  at  Cabot,  Vt. 

IV.  Amelia,6  b.  —  ;  m.  Anson  Cook  ;  had  five  children. 

V.  Nancy,6         b.  — ;  m.    Norman    Spencer ;    lived  in   Winchester,   and    in 
Ypsilanti,  Mich. ;  had  seven  children. 

Bissell  Hinsdale0  married  Temperance  Pitkin,  born  May  8,  1772, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Timothy  and  Temperance  (Clap)  Pitkin.  She  died 
August  13,  1817.     He  died  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  February  G,  I860. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Theodore,7  b.  Colebrook,  Conn.,  December  27,  1800. 

II.  Ann,7  b.  W.,   Oct.   16,  1802;  m.  September  12,  1825,  Fred. 

Whittlesey  of  Rochester. 

III.  Mary  Pitkin,7  b.  January  10,   1806  ;  m.  September  21,  1829,   Selah 

Matthews  of  Rochester. 

IV.  Timothy  Pitkin,7     b.  May  5,  1809;  d.  February  5,  1810. 
V.  Charles,7  b.  May  23,  1812;  d.  March  1,  1814. 


Theodore  Hinsdale,  Esq.,  son  of  Bissell,  graduated  at  Yale  College 
in  1821,  read  law  for  a  biitjf  period  with  Seth  P.  Staples,  Esq.,  of  New 
Haven,  and  afterwards  studied  at  Andover  for  one  or  two  years  ;  and  in 
1827  went  into  manufacturing  business  with  his  father-in-law,  in  the  firm 
name  of  Rockwell  &  Hinsdale,  successors  of  the  Rockwell  Brothers,  who 
for  nearly  fifty  years  had  conducted  the  same  business.  After  the  death 
of  Mr.  Rockwell  in  1837,  he  was  associated  in  the  same  business  with  the 
late  Elliot  Beardsley,  deceased,  in  the  firm  name  of  Hinsdale  &  Beardsley 
until  his  death. 

As  a  business  man,  he  manifested  great  energy  and  executive  ability  ; 
while  as  "a  citizen  he  was  prominent  and  influential  in  advocating 
every  good  cause,  and  leading  others  by  his  activity  and  ardor.  Gifted 
with  a  commanding  person,  a  fascinating  manner,  and  a  native  oratory, 
he  became  widely  known  and  admired,  and  was  sought  as  presiding 
officer  or  prominent  speaker  in  the  largest  public  gatherings  in  the  coun- 
ty and  State. 


342  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

In  the  meridian  of  his  manhood,  with  a  career  of  distinguished  useful- 
ness and  honor  in  prospect,  he  was  struck  down  by  typhoid  fever,  and 
died  Nov.  27,  1841,  in  the  fortieth  year  of  his  age. 

He  married,  April  26,  1826,  Jerusba  Rockwell,  born  March  28,  1803, 
daughter  of  Solomon  and  Sarah  (McEwen)  Rockwell.  After  his  death 
she  married  (2d),  Dec.  10,  1843,  John  Boyd. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sarah  McEwen,8  b.  April  2,  1827  ;  d.  in  New  London,  Aug.   17, 

1833. 

II.  Maky  Pitkin,8  b.  Dec.  11,  1828. 

III.  Solomon  Rockwell,8  b.  Aug.  25,  1835;  m.  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  Jan.  26, 

1864,  Julia  Mcrritt  Jackson;  b.  in  N.  Y.,  Aug.  4,  1840,  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Julia  Ann  (Brown)  Jackson.  He  has  a  son,  Theodore 
Rockwell,9  b.  in  Ellenville,  Prince  Georges  County,  Md.,  Jan.  31, 1865. 


Philemon  Kibkum,  Esq.,  attorney  at  law,  came  from  Norfolk  to 
Winsted  in  1800,  and  built  a  house  on  the  site  of  Weed's  Blcck,  which 
was  burned  down  March  25,  1853.  He  soon  sold  this  house  to  Bissell 
Hinsdale,  and  in  1807  he  built  the  original  house  on  the  lot  next  north  of 
the  Congregational  Chapel,  which  was  taken  clown  by  Dr.  Welch  to 
make  room  for  his  present  dwelling.  In  this  house  he  lived  until  his  re- 
moval to  Norton,  Ohio,  in  1814.  He  was  a  native  of  Guilford,  Conn., — 
served  for  four  or  five  years  in  the  revolutionary  war,  afterwards  studied 
law  with  Augustus  Pettibone,  Esq.,  of  Norfolk,  and  was  in  due  course  ad- 
mitted to  the  Litchfield  bar. 

Tall  of  stature,  erect  of  form,  imposing  in  manner,  fluent  of  speech, 
imaginative  and  impetuous,  a  Jeffersonian  of  the  first  water,  he  was  a 
man  of  note  in  Northern  Litchfield  County.  As  a  lawyer,  he  was  well 
read,  ingenious  in  argument,  and  oratorial  in  manner.  The  drawback  to 
his  professional  success,  and  the  blemish  of  his  life,  was  an  excitable  and 
uncontrollable  temper,  mounting  at  times  to  frenzy.  His  competitors  at 
the  bar,  when  unable  to  cope  with  him  in  argument,  not  unfrequenfly  con- 
trived to  arouse  his  passions,  thereby  upsetting  his  argumentative  facul- 
ties and  destroying  his  self-control.  He  eventually  withdrew  from  the 
bar,  and  limited  his  practice  to  Justice  Courts. 

He  was  the  sole  representative  of  the  Democratic  party  in  the  village 
during  its  early  growth.  His  neighbors  were  straight-haired  Federalists. 
He  was  thoroughly  indoctrinated  and  saturated  with  the  principles  of 
liberty  and  equality.  The  Democratic  farmers,  on  the  surrounding  hills, 
looked  to  him  as  the  advocate  and  defender  of  their  political  faith,  and 
the  organizei  of  their  party.  It  was  deemed  necessary  that  a  Democratic 
store  should  be  got  up  in  opposition  to  the  Federal  s!ore  of  Mr.  Hins- 
dale.    Some  twenty  of  his  friends  furnished  the   capital  and  made  Mr. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  343 

Kirkum  the  managing  partner.  The  Federals  owned  or  controlled  every 
foot  of  ground  on  Main  street  from  George  Dudley's  down  to  Clifton 
Mill  bridge,  and  would  not,  for  love  or  money,  allow  the  new  store  to  he 
built  on  the  street  —  consequently  the  gambrel-roofed  building  west  of  the 
Lake  street  bridge  was  erected  and  stocked  with  goods.  A  large,  fanci- 
ful sign-board  on  the  eastern  gable,  announced  that  "  Philemon  Kirkum 
&  Co.,"  were  prepared  to  sell  goods  to  their  friends  and  the  world  at 
large.  It  was  the  first  sign-board  ever  erected  in  Winsted,  and  it  made  a 
sensation.  The  twenty  partners,  as  they  had  spare  time,  were  in  atten- 
dance, to  see  the  working  of  the  new  institution,  and  to  discuss  the  politi- 
cal issues  of  the  day.  Crowds  of  customers  and  idlers  were  attracted  to 
the  "  free  and  easy  "  establishment,  and  captivated  by  the  principles  there 
inculcated.  It  was  soon  decided  to  expand  the  business,  and  the  building 
in  the  East  village,  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Bird,  was  erected  for  a  branch 
store. 

A  business  so  auspiciously  inaugurated  did  not  fulfill  its  promise.  Clouds 
began  to  obscure  its  horizon.  The  partners  began  to  perceive  that  a  free 
and  equal  distribution  of  worldly  goods,  to  customers  unable  or  unwilling 
to  pay  for  them,  brought  no  percentage  of  profit,  and  an  inadequate  return 
for  meeting  the  bills  payable,  and  revoked  his  agency.  Mr.  Kirkum  was 
found  to  be  too  imaginative  and  unsystematic  for  a  country  merchant ;  but 
his  integrity  was  unimpeached.  He  resumed  practice  as  a  lawyer  in  a 
small  way  —  talked  philosophy,  wrote  poetry,  made  political  speeches,  and 
rode  his  old  white  horse  as  if  he  were  channirjr  the  ranks  of  Cornwallis 
at  Yorktown.  His  tall,  erect  figure  and  soldierly  gait,  combined  with 
fluency  of  speech,  rising  at  times  to  real  eloquence,  made  him  a  man  to  be 
noted  among  thousands.  In  1814,  as. before  stated,  he  left  our  village, 
with  his  wife  and  son  and  worldly  goods,  in  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a 
pair  of  oxen,  and  wended  his  weary  way  to  the  Western  Reserve,  where 
he  invested  the  small  avails  of  his  Winsted  property  in  an  uncleared  but 
now  valuable  farm,  located  in  Norton,  Ohio,  which  he  occupied. and  im- 
proved during  his  remaining  life,  and  left  to  his  worthy  grandson,  Charles 
Coe,  Esq.,  who  was  his  stay  and  comfort  in  his  declining  years.  A  change 
of  residence  and  associations  essentially  modified  his  peculiarities  and 
smoothed  down  his  sharp  angularity  of  character.  He  diversified  his  farm 
labor  with  occasional  law  practice,  and  in  his  later  years  became  a  most 
popular  "stump  speaker "  in  the  Harrison  and  subsequent  campaigns. 
Mr.  Kirkum  failed  to  square  his  sharp  cut  principles  of  Democracy  with 
slavery  propagandism.  He  saw  with  loathing  the  political  ascendency  of 
the  South  and  the  knuckling  of  the  North,  and  would  none  of  it.  He 
watched  the  progress  of  events  with  deep  sorrow,  and  predicted  the  bloody 
issue  which  he  did  not  live  to  see.  He  died  in  1855  at  the  age  of  91 
years.     Age  had  not  bent  his  erect  form,  nor  scattered  his  flowing  gray 


344  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

locks,  which  he  wore  in  a  revolutionary  cue  or  club  until  the  last  years 
of  his  life.  His  teeth,  with  one  exception,  continued  sound  and  white  as 
long  as  he  lived.  His  wife  was  a  Mills,  of  Ea*t  Windsor,  who  died  before 
him.  They  had  a  daughter  Eliza  who  married  Eben  Coe,  son  of  Jonathan2 
in  the  Coe  Genealogy ;  and  a  son  George  who  became  a  highly  esteemed 
member  of  the  liar  in  Cuyahoga  county,  Ohio,  and  died  not  far  from  1860, 
leaving  one  or  more  children. 

Josiaii  Apley,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  a  house  and  land  on 
the  hill  road  to  Colebrook,  north  of  Nelson  Beardsley,  where  he  lived  until 
his  return  to  Torrington  in  1804.  He  married,  Feb.  4,  1795,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Chauncey  Mills. 

Elijah  Benedict,  a  blacksmith,  came  in  this  year,  and  worked  in  a 
shop  on  the  west  side  of  Lake  street,  opposite  the  old  lean-todiouse,  in 
which  he  resided.  After  two  or  three  years  he  moved  out  of  the  town. 
He  returned  about  1810,  and  after  remaining  about  five  years,  removed 
to  the  West. 

His  first  wife  died  during  his  second  residence  here,  and  he  married 
(2d)  Lovina,  dau.  of  Simeon  Moore.  He  had  children  by  his  first  wife, 
Gershom,  Hepzibah,  and  Ketuka,  and  perhaps  others. 

Nathaniel  Smith  is  found  on  the  tax  list  of  this  year,  and  in  1801 
he  purchased  land  in  the  vicinity  of  Everett  C.  Holmes,  on  which  he 
lived  until  his  sale  of  the  same  in  1806  to  Zebina  Smith. 

Solomon  Lemly,  a  forgeman,  came  from  Colebrook  this  year,  and 
lived  in  a  house,  now  torn  down,  on  Lake  street,  above  the  parting  of  the 
new  Winchester  road,  until  about  1815,  when  he  moved  to  Salisbury. 
He  had  a  brother,  Jacob  Lemly,  who  came  here  the  following  year,  and 
lived  in  a  house  now  torn  down,  adjacent  to  Hurlbut's  forge  dam,  until 
his  death,  about  1815.  They  were  of  Low  Dutch  extraction,  and  each 
had  a  large  family  of  children,  most  of  whom  were  named  in  pairs,  — 
distinguished  from  each  other  by  taking  their  patronynim  Christian  name 
as  a  surname.  There  was  a  John  Solomon  and  John  Jacob,  Hannah 
Solomon  and  a  Hannah  Jacob,  a  Sol.  Sol.  and  a  Jake  Jake,  and  a  like 
duplication  of  Sally  and  Polly.  No  descendants  of  either  family  remain 
in  the  town. 

William  Davis  first  appears  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  lived  on 
West  Lake  street,  in  a  small  house  then  standing  in  front  of  the  first 
house  west  of  the  lake  outlet,  until  his  death  in  1805. 

His  wife  was  a  Hancock,  from  Southwick,  Mass.  They  had  two  dau., 
Lucy  and  Sally,  who  m.  Timothy  and  Alpheus  Persons,  —  and  a  son. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  345 

Lyman,  who  went  to   Clayville,  N.  Y.,  about   1820,  and  probably  died 
there. 

Gedeliaft  Chase,  a  miller,  came  from  New  Hartford  to  Winsted  in 
1799  or  1800,  and  took  charge  of  the  Austin  Mill,  living  in  the  old  lean- 
to  Mill  House  on  Lake  street,  near  the  lake  outlet,  until  his  removal  to 
Old  Winchester  about  1807,  where  he  afterwards  resided  most  of  his 
remaining  life.  He  was  b.  Nov.  28,  1761,  and  d.  July  4,  1832.  He  m. 
Nov.  11,  1790,  Rebecca  ,  b.  July  14,  1768. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  George,  b.  Ap.  18,  1792.  V.Reuben,  b.  March  28,  1800. 

II.  Charlotte,  b.  Aug.  15,  1794.  VI.  Harriet,  b.  May  8,  1804. 

III.  Dudley,  b.  Aug.  30,  1796.  VII.  Jerusiia,  b.  June  20,  1810. 

IV.  Betsey,  b.  May  22,  1798.  VIII.  Horace,  b.  Oct.  24,  1812. 


44 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  WINSTED.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

In  tracing  the  settlement  of  the  Winsted  section  of  the  town,  we  have 
thus  far  made  no  mention  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  Winsted  as  an 
organized  body.  Its  religious  services  up  to  this  period  were  mainly 
held  beyond  the  eastern  border  of  the  town.  Its  first  meeting-house  was 
there  erected,  and  the  first  minister  there  ordained  and  settled.  Its  original 
members  were  residents  along  the  old  North  Country  road  and  its  vicinity, 
a  larger  -portion  of  them  in  Winchester  and  a  considerable  number  in 
Barkhamsted.  f 

To  modern  Winsted,  its  origin  and  growth,  its  struggles  and  dissensions 
prior  to  1801,  would  seem  a  myth,  did  not  its  quaint  old  records  avouch 
the  reality  of  its  history.  These  records  begin  with  a  society  meeting 
lawfully  warned  and  held  March  17,  1778,  at  the  dwelling-house  of  John 
Balcom,  by  a  warrant  granted  by  Matthew  Gillett,  justice  of  the  peace, 
dated  seven  days  earlier.  Of  this  meeting  John  Wright  was  chosen 
moderator,  and  Eleazer  Kellogg  clerk ;  and  Isaac  Kellogg,  Josiah  Smith 
and  John  Balcom  were  appointed  committee  men ;  and  it  was  voted  that 
the  annual  meetings  of  the  society  should  be  holden  on  the  second  Monday 
of  December  annually,  and  that  warnings  therefor  should  be  set  up  at 
Austin's  Mill,  Abram  Callers'  shop,  and  at  the  crotch  of  the  road  that 
goes  from  John  Wright's  to  Lemuel  Walters,  twelve  days  before  such 
meeting.  Another  meeting,  held  September  15  of  the  same  year,  voted 
that  the  money  paid  to  Mr.  Porter  and  to  Mr.  Ausbon  for  preaching,  and 
also  the  money  due  Mr.  Balcom  for  boarding  Mr.  Ausbon,  should  be  paid 
out  of  a  tax  when  collected.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  this  year  it  was 
voted  "  that  a  meeting  be  warned  to  see  if  this  society  are  a  mind  to  be 
made  a  distinct  town."  The  same  subject  was  brought  up  at  various  sub- 
sequent meetings,  but  no  definite  action  appears  to  have  resulted. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1780  the  matter  of  locating  and  building  a 
meeting-house  seems  to  have  been  first  agitated :  and  it  was  voted  "  that  we 
wTill  git  the  original  plans  of  Winchester  and  Barkhamsted,  and  apply  to 
Cornal  Shelding  to  find  the  middle  of  this  society,  and  if  he  cant  by  them 
give  us  the  senter,  then  to  measure  the  bounds  of  this  society,  the  said 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  347 

Shelding  to  measure,  and  that  this  society  will  pay  the  cost  to  Cornal 
Shelding  for  doing  the  business  for  said  society,  and  that  Lieut.  John 
"Wright  to  see  the  Bisness  done."  The  subject  was  resumed  May  24, 
1782,  when  it  was  voted  "that  we  do  try  to  agree  to  pitch  a  stake  for  a 
meeting-house,"  and  "  that  we  apply  to  the  next  county  court  for  a  com- 
mittee to  pitch  a  stake  for  our  meeting-house,"  and  that  we  nominate  Esq. 
Asaph  Hall  of  Goshen,  Major  Jiles  Pettibone  of  Norfolk,  and  Esq.  En- 
sign of  Hartland."  In  December,  1792,  Col.  Sheldon  was  substituted 
for  Esq.  Ensign  on  this  committee,  and  at  a  meeting,  August  25,  1783,  it 
w7as  voted  "  to  establish  the  stake  for  our  meeting-house  where  it  now 
stands  pitched  by  Col.  Shelding,  Major  Pettibone  and  Esq.  Hall,  and 
that  Ensign  Jesse  Doolittle  shall  go  and  make  returns  to  the  Honorable 
County  Court  of  our  voting  the  establishment  of  our  meeting-house 
stake." 

This  looked  like  an  auspicious  beginning  of  the  constructive  work  of 
the  society,  but  the  appearance  was  deceptive.  A  meeting  was  called, 
Dec.  22,  1783,  '"to  see  if  the  society  will  go  on  to  bild  our  meeting-house 
where  the  stake  now  stands,"  and  the  question  was  decided  in  the  negative. 
On  the  2d  of  February,  1784,  it  was  voted  "that  we  chuse  a  comitte  to 
go  and  view  the  society  and  se  if  we  can't  pitch  a  stake  for  ourselves ; " 
and  December,  1784,  it  was  voted  "to  go  on  and  build  a  meting-house  at 
the  stake  pitched  by  the  committee  "  the  house  to  be  45  by  35  feet  and  a 
suitable  height  for  galleries ;  and  a  tax  of  sixpence  on  the  pound  was 
laid  for  defraying  expenses.  This  again  looked  hopeful ;  but  at  a  meeting 
in  January,  1785,  the  hopeful  project  was  knocked  in  the  head  by  a  vote 
"that  all  the  bisness  voated"  in  the  previous  meeting  "be  holy  set  aside 
consarning  bilding  a  meeting  house  in  this  society." 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1786,  another  committee,  consisting  of  Capt.  Josiah 
Smith,  Nathaniel  Russell,  Ensign  Jesse  Doolittle,  Othniel  Brainart,  Capt. 
Robert  Whitford,  and  Sergt.  Reuben  Sweet  pitched  a  stake  at  the  "West 
end  of  Jonathan  Sweet's  lot,  where  it  was  voted  by  more  than  two-thirds 
to  build  the  house.  In  June  following  it  was  decided  to  build  a  house  50 
by  40  feet  with  height  in  proportion,  and  that  an  agent  be  sent  to  the 
county  court  to  get  the  stake  established.  Again  the  project  was  nullified 
by  a  vote  of  Sept.  4, 178G,  "  that  we  will  not  send  an  agent  to  4he  County 
Court." 

Another  stake- pitching  committee  was  appointed  Sept.  25, 1786,  which 
seems  to  have  performed  its  duty.  In  October  following  it  was  voted 
"  that  this  meeting  be  adjourned  to  the  place  where  the  committee  have 
prefixed  for  to  build  a  meeting-house ; "  and  it  was  there  "  voted,  by  more 
than  two-thirds,  that  we  will  bild  a  meeting  house  where  the  committe 
have  pitched  the  stake."  Although  this  vote  of  more  than  two-thirds  was 
solemnly  taken  on  the  very  ground  "  prefixed  by  the  committe,  yet  subse- 


348  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

quent  records  show  that  the  stake  would  not  yet  stay  pitched.  But,  before 
tracing  these  measures  to  a  final  result,  it  is  fitting  to  advert  to  other 
occurrences  in  the  history  of  the  Society. 

Up  to  1786,  preaching  was  had  at  irregular  intervals,  and  no  money 
raised  by  taxation  for  its  support.  Individuals  seem  to  have  advanced 
money,  and  to  have  found  difficulty  in  getting  it  refunded.  The  Society, 
in  1780,  voted  "to  make  up  the  sink  of  money  due  individuals  for  ad- 
vancements, according  to  Congress  scale."  In  1782,  May  14,  it  was  voted 
to  hire  preaching,  and  "  that  the  committe  do  advise  where  to  apply  for  a 
candidate,"  and  that  Lieut.  Josiah  Smith  be  appointed  to  read  the  Psalm 
on  Sabbath  days,  and  that  Eleaser  Kellogg  read  the  Psalms  when  Lieut. 
Smith  is  absent. 

In  1783  it  was  voted  to  have  preaching  in  the  summer,  and  in  the  fall 
a  tax  of  seven  pounds  was  voted  "  to  be  applied  for  the  youse  of  supporting 
singing."  A  committee  was  aLo  chosen  "  to  regulate  the  singing  in  this 
society  on  the  Sabbath-day,  and  to  introduce  such  tunes  as  they  shall  think 
proper  to  be  sung  on  Sabbath  days  ; "  and  it  was  also  voted  that  preaching 
should  continue  during  the  winter. 

It  might  be  inferred,  that  with  preaching  summer  and  winter,  and  the 
support  and  regulation  of  singing  under  the  supervision  of  three  choristers 
and  a  committee  to  introduce  tunes  proper  to  be  sung  on  the  Sabbath, 
harmony  and  concert  of  action  might  have  been  promoted :  but  stakes 
could  not  be  pitched  and  voted  on  so  often  without  moral  friction.  Heart- 
burning and  dissensions  prevailed  to  such  a  degree  that  in  October,  1785, 
a  mutual  council  consisting  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Taylor  of  New  Milford,  Can- 
field  of  Roxbury,  Huntington  of  Middlebury,  Belclen  of  Newington  and 
Smalley  of  New  Britain,  was  called  to  advise  with  the  church  and  society 
in  regard  to  the  subsisting  difficulties.  The  records  fail  to  show  the  re- 
sult, if  any  was  reached.  Harmony,  in  any  event,  was  not  restored. 
Meetings  were  frequent,  and  contradictory  in  action.  Votes  passed  at 
one  stage  of  a  meeting  were  not  infrequently  voted  down  before  adjourn- 
ment, and  the  doings  of  one  meeting  were  undone  by  another.  The 
meetings  were  often  protracted  into  the  night,  and  unfair  advantages 
taken  in  carrying  measures  at  a  late  hour,  that  could  not  be  accomplished 
in  a  full  meeting.  To  correct  some  of  these  irregularities  a  standing  rule 
was  adopted  about  this  time,  "that  no  vote  should  be  put  after  sunset  for 
the  futer,  except  the  business  so  drive  them  that  they  find  it  necessary, 
and  passed  a  vote  to  continue  the  same  before  sunset."  Another  vote  re- 
quired "  that  all  accounts  against  the  society  shall  be  brought  to  the  annual 
meeting  yearly,  or  shall  be  forfeit  for  the  futer,  except  it  be  made  to  ap- 
pear that  it  could  not  be  done." 

The  following  votes  illustrate  the  way  of  doing  business  in  committee 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS.  349 

of  the  whole,  under  the  new  rule,  and  show  an  example  of  thoroughness 
worthy  of  all  imitation : 

Voted,  Elkana  Phelps,  £1,  lis.,  4d.  for  boarding  Mr.  Fowler  eleven 
sabbaths. 

Voted,  Eleanor  Kellogg,  £9,  Gs.,  Od.  for  the  youse  of  his  house. 

Voted,  Enoch  Palmer  for  boarding  ministers  and  house  room  for  hold- 
ing meetings  sabbath  days,  £1,  9s. 

Voted,  Elisha  Mallory  for  boarding  Mr.  Beach  1  week,  4  days,  12s. 

Voted,  Capt.  Josiah  Smith,  for  boarding  Mr.  Hitchcock  and  other  min- 
isters 3i-  weeks,  and  keeping  their  horses,  £1,  Gs.  3d. 

Voted,  Ensign  Doolittle  for  going  to  Torringford  to  get  Mr.  Edmund 
Mills  to  preach  hear,  3s. 

Voted,  Samuel  Hayden  for  holding  meetings  in  his  house  for  28  Sab- 
baths, £2,  2s. 

Voted,  That  those  that  board  ministers  in  the  summer  season,  and  keep 
their  horses  for  the  futer,  be  allowed  7s.  Gd.  a  week. 

The  pitching  of  stakes  for  a  meeting  house  having  been  played  out  in 
178G,  it  was  thought  best  to  defer  the  building  of  a  meeting  house,  and 
to  settle  a  minister;  and  accordingly,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  year, 
it  was  "voted,  by  more  than  two-thirds,  that  we  give  Mr.  Parsons  a  call, 
in  order  to  a  settlement."  It  was  also  voted  to  give  him  a  salary  of  forty 
pounds  a  year,  and  the  use  of  two  hundred  pounds  as  a  Settlement.  A 
committee  was  also  appointed  to  purchase  a  place  or  settlement  for  the 
use  of  the  minister  of  the  value  of  about  £200,  to  be  holden  as  the  prop- 
erty of  the  society. 

The  church  having  united  with  the  society  in  a  call  to  Rev.  Stephen 
Parsons  to  settle  with  them  in  the  gospel  ministry,  his  reply  was  laid 
before  the  society  on  the  12th  of  March,  1787 ;  whereupon  it  was  voted 
to  settle  Mr.  Parsons  agreeable  to  his  Ritten  Answer,  which  is  as  fol- 
lows, viz : 

March  ye  11th,  1787. 
To  the  CJiurch  and  Society  of  Winsted,  wishing  grace,  mercy  and  peace  to 

be  multiplied  unto  you. 

Having  taken  into  consideration  the  call  you  gave  me  to  settle  with 
you  in  the  work  of  the  Gospel  Ministry,  as  it  appears  to  me  a  matter  of 
great  importance  that  I  am  lead  by  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  right  way 
to  promote  the  general  cause  of  God  in  the  world.  I  thought  it  my  duty 
to  give  you  some  idea  of  my  present  profession  and  principles,  respecting 
Christian  fellowship  and  connection  with  churches. 

As  to  my  profession  it  is  what  is  called,  in  this  state,  a  strict  congrega- 
tionalist :  and  my  connexions  are  with  the  ministers  and  churches  of  that 


350  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

denomination,  which  appears  to  me  the  nearest  to  the  rule  given  in  God's 
word,  of  any  within  the  compass  of  my  acquaintance,  —  on  which  account 
I  can  by  no  means  renounce  my  connection  with  them.  Yet  I  could 
heartily  wish  the  wall  of  partition  between  the  different  denominations 
was  broken  down,  that  all  the  true  friends  of  Christ  were  united  in  one 
army,  under  the  glorious  captain  of  our  salvation,  against  the  kingdom  of 
Satan,  the  prince  of  darkness.  Wherefore,  I  think  it  my  duty  to  maintain 
and  cultivate  liberal  sentiments,  and  hold  fellowship  with  all  those  who 
appear  to  practice  and  love  the  truth ;  and  if  I  was  to  receive  an  ordina- 
tion, I  should  choose  to  apply  to  a  number  of  ministers  of  different  de- 
nominations, not  exceeding  that  of  my  own. 

If  the  church  and  society  in  this  place  can  receive  me  on  these  princi- 
ples, and  there  is  a  prospect  of  their  being  united  so  that  I  may  be  use- 
ful in  this  part  of  the  vineyard  of  Christ,  and  at  the  same  time  promote 
the  general  good  of  mankind,  it  appears  to  be  my  duty  to  comply  with 
your  call.  Otherwise,  I  have  no  desire  to  be  received,  by  giving  up  my 
principles,  or  renouncing  my  connections.  I  close  with  subscribing  my- 
self, yours  to  serve  in  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 

STEPHEN  PARSONS. 

Why  this  acceptance  of  the  call  did  not  result  in  the  settlement  of  Mr. 
Parsons,  does  not  appear.  It  may  have  been  frustrated  by  a  conflict  of 
views  between  the  candidate  and  the  consociation,  in  regard  to  church 
order  and  fellowship.  It  only  appears  on  record  that  the  church  and 
society,  on  the  18th  of  April,  1787,  voted  "to  continue  the  call  to  Mr. 
Parsons  to  settle  with  us  in  the  Gospel  Ministry. 

The  Parsonage  Lot,  which,  a  few  years  after,  became  a  subject  of  fatal 
contention,  was  purchased  at  this  time,  and  a  tax  was  laid  to  provide  the 
first  payment  therefor,  and  a  parsonage  house  was  soon  after  erected 
thereon,  and  so  far  finished  as  to  serve  as  a  place  of  worship  until  a  meet- 
ing house  should  be  located  and  erected.  It  stood  east  of  Barkhamsted 
line,  at  the  intersection  of  road  from  the  clock  factory,  with  the  Old 
Country  road,  was  occupied  successively,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Woodvvorth,  Moses 
Haydon,  Isaac  Brown  and  others,  and  was  torn  down  many  years  ago. 

The  location  of  a  meeting  house  site  was  again  attempted  this  year 
[1787].  A  stake  was  pitched;  and  the  society  voted  that  they  "be 
agreed  to  build,"  etc.,  but  no  building  was  built,  and  no  further  steps 
were  taken  in  that  direction  until  1791. 

The  records  during  this  interval  show  the  progress  of  events  and  the 
nature  of  the  business  transacted.  A  better  knowledge  of  the  law  of 
stake  pitching  and  other  ecclesiastical  matters,  was  provided  for  by  the 
purchase  of  a  Society  Law  Book,  and  a  quire  of  paper  "  to  keep  accompts 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  35 

on."  The  Law  Book  was  ordered  to  be  kept  two  months  at  David  An- 
stus',  two  months  at  Nathan  Wheeler's,  two  months  at  Othniel  Brainard's, 
two  months  at  Sergt.  Jonas  Weed's,  two  months  at  Enoch  Palmer's,  and 
two  months  at  Zebina  Smith's ;  and  other  regulations  were  adopted  for  a 
general  diffusion  of  legal  knowledge.  An  application  to  the  Assembly  was 
voted  for  a  Land  Tax  "  to  better  enable  us  to  pay  for  the  Parsonage  Lot, 
and  to  build  a  Meeting  House,"  —  and  then  a  vote  was  passed  "  that  we 
will  build  a  meeting  house  if  we  can  be  agreed  on  a  place." 

In  August,  1791,  Rev.  Ezra  Woodworth  preached  in  the  society  as  a 
candidate,  and  a  sharp  negotiation  soon  followed,  with  reference  to  his 
settlement.  No  little  diplomatic  skill  was  found  requisite  to  adjust  the 
terms.  Mr.  Woodworth  wanted  an  absolute  conveyance  to  himself  of 
the  Parsonage  Lot  as  a  part  of  the  bargain.  A  large  portion  of  the 
society,  on  the  other  hand,  were  strenuously  opposed  to  alienating  the 
property  to  a  minister,  whose  long  stay  with  them  would  be  very  preca- 
rious. The  minister  carried  his  point,  and  on  the  7th  of  November  the 
society  decided  to  make  the  conveyance  in  accordance  with  his  demand, 
and  the  compact  was  completed.  On  the  loth  December  a  committee 
was  chosen  to  proceed  with  the  ordination,  and  the  18th  of  January, 
1792,  was  assigned  for  the  ill-omened  ceremony. 

In  the  mean  time,  deep  trouble  in  regard  to  the  hard  bargain  of  Mr. 
Woodworth  with  the  society,  was  daily  becoming  more  manifest.  Six  days 
before  the  ordination  a  meeting  was  called,  and  a  committee  appointed  "  to 
go  and  see  if  Mr.  Woodworth  will  make  any  alterations  as  to  his  settle- 
ment or  not,"  and  another  committee  was  appointed  "  to  appear  before 
the  Ordaining  Council,  and  oppose  the  opposition,  if  any  there  be,  against 
his  ordination."  Four  days  after,  another  meeting  was  called  "  to  see  if 
the  society  will  make  any  alterations  as  to  giving  our  Society  Farm  as  a 
settlement  to  Mr.  Woodworth,"  and  a  committee  of  six  was  appointed  to 
converse  with  him,  and  agree  on  some  different  plan  of  settlement. 

The  interview  resulted  in  the  following  change  of  terms,  committed  to 
writing : 

"  Whereas,  there  is  a  dissatisfaction  in  some  persons'  minds  in  the  pro- 
posals made  to  Mr.  Woodworth  in  respect  to  his  settlement,  and  in  order 
to  form  a  better  union,  propose  to  exchange  the  terms  of  the  same  as  fol- 
lows, viz;  to  except  of  the  yuse  of  said  farm  as  a  Parsonage  with  the 
house  and  barn,  said  farm  to  be  appraised  by  indifferent  men  when  he  re- 
ceives the  same,  and  also  when  he  resigns  the  same,  and  the  betterments,  if 
any  there  be  to  be  allowed  to  him  or  his  heirs,  and  the  property  to  be  kept 
good,  to  be  as  a  settlement  in  the  room  of  receiving  the  property  of  said 
farm  as  in  the  former  plan :   the  vallew  of  said  former  proposals  of  settle- 


352  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ment  being  made  equal  thereto,  to  be  determined  by  the  judgment  of  in- 
different men,  to  be  paid  in  neat  cattle  in  the  spring,  or  fat  cattle  in  the 
fall,  as  agreed  on,  and  the  salary  to  remain  as  in  the  former  proposals. 
Dated  Winsted,  Jan.  ye  16th,  1792. 

Ezra  Wood  worth, 
Nath.  Crowe, 
Elkena  Phelps, 
"William  Moore. 

This  agreement  removed  all  hindrance  to  the  ordination,  which  took 
place  on  the  day  appointed.  Had  the  agreement  -been  adhered  to  in  good 
faith,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  harmony  would  have  been  restored ; 
and  that  the  faithful  ministrations  of  a  pastor  valuing  the  souls  of  his 
flock  more  than  their  fleeces,  would  have  strengthened  the  walls  and  en- 
larged the  borders  of  this  feeble  Zion. 

Mr.  Woodworth,  now  invested  with  the  pastoral  office,  had  a  field  for 
eminent  usefulness.  An  inviolate  adherence  to  the  terms  of  adjustment 
effected  two  days  before  his  ordination,  was  a  dictate  alike  of  policy  and 
duty :  but  he  and  his  adherents  seem  to  have  thought  otherwise.  A 
meeting  of  the  society  was  called,  April  G,  1792,  which  voted  to  reconsider 
the  prior  vote  of  Jan.  1G,  by  which  the  tenure  of  the  society  par- 
sonage lot  was  changed,  and  that  Mr.  Woodworth  should  be  put  into  pos- 
session of  the  same  according  to  the  terms  first  agreed  on. 

The  society,  though  hitherto  divided  as  to  the  location  of  their  meeting- 
house, seems  to  have  acted  harmoniously  in  other  matters ;  and  nearly  all 
were  of  the  standing  order :  but  this  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the 
minister  and  his  adherents  produced  irremediable  discord.  Certificates 
of  withdrawal  began  to  be  handed  in  by  seceding  members,  most  of  wdiom 
connected  themselves  with  the  infant  Methodist  and  Baptist  churches  in 
the  vicinity.  Endeavors  were  made  to  recall  members  already  withdrawn, 
and  to  prevent  others  from  withdrawing,  by  an  offer  of  the  minister  to 
relinquish  a  portion  of  his  salary  for  the  five  coming  years,  but  without 
avail.  Secession  went  on  until  many  of  the  best  and  ablest  members  of 
the  church  and  society  had  identified  themselves  with  other  denominations. 

Notwithstanding  this  debilitated  and  distracted  condition  of  the  society, 
the  adhering  members  resumed  the  project  of  locating  and  building  a 
meeting-house,  as  the  only  means  of  sustaining  their  position.  They 
voted,  Sept.  14,  1792,  not  to  build  at  the  stake  established  by  law,  where- 
ever  that  might  have  been,  and  "  to  see  if  the  sosiaty  will  Be  willing  to 
Bild  a  meeting-house  at  the  senter  of  the  land  of  the  sosiaty,  allowing 
those  things  that  ought  to  be  considered  to  draw  from  the  same  its  due 
and  proper  weight ; "  then  followed  a  vote  to  build  on  "  a  certain  nole  of 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  353 

land  at  the  "West  end  of  Mr.  "Woodworth's  land,  as  near  the  town  line  as 
the  ground  will  admit  of;"  and  (hen  a  committee  of  nine  men  was  ap- 
pointed to  pitch  a  stake  and  apply  to  the  Assembly  to  establish  the  same. 
The  committee  thus  appointed  reported  to  an  adjourned  meeting,  October 
2,  as  follows : 

"To  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Society  of  Winsted,  convened  at  the  usual  place 
by  us,  the  2d  day  of  October,  1792 : 

"  Whereas,  we,  the  subscribers,  being  appointed  a  Com.  at  the  last 
special  meting,  to  fix  a  Stake  on  a  Sertain  Spot  of  Ground  near  the  town 
line,  so  called,  on  the  Rev.  Mr.  Woodworth's  lot,  at  the  most  convenient 
spot  to  erect  a  meating-house  for  the  inhabitants  of  said  society  near  tli3 
town  line,  in  consequence  of  our  appointment,  we,  on  the  above  said  2d 
day  of  October,  repaired  to  said  place,  and  after  taking  into  the  mosto 
mature  and  Deliberate  consideration,  all  those  matters  and  circumstances 
that  ought  to  be  considered  according  to  the  besl  information  gained  and 
our  ability,  we  are  of  opinion  that  the  Sartain  spot  of  ground  is  situated 
near  the  heighth  of  said  nele  upon  said  lot,  or  near  the  south  end  to  Beach 
Stake  and  Stones  cast  up,  to  be  the  most  convenient  and  commodious 
place  for  the  same,  and  have  fixed  the  above  said  stake  and  stones,  and 
marked  the  same  on  the  particular  spot  of  ground  which  we  have  estab- 
lished for  said  purpose,  the  day  and  date  above  certifyed  by  us,  the  day  and 
date  above." 

This  lucid  report  wa<=,  by  vote,  "excepted,"  and  measures  were  taken 
to  get  the  place  established  by  the  Assembly.  Measures  were  also  taken 
to  ascertain  the  size  and  length  of  timber  required,  and  to  see  bow  cheap 
they  could  pet  some  man  to  build  the  house,  and  a  tax  of  a  shilling  on  the 
pound  was  laid. 

The  Beach  Stake,  now  planted,  marked,  reported,  and  accepted,  was 
destined  to  stand.  A  day  was  fixed  for  the  people  to  meet  for  the  purpose 
of  finding  stone  and  laying  the  under-pinning.  It  was  also  voted  that  the 
people  will  find  cake  and  cheese  by  free  donation  for  refreshment  at  raising 
the  meeting-house. 

At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings,  another  attempt  was  made  to  conciliate 
"those  of  the  society  that  think  themselves  agreaved  as  to  giving  away 
the  society's  farm,"  &c,  by  submitting  the  matters  of  grievance  to  arbitra- 
tion, but  no  conclusion  was  reached.  The  meeting  house  was  raised,  cov- 
ered in  and  floored  in  season  for  the  Annual  Meeting,  Nov.  25,  1793.  It 
stood  on  the  south  border  of  a  grove  near  the  east  and  we-t  road,  between 
the  late  residence  of  Harris  Brown,  deceased,  and  the  old  country  road. 
It  was  5')  feet  long,  40  feet  broad,  and  two  stories  high,  without  tower  or 
steeple,  a  very  unpretending  and  short-lived  sanctuary.  No  traces  of  it 
now  remain  except  a  large  stone  horse-block.  It  was  sold  and  taken 
45 


354  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

down,  when  the  present  house  of  worship  was  first  erected.  Some  of  its 
timbers  were  worked  into  the  original  building  of  the  East  Village  Hotel. 
The  doings  of  the  Society  have  now  been  brought  down  to  1793,  a 
period  of  fifteen  years.  It  took  twelve  years  of  controversy  to  locate  a 
meeting  house,  and  it  might  have  required  a  dozen  years  more  had  not 
the  intervening  contest  about  the  settlement  of  a  minister  led  to  the 
withdrawal  of  some  twenty  members.  The  unfinished  church  opened  its 
doors  to  a  congregation,  small  in  numbers,  disheartened  by  long  dissen- 
tions,  and  unable  to  sustain  the  burdens  they  had  assumed.  The  records 
of  the  following  seven  years  indicate  the  quiet  of  exhaustion  rather  than 
the  prevalence  of  Christian  graces.  Taxes  were  more  easily  laid  than 
collected.  New  names  from  time  to  time  appear  on  the  records,  but  the 
accessions  brought  no  element  of  strength  to  the  Society  as  then  con- 
stituted and  located,  for  the  new  comers  were  mainly  from  the  Still 
River  valley,  now  filling  up  with  settlers  interested  in  a  transfer  of  the 
meeting  house  to  their  vicinity. 

Patient  endurance  of  the  burden  of  supporting  a  grasping  minister 
had  its  limit.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1797  it  was  voted  "  to  choose  a 
committee  of  five  to  treat  with  Rev.  Mr.  Woodworth,  to  see  what 
measures  can  be  come  into  on  account  of  the  burthen  the  Society  is 
under  as  to  paying  his  salary,  and  whether  he  is  willing  for  a  dismission 
or  not."  This  vole  was  followed  by  another  in  December  following,  "  to 
choose  a  committee,  with  power  to  agree  with  Rev.  Mr.  Woodworth  on 
his  dismission,  and  that  said  committee  allow  him  no  more  than  the  Society's 
former  contracts."  This  committee  arranged  with  the  pastor  that  the 
existing  connection  should  be  dissolved  at  the  expiration  of  the  year,  and 
that  the  Society  should  pay  and  confirm  all  contracts  with  Mr.  Wood- 
worth,  and  what  should  be  found  due  him  to  be  paid  or  secured  by  notes 
of  hand  on  demand.  It  was  also  voted  to  call  a  dismissing  council  on 
the  9th  of  January,  1798.  The  result  of  this  council  is  not  recorded, 
but  the  dismission  took  place  at  or  near  the  date  specified.  Mr.  Wood- 
worth  was  afterwards  settled  at  Whitestown,  near  Utica,  N.  Y.,  for 
several  years.     His  subsequent  history  is  unknown. 

In  January,  1799,  Rev.  Salmon  King,  after  preaching  as  a  candidate 
for  settlement,  received  a  call,  which  he  declined,  and  in  October  follow- 
ing a  call  was  voted  to  Rev.  Noah  Simons,  but  was  not  accepted. 

About  this  time  Rev.  Aaron  Kinney  was  employed  and  continued  to 
supply  the  pulpit  for  four  or  five  years. 

Hitherto  the  old  north  road  had  been  the  great  thoroughfare  of  travel 
for  the  adjoining  region,  and  a  large  portion  of  our  inhabitants  had 
settled  along  its  borders,  on  Wallen's  Hill,  and  northwestward  to  Cole- 
brook  line,  and  the  location  of  the  meeting  house  best  suited  their  con- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  355 

venience.  But  near  the  close  of  the  century  the  water  power  of  the 
Still  River  and  Mad  River  valleys  began  to  attract  manufacturers  to 
those  secluded  and  comparatively  inaccessible  regions.  The  Green 
Woods  turnpike,  a  shorter  and  far  more  level  line  of  travel  than  the  old 
road  over  the  hills,  was  opened  in  1799.  It  at  once  diverted  all  the 
long  travel  from  the  hill  road  and  opened  a  direct  access  to  the  valleys. 
Hamlets  grew  up  around  the  Doolittle  and  Austin  Mills.  The  Wallen's 
Hill  meeting  house  ceased  to  be  central,  and  it  became  apparent  that  the 
young  and  energetic  new  comers  of  the  valleys  were  soon  to  assume  the 
lead,  and  take  the  direction  of  Society  affairs  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
dispirited  and  exhausted  champions  on  the  Old  Country  road. 

In  July,  1799,  a  vote  was  carried  for  building  a  new  meeting  house 
by  subscription,  in  one  year  from  the  first  of  October  then  next,  where 
Captain  Charles  Wright  and  others  had  that  day  pitched  a  stake,  and  on 
the  7th  of  October  following,  Colonel  Hezekiah  Hopkins  of  Harwinton, 
Esq.  Elisha  Smith  of  Torrington,  and  Major  Jeremiah  Phelps  of 
Norfolk,  were  appointed  to  advise  as  to  the  location,  and  at  the  annual 
meeting  following  it  was  decided  to  build  the  house  where  this  committee 
had  put  a  stake  and  stones,  if  the  county  court  should  establish  the 
same. 

These  brief  votes  embrace  all  the  preparatory  measures  recorded  in 
reference  to  building  the  present  house  of  worship  in  the  east  village  of 
Winsted,  and  the  virtual  extinction  of  the  ancient  regime  on  Wallen's 
Hill.  New  men,  not  identified  with  old  controversies,  took  the  lead,  and 
effected  an  entire  renovation  of  the  Society. 

The  new  meeting  house,  particularly  described  in  the  following 
chapter,  was  raised,  covered  in,  and  floored  in  1800,  and  in  this  condition 
was  used  for  worship  until  its  final  completion  in  1805  ;  the  funds 
originally  subscribed  and  contributed  not  being  adequate  for  its  comple- 
tion, application  was  made  to  the  legislature  for  a  lottery  in  aid  of  the 
enterprise.  There  were  at  the  same  time  two  other  like  applications 
from  the  societies  of  Preston  in  New  London  County,  and  Canterbury  in 
Windham  County,  and  a  joint  lottery  was  granted  to  the  three  societies. 
They  were  jointly  represented  in  the  management  of  this  gambling 
scheme,  and  the  details  were  so  arranged  that  the  two  drawings  were 
allowed  by  the  Winsted  Society  to  be  made  in  Preston  and  Canterbury  ? 
in  consideration  of  some  equivalent  advantages  conceded  to  Winsted. 
As  a  result  of  these  arrangements,  the  two  eastern  societies  failed  to 
realize  any  profit,  while  Winsted  secured  about  six  hundred  dollars. 
With  this  sum,  and  additional  subscriptions,  the  interior  of  the  house  was 
finished  and  the  building  painted  in  1805. 

The  pulpit  of  the  new  meeting  house  was  first  supplied  by  Rev. 
Aaron   Kinney,  who  had  been  for  a  few  years  previous  the  minister  in 


356  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

charge  at  the  first  meeting  house  on  Wa'len's  Hill.  He  continued  his 
labors  two  cr  three  years,  and  then  removed  to  Alford,  Berkshire  Co., 
Mass.  Several  candidates  were  then  successively  employed  for  brief 
periods,  the  last  of  whom  was  Rev.  James  Beach,  who  received  a  pastoral 
call,  and  was  ordained  on  the  1st  day  of  January,  180G,  with  a  salary  of 
$350  a  year,  and  an  advance  of  funds  to  purchase  a  dwelling,  repayable 
in  installments  from  year  to  year.  His  pastorale  continued  until  his 
dismi-sion  in  1842.  His  ministerial  character  and  labors,  as  well  as 
those  of  Rev.  Mr.  Kinney,  are  referred  to  in  personal  notices  of  them 
in  their  order  as  incoming  citizens  of  the  Society. 

Mr.  Beach  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Timothy  M.  Dwight,  who,  after 
supplying  the  pulpit  until  February,  1844,  received  a  call  for  settlement, 
which  he  declined  ;  soon  after  which  Rev.  Augustus  Pomeroy,  after  sup- 
plying the  pulpit  for  two  or  three  months,  received  a  nearly  unanimous 
call  to  the  pastorate,  and  was  presented  to  the  consociation  for  approval 
and  installation  in  June  following.  After  a  long  and  searching  examina- 
tion on  the  question  of  approval,  it  was  found  that  there  was  a  majority 
of  one  in  the  united  body  sustaining  his  examination,  but  on  ana'yzing 
the  vote,  it  appeared  that  there  was  a  majority  of  two  of  the  lay  delegates 
sustaining,  and  a  majority  of  one  of  the  clerical  members  of  the  body 
non-sustaining  the  examination.  By  one  of  the  rules  of  the  body,  in 
case  of  non-concurrence  of  either,  the  clerical  or  lay  delegates  —  although 
there  should  be  a  majority  of  the  whole  —  in  case  of  a  call  for  the  appli- 
cation of  this  rule,  the  candidate  should  be  rejected.  The  call  was  made 
by  a  lay  member,  and  the  synodal  body  refused  to  install  the  candidate. 

Mr.  Pomeroy  continued  to  supply  the  pulpit  for  about  a  year  after 
this  result ;  near  the  end  of  which  the  church  dissolved  its  connection 
with  the  Consociation  ;  and  the  call  for  his  settlement  was  renewed  on 
the  19th  of  November,  1844;  but  the  majority  in  his  favor  being  essen- 
tially reduced,  he  declined  acceptance,  and  withdrew  to  another  field  of 
labor.  Wc  state  the  facts  of  this  case  in  the  briefest  possible  form,  with- 
out note  or  commentary,  save  that  the  grounds  of  objection  to  Mr.  Pom- 
eroy were  doctrinal  rather  than  personal,  and  that  his  Christian  character 
was  unquestioned. 

After  Mr.  Pomeroy,  several  other  candidates  filled  the  pulpit,  —  the 
most  prominent  of  whom,  and  the  longest  incumbent,  was  Rev.  John  D. 
Baldwin,  —  afterwards  member  of  Congress  from  the  Worcester  District, 
Mass.  After  his  departure,  Rev.  Ira  Pettibone,  from  York  Mills,  N.  Y., 
was  employed,  called  and  settled  early  in  1846.  He  continued  his  pas- 
torate until  measures  were  taken  for  the  formation  of  a  Second  Congre- 
gational Church  in  the  West  Village,  when  he  resigned,  and  engaged  in 
teaching  at  Cornwall.  His  resignation  was  not  occasioned  by  discontent 
or  dissention  in  the  Con  cremation. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  357 

In  1833,  fifty-one  members  of  the  church,  residing  in  the  West  Village, 
were  regularly  dismissed  in  order  to  form  themselves  into  a  new  church. 
They  were  immediately  thereafter  organized  as  "  The  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Winsted." 

In  February,  1854,  Rev.  Henry  A.  Russell,  a  graduate  of  Yale  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  was  called  and  ordained  to  the  pastorate  of  the  first 
church,  and  continued  his  ministrations  until  his  resignation  and  dismissal, 
Aug.  25,  18.38. 

On  the  30th  December,  1859,  Rev.  James  B.  Pierson  was  called;  and 
the  call  was  unanimously  renewed  in  May,  18G0,  and  he  Avas  ordained 
Nov.  14,  following.  His  ministrations  continued  until  his  dismission  in 
March,  18  02. 

Rev.  M.  McG.  Dana,  now  pastor  of  the  First  Cong.  Church,  Norwich, 
supplied  the  pulpit  from  May  11,  1862,  until  Dec.  25,  1864;  and  during 
the  intermediate  time  a  call  for  settlement  was  tendered  him,  which  he 
declined. 

In  January,  1SG7,  a  call  to  the  pastorate  was  tendered  Rev.  —  "Walker, 
and  accepted  by  him,  but  was  not  consummated  by  installation.  He  sup- 
plied the  pulpit  until  April,  18  GO.  Rev.  II.  E.  Cooley  afterwards  supplied 
the  pulpit  for  one  year,  ending  Sept.  1,  1870. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  1870,  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Miles,  the  present 
worthy  incumbent  was  called,  and  on  the  10th  of  November,  following, 
was  installed  as  pastor. 

The  centennial  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  Winsted  will 
occur  on  the  17th  day  of  March,  1878;  when  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  its 
birth  will  be  suitably  commemorated,  and  its  interior  workings,  its  periods 
of  depressions  and  revival,  —  its  diminutions  and  accessions  of  member- 
ship,—  the  merits  and  demerits  of  its  pastors,  office-bearers,  and  mem- 
bers, will  be  set  forth  in  due  order  by  a  clerical  hand. 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

VILLAGES  OP  WINSTED.— EARLY  ASPECT  AND  GROWTH. 

Until  1799,  the  territory  now  within  the  Borough  lines  of  Winsted  was 
mainly  a  wilderness,  with  fifteen  to  twenty  families  along  its  northern 
border.  A  road  had  been  brought  down  from  Old  Winchester  to  Austin's 
Mill,  near  the  outlet  of  the  lake  stream,  and  thence  down  the  hill  to  the 
new  forge  immediately  below.  Around  these  establishments  a  small 
hamlet  had  arisen.  From  the  east,  another  road  came  down  to  Doolittle's 
mill,  on  Still  River,  immediately  south  of  the  stone-arched  bridge. 

A  bridle-path  was  opened  near  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War 
running  eastward  down  the  hill  from  Austin's  Mill  to  the  depot  grounds 
of  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad,  thence  crossing  the  Lake  stream 
near  Meadow  Street  Bridge,  and  Mad  River,  where  the  Rockwell  tannery 
now  stands,  then  following  the  line  of  Hinsdale  street  easterly  to  Still 
River,  and  then  following  its  west  bank  northerly  to  Doolittle's  Mill. 
Subsequently  the  traveled  road  diverged  from  the  bridle  path  at  the  depot 
grounds,  and  crossed  the  river  at  the  present  Lake  Street  bridge,  and 
thence,  following  the  line  of  Main  street  northerly  some  fifty  rods,  turned 
northeasterly,  crossing  over  the  site  of  John  T.  Rockwell's  house,  and  re- 
joined the  original  bridle  path  near  the  old  school  house  of  the  Fourth 
District,  and  then  followed  its  line  to  the  Doolittle  mill. 

The  school-house  of  the  Fourth,  or  West  Winsted,  District  was  a  cen- 
tral point  where  the  Spencer  Street  road,  then  populated  with  nearly  twice 
as  many  families  as  at  present,  joined  the  Hinsdale  Street  road.  The  Coe 
Street  road,  then  largely  populated,  came  down  along  the  line  of  Indian 
Meadow  Brook  and  Mad  River  to  near  the  residence  of  Mrs.  Samuel  W. 
Coe,  where  it  turned  easterly,  and  passing  below  the  house  of  Sarah 
Loomis,  joined  the  Spencer  Street  road  near  the  school  house.  From  the 
Doolittle  Mill  a  road  ran  southerly,  east  of  Still  river,  towards  Torring- 
ford,  on  which  the  Potters,  Rogers,  Wheelers,  Rowleys,  Porters,  Knowl- 
tons,  Brainards  and  others  had  settled.  In  1799  the  old  Higley  tavern, 
still  standing,  immediately  south  of  Camp's  brick  block,  and  a  gambrel- 
roofed  house  on  the  site  of  Moses  Camp's  residence,  were  the  only  build- 
ings on  the  line  of  Main  street  between  the  bridge  crossing  Indian  Meadow 
brook,  and  the  Green  Woods  turnpike  bridge  crossing  Still  river.  With 
these  exceptions,  the  whole  area  of  the  borough  lying  south  of  Hinsdale 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  359 

street,  and  bordered  by  Mad  river  and  Still  river,  was  without  a  habitation 
and  without  a  road,  except  the  part  of  Main  street  between  John  T. 
Rockwell's  and  the  old  tavern  above  mentioned.  The  only  way  of  reach- 
ing Hartford  or  any  of  the  other  Eastern  towns,  from  the  Winsted  valley, 
was.  up  Wallen's  Hill,  by  way  of  the  Doolittle  Mill,  and  then  by  the  Old 
North  Road.  There  were  no  light  wagons  or  carriages  in  those  days ; 
and  if  there  had  been  any,  the  roads  were  too  rough  for  their  use.  White- 
wood  lumber  and  white-ash  oars  and  sweeps,  nearly  the  only  marketable 
products  of  the  forests,  were  carried  to  Hartford,  Windsor,  and  Wethers- 
field,  on  ox  carts  and  sleds.  Fat  beeves  and  hogs  for  the  West  India 
market  went  on  foot  to  tide  water  to  be  butchered  and  packed.  Every 
farmer  went  to  the  Connecticut  river  in  shad  time,  with  a  strong  empty 
bed  tick,  in  which  to  stow  away  his  year's  supply  of  fish,  and  bring  them 
home  loaded  across  his  horse's  back.  From  Old  Winchester  to  the  north 
end  of  New  Hartford  was  a  good  day's  journey.  With  a  good  horse, 
good  weather,  and  good  luck,  the  shad  fisheries  could  be  reached  in  another 
day.  If  the  shad  could  be  bought  for  a  copper  a-piece,  and  the  journey 
accomplished  in  five  days,  the  venture  was  considered  a  prosperous  one. 

In  this  state  of  things,  the  opening  of  the  Talcott  Mountain  and  Green 
Woods  turnpikes  was  an  event  as  auspicious  to  our  fathers,  as  was  the 
opening  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  to  their  children,  or  as  is  the  majestic 
march  of  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  trains  up  the  Norfolk  hills,  to 
our  present  community. 

The  Old  North  Road  avoided  the  water-courses,  and  sought  the  hill 
tops.  It  crossed  the  streams  at  the  foot  of  one  steep  hill  and  forthwith 
began  the  ascent  of  another,  sometimes  by  a  zig-zag  path.  The  turnpike, 
on  the  other  hand,  followed  the  line  of  the  Farmington  and  its  Pleasant 
Valley  tributary,  then  up  the  line  of  Mad  river  to  Norfolk  and  onward 
towards  Albany  by  comparatively  easy  grades  and  a  smooth  well  rounded 
roadway.  Entering  the  Borough  at  the  Still  River  bridge  in  the  south- 
east, it  penetrated  the  tangled  forest  of  hemlocks  and  ivies*  along  the 
bank  of  Mad  river  northwesterly,  and  gave  easy  access  to  the  present 
centre  of  business  and  population. 

From  the  Doolittle  Mill  another  road  was  at  once  extended  west  of 
Still  river  down  to  the  turnpike  ;  and  these  two  roads,  now  known  as  Main 
street  and  North  Main  street,  made  a  natural  connection  of  the.  two  ham- 
lets, and  formed  the  nucleus  of  our  consolidated  village,  The  level  area 
at  the  joining  of  the  two  roads  made  a  natural  and  convenient  centre  of 
population  for  the  renovated  church  and  society,  and  an  eligible  parade 
ground.  The  original  highway  was  laid  six  rods  wide  through  the  centre 
of  the  present  Green  Woods  Park,  and  the  new  meeting-house  lot  was 

*  The  misapplied  term  "ivy,"  has  so  long  been  used  to  designate  the  "caiinia" 
that  this  most  splendid  of  our  flowering  shrubs  is  almost  unknown  by  its  true  botani- 
cal name. 


3G0  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

loci  ted  on  the  west  side  of  the  highway,  extending  westerly  to  the  west 
border  of  the  Park,  and  southerly  to  the  turnpike.  The  house  fronted  on 
the  highway  and  extended  back  to  Woodruff's  confectionery  store.  It 
was  built,  floored  and  covered  in  1800,  a  year  after  the  opening  of  the 
turnpike  ;  and  was,  for  the  period  when  it  was  built,  the  best  proportioned 
and  finished  church  edifice  in  the  region.  The  interior  was  completed  five 
years  afterward,  in  a  style  of  the  then  modern  composite  architecture. 

For  its  day,  it  was  a  sightly,  well-proportioned  building,  with  tower  and 
cupola  at  the  east  end.  Its  inner  furnishing  and  adornment  was  pic- 
turesque. The  body  of  the  audience  room  was  occupied  by  three  aisles, 
with  high -paneled,  square  pews  of  unpainted  pine.  The  pulpit  was  an 
eight  square  tub,  supported  by  a  single  pillar,  standing  about  ten  feet  high, 
and  resembling  an  immense  goblet.  Narrow,  rectangular  stairs,  with 
elaborate  railings,  ascended  from  each  end  of  the  altar  to  half  the  height 
of  the  structure,  and  then  turned  toward  each  other,  and  met  at  a  two  and - 
a-half-foot  platform  in  rear  of  the  tub,  from  which  a  door  opened  to  receive 
the  preacher,  and  on  being  closed  a  seat  was  turned  down  for  him  to  sit 
on,  and  affording  scant  room  for  a  companion  to  sit  by  his  side.  The 
crowning  appendage  of  this  unique  structure  was  an  eight-square  wooden 
sounding  board,  suspended  by  a  half  inch  square  iron  rod  fastened  in  the 
arched  ceiling.  It  resembled  a  woolen  tassel  attached  to  a  frail  cord  in- 
capable of  sustaining  it.  It  vibrated  sensibly  with  every  motion  of  the 
aii',  and  fearfully  when  the  windows  were  open,  and  a  thunder  storm  im- 
pending. This  feature  gave  to  the  concern  an  element  of  the  sublime, 
which  modified  its  fantastical  character,  especially  in  the  eves  of  the  youth- 
ful worshippers,  whose  fears  of  the  demolition  of  the  minister  by  the 
breaking  of  the  imaginary  string  were  not  altogether  unreasonable. 

A  row  of  columns,  arranged  in  an  ox-bow  line,  supported  the  gallery, 
the  curve  at  the  east  end  of  the  room  being  opposite  the  pulpit  at  the 
west  end.  A  single  row  of  singer's  seats  went  around  the  entire  front 
line  of  the  gallery,  so  that  every  singer  could  see  the  majestic  swing  of 
the  chief  chori.-ter's  arm  as  he  bpat  the  time  from  the  center  of  the  arched 
line,  though  they  at  the  extreme  ends  could  but  faintly  hear  the  pitch- 
pipe.  A  narrow,  elevated  alley  ran  in  the  rear  of  the  singer's  sea's ;  and 
in  the  rear  of  this,  on  the  sides  of  the  house,  were  still  more  elevated 
pews,  furnishing  admirable  places  of  concealed  retirement  for  the  boys 
and  girls  who  chose  to  worship  in  a  more  cheerful  way  than  their  parents 
below  would  have  approved. 

In  rear  of  the  chorister's  seat,  and  falling  back  into  the  tower  of  the 
building  were  two  commodious  pews,  one  appropriated  to  the  class  of 
young  men  who  brushed  and  greased  their  upper  hair  into  a  high  pyra- 
mid over  the  forehead,  and  lied  that  which  de-cended  behind  into  a  pipe- 
stem  cue,  -who  wore  wide  projecting  ruffles  at  the  bosom,  and   Suwanow 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  361 

boots,  with  pendant  silk  tassels  at  the  knees,  and  magnified  their  strut  by 
anchoring  their  thumbs  in  the  arm-holes  of  their  waistcoats ;  and  the 
other  appropriated  to  the  young  women  who  wore  gunboat-bonnets,  well- 
displayed  bosoms  and  street-sweeping  skirts  or  trails.  By  what  rule  of 
selection  the  parties  were  dignified  to  these  high  places,  was  never  made 
known  to  the  compiler ;  but  according  to  his  best  recollection,  they  were 
mainly  composed  of  clerks  and  schoolmasters,  tailoresses  and  school- 
marms.  Into  these  pews,  compeers  of  their  occupants  from  neighboring 
parishes  were  ushered,  in  stately  form. 

As  the  congregation  increased  in  numbers,  the  two  gallery  pews  before 
appropriated  to  worshippers  of  the  colored  persuasion  were  needed  by 
their  white  brethren  and  sisters,  and  two  corner  pews  were  erected  over 
the  gallery  stairs,  for  the  special  use  of  the  colored  worshippers.  The 
position  of  these  pews  was  lofty,  but  the  access  was  so  difficult,  and  the 
honor  of  occupancy  so  dubious,  that  the  prayers  and  praises  of  the  sanc- 
tuary ceased  to  be  participated  in  by  the  African  race. 

The  parishioners  were  seated  in  the  lower  pews  by  an  annually  ap- 
pointed committee,  who  were  required  to  take  into  consideration  the  com- 
bined elements  of  age,  wealth,  and  official  position  in  assigning  seats  of 
honor  or  mediocrity.  This  heart-burning  method  of  seating  the  congre- 
gation grew  out  of  the  system  of  supporting  the  gospel  by  taxation,  and 
ceased  when  the  funds  were  raised  by  annual  sales  of  the  pews  by  auc- 
tion, about  1820.  In  Norfolk,  and  perhaps  some  other  neighboring  par- 
ishes, the  old  system  is  believed  to  be  still  retained. 

The  interior  of  the  house  retained  its  pristine  form  and  adornments 
until  1828,  when  the  pulpit,  sounding-board  and  all,  was  taken  down,  and 
a  less  pretentious,  but  more  convenient  one,  was  placed  at  the  east  end  of 
the  audience  room,  the  floor  was  laid  on  an  inclined  plane,  raising  it  some 
four  feet  above  a  level  at  the  west  end,  and  modern  slips  were  put  thereon 
which  faced  eastward.  In  the  gallery  the  aristocratic  front  pews,  and 
the  devil-possessed  side  pews  were  removed.  Rising  tiers  of  seats  for 
singers  occupied  the  place  of  the  former,  and  open  seats  along  the  walls, 
without  high  screens  to  hide  the  unruly  boys  and  girls  from  the  view  of 
their  parents  below,  were  erected.  The  untenanted  cock-loft  negro  pews 
over  the  stairs  were  left  intact.  In  1848,  the  house  was  removed  to  its 
present  site,  and  so  entirely  remodeled,  without  and  within,  that  only  the 
frame  of  the  original  building  remains.  The  interior  is  tastily  and  con- 
veniently arranged  and  furnished.  A  fine  toned  organ  has  recently  been 
purchased,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  and  placed  in  the  choir,  indicating  the 
prosperity  and  liberal  spirit  of  the  congregation. 

The  six-rod  highway  being  insufficient  for  a  parade  ground,  the  society 
purchased,  in  December,  1802,  a  strip  of  land   five   rods  wide,  extending 
northerly  on  the  east  line  of  the  highway,  to  near  the  Episcopal  Church, 
46 


362  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

"  to  be  forever  kept  for  a  public  parade."  About  the  same  time  a  strip  of 
land  was  purchased,  by  individuals,  on  the  west  side  of  the  six-rod  high- 
way, extending  north  from  the  north  line  of  the  meeting-house,  a  distance 
of  nine  rods,  and  with  a  width  of  fifty-four  feet,  for  the  purpose  of  erect- 
ing horse  sheds  thereon.  The  sheds  were  eventually  built  in  the  rear  of 
this  land,  opening  on  its  west  line  and  leaving  the  land  open  to  the  public. 
A  strip  of  the  same  width  was  some  years  after  thrown  open  to  the  pub- 
lic, extending  north  to  the  Holabird  premises,  thus  making  a  parade 
ground  about  fourteen  rods  wide  from  east  to  west,  and  twenty-five  to 
thirty  roods  long. 

From  the  Rock  House,  westerly,  to  the  Old  Tavern  in  the  West  Vil- 
lage, the  turnpike,  when  opened,  ran  through  a  nearly  unbroken  forest 
There  was  one  small  opening  on  the  flat,  where  some  unknown  person 
had  once  built  a  log  shanty,  which  had  then  been  abandoned ;  and  anoth- 
er a  little  north  of  High  street,  and  a  little  east  of  Elizur  B.  Parsons 
house,  where  a  log  house  once  stood,  of  unknown  origin.  We  have  re- 
ferred to  the  two  hamlets  around  the  two  mills  at  the  lake  outlet,  and  the 
stone  bridge  on  Still  River.  The  first  of  these  extended  down  the  hill  to, 
and  along  the  turnpike  at  Lake  street  bridge.  The  other  extended  south 
along  the  new  road  to  the  parade  ground  or  green,  and  the  contiguous 
Turnpike.  These  sections,  under  the  designations  of  West  street  and 
East  street,  became  separate  and  rival  villages,  whose  bitter  and  frequent 
contentions  about  Post  Office  location,  road  improvements,  and  business 
enterprises,  have  given  to  our  community  an  unenviable  notoriety,  and  to 
the  Post  Office  Department  a  constant  annoyance. 

The  extension  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  to  Winsted,  with  its  termi- 
nus intermediate  between  the  two  villages,  gave  rise  to  another  distinct 
village  on  "  the  Flat,"  which  has  expanded  in  each  direction,  so  as  to  unite 
with  both  of  the  rival  sections.  It  would  seem  a  natural  result  of  this 
physical  consolidation,  that  sectional  feelings  and  interests  would  have 
died  away,  but  as  yet,  old  animosities  and  new  causes  of  contention  have 
prevented  this  most  desirable  consummation. 


Jrtec  Zus^Z- 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

SETTLERS— FAMILY  RECORDS— SCHOOL  HOUSES  AND  SCHOOLS— STATISTICS. 
1801    TO    1811. 

The  Rockwell  Brothers — Solomon,  Reuben,  Alpha,  and  Martin  — 
were  engaged  in  the  iron  business  in  Colebrook,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century.  Their  works  were  on  the  stream  flowing  out  of  the  meadows 
at  the  center,  which  were  submerged  by  their  dam,  making  an  extensive 
pond  of  shallow  water ;  and  a  nuisance  was  generated  thereby  which 
caused  the  death  of  several  residents  of  the  vicinity  by  fever.  It  con- 
sequently became  necessary  to  lower  their  dam  and  drain  the  meadows 
in  order  to  disinfect  the  atmosphere.  This  rendered  the  water  power 
insufficient  for  their  works,  and  obliged  them  to  change  their  locality. 
In  1799  they  bought  the  Austin  Mill  and  water  power  from  the  lake 
outlet  to  Meadow  street  bridge,  except  the  Jenkins  &  Boyd  interest  in 
the  upper  forge,  and  in  1802  removed  one  of  their  Colebrook  forges  to 
the  site  of  Timothy  Hulbert's  present  Iron  Works,  and  a  few  years  after, 
built  another  forge  on  the  site  of  Lathrop  &  Barton's  Lake  Stream 
Cutlery  Woi'ks. 

Solomon  Rockwell,  Esq.,  came  to  Winsted  this  year,  and  took  up 
his  abode  in  the  house  built  by  David  Austin,  Jr.,  near  the  lake  outlet, 
and  continued  his  residence  there  until  the  completion  of  the  homestead 
of  his  after  life,  now  owned  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Jerusha  R.  Boyd. 

No  one  of  the  founders  of  our  village  made  a  deeper  impress  on  its 
institutions  and  moral  character,  or  did  more  to  increase  its  business  and 
stimulate  public  improvements  than  Mr.  Rockwell.  He  was  the  first 
justice  of  the  peace  in  the  Society,  and  was  the  foremost  in  all  measures 
of  public  and  benevolent  enterprise.  The  following  sketch  of  his 
character  was  drawn  in  substance  by  another  hand,  soon  after  his  death  : 

"  As  a  business  man  he  possessed  great  energy,  and  a  good  degree  of 
prudence  and  sound  discretion.  He  successfully  accomplished  most  of 
his  business  project*,  and  although  in  his  early  career  some  of  his  enter- 
prises were  attended  with  disasters  which  would  have  crushed  an  ordinary 


364  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 

man,  he  was  never  disheartened.  If  one  project  failed  he  tried  another. 
Experience  taught  him  prudence,  without  in  any  degree  diminishing  his 
energetic  and  sanguine  temperament.  He  was  a  man  of  integrity,  con- 
stitutionally and  from  principle,  and  was  liberal  and  generous,  without 
a  narrow  or  contracted  streak  in  his  character.  He  practised  hospitality, 
without  stint  or  grudging.  His  unwearied  cheerfulness,  his  genial 
humor,  and  exhaustless  fund  of  anecdote  made  him  the  favorite  of  old 
and  young,  wise  and  simple.  He  was  a  true  gentleman  of  the  old 
school,  a  puritan  of  the  puritans,  yet  liberal  and  catholic  in  his  religious 
views. 

"  His  profession  of  faith  in  the  Redeemer  was  made  after  his  fiftieth 
year,  and  his  subsequent  life  gave  witness  of  a  good  pi'ofession.  His 
faith  rested  not  in  abstractions,  but  was  manifested  in  works  of  love  and 
mercy.  After  the  prostration  of  his  body  and  mind  by  paralysis  his 
faith  knew  no  abatement,  but  shone  clear  and  tranquil  to  the  closing 
scene  of  life." 

In  May  1835,  while  present  at  a  fire  which  consumed  his  woolen 
factory,  he  was  struck  down  by  paralysis,  which  for  some  time  rendered 
him  helpless  and  speechless.  After  a  partial  recovery,  a  second  attack 
in  1838,  followed  in  a  few  weeks  by  a  third,  so  impaired  his  bodily  and 
mental  powers  that  death  was  a  messenger  of  mercy  rather  than  of 
judgment.     He  died  August  1,  1838,  aged  seventy-four  and  a  half  years. 

1801. 

Deacon  Alt-ita  Rockwell,  younger  brother  of  Solomon,  was  the 
first  male  child  born  in  Colebrook,  as  indicated  by  his  baptismal  name. 
He  came  to  Winsted  in  1801,  and  during  the  same  year  erected  his 
homestead  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Lake  streets,  where  the  Beardsley 
House  now  stands.  His  health  was  impaired  in  childhood  by  whooping 
cough,  which  permanently  affected  his  lungs  and  terminated  in  death  by 
consumption,  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his  age. 

Associated  in  business  with  his  more  versatile  and  sanguine  brother, 
Solomon,  his  vigilance  and  method,  and  his  skill  as  an  accountant  and 
financier  imparted  to  the  firm  the  qualities  essential  to  success  in  its 
varied  and  complicated  transactions.  No  two  brothers  ever  acted  more 
in  accord  with  each  other,  or  were  bound  together  by  more  sincere 
affection. 

As  a  member  of  society  he  was  active  in  promoting  education  and 
good  morals.  As  a  father,  husband,  and  brother  he  was  affectionate  and 
loving  beyond  most  men.  As  a  Christian  he  was  eminent  for  piety,  and 
zealously  efficient  in  furthering  the  interests  of  the  church  of  which  he 
was  a  member  and  office-bearer.  He  died  in  the  triumph  of  Christian 
faith,  June  1,  1818,  aged  50  years. 


^7e^. 


^^^^^^> 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  365 

Though  only  two  of  the  Rockwell  brothers  moved  to  Winsted,  yet 
descendants  of  four  of  them  are  now,  or  have  been,  residents  here,  while 
the  fifth  died  childless. 

Deacon  William  Rockwell,1  from  England,  came  to  Dorchester, 
Mass.,  in  1630,  thence  with  the  early  planters  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  where 
he  died  May  15,  1640.  He  married  in  England,  Susanna  Chapin,  born 
April  5,  1602,  who  married  (2d)  May  29,  1645,  Mathew  Grant,  and 
died  ?\  /euioer  14,  1666. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Joan,2  b.  England,  April  25,  1625  ;  m.  Jeffrey  Baker. 

II.  John,2  b.  England,  July  18,  1627. 

III.  Mart,2  probably  died  young ;  not  named  in  Mathew  Grant's  record. 

IV.  Samuel,2  b.  Dorchester,  Mass.,  March  28,  1631. 

V.  Ruth,2  b.  Dorchester,  August  — ,  1633;  m.  October  7,  1652,  Christo- 

pher Huntington,  and  among  her  descendants  is   General  Ulysses   S. 
Grant,  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
VI.  Joseph,2  date  of  birth  not  known  ;  d.  young. 

VII.  Sarah,2  b.  Windsor,  Conn.,  July  24,  1638  ;  m.  Walter  Gaylord. 

Samuel  Rockwell2  married,  April  7,  1660,  Mary  Norton  of  Say- 
brook,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Grace  (Wells)  Norton  of  Guilford, 
Conn. 

CHILDREN,  ALL  BORN  IN  WINDSOR. 

I.  Mart,3  b.  Jan.  18,  1662;  m.,  Oct.  23,  1683,  Josiah  Loomis. 

II.  Abigail,3  b.  Aug.  23,  1664;  d.  May  3,  1665. 

III.  Samuel,3  b.  Oct.  19,  1667  ;  m.,  Jan.  10,  1694,  Elizabeth  Gaylord. 

IV.  Joseph,3  b.  May  22,  1670;  m.  Elizabeth  Drake. 
V.  John,3  b.  May  31,  1673;  m.  Anne  Skinner. 

VI.  Abigail,3       b.  April  11,  1676;  m.  John  Smith. 

VII.  Josiah,3  b.  March  15,  1678;  m.,  Dec.  14,  1713,  Rebecca  Loomis,  of 

Lebanon. 

Joseph  Rockwell,3  "sarjant,"  m.  Elizabeth  Drake,  born  Nov.  4, 
1 675,  daughter  of  Job  and  Elizabeth  (Alvord)  Drake.  He  d.  June  26, 
1733,  aged  03  years. 

CHILDREN,  ALL  BORN  IN  WINDSOR. 

I.  Joseph,4  b.  Nov.  23,  1695;  m.  Hannah  Huntington. 

II.  Elizabeth,4  b.  Dec.  12,  1698. 

III.  Benjamin,4  b.  Oct.  26,  1700;  m.  Margaret  Drake. 

IV.  James,*  b.  June  3,  1704;  m.,  Nov.  7,  1728,  Abigail  Loomis. 

V.  Job,4  b.  April  13,  1709;  m.,  Jan.  20,  1736-7,  Miriam  Hayden. 

VI.  Elizabeth,4      b.  July  24,  1713;  m.  Jonathan  Huntington. 

Joseph  Rockwell4  married  Hannah  Huntington,  born  Norwich, 
Conn.,  March  25,  1693-4,  daughter  of  John  and  Abigail  (Lathrop) 
Huntington,  and  grand- daughter  of  Christopher  and   Ruth2  (Rockwell) 


366 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

She  died  of  small-pox 


Huntington.     He  died  Oct.  16,  1746,  aged  51 
Jan.  18,  1761,  aged  67  years. 


CHILDREN,    ALL    BORN    IN    WINDSOR. 


I.  Joseph,5 
II.  Hannah,5 

III.  A  son5  (twin), 

IV.  Jerusha5  (twin), 
V.  Jonathan,5 

VI.  Samuel,5 
VII.  Samuel,5 


b.  March  15,  1715-16;  m.  Anna  Dodd. 

b.  Dec.  25,  1717. 

b.  June  5,  1 720 ;  d.  same  day. 

b.  June  5,  1720. 

b.  May  2,  1723. 

b.  March  9,  1725-6  ;  d.  young. 

b.  Jan.  19,  1728;  m.  Hepzibah  Pratt. 


— ,  1775. 


Joseph  Rockwell5  married  Anna  Dodd.     He  died 

aged  60. 

CHILDREN,  ALL  BORN  IN  EAST  WINDSOR. 
I.  Anna,0  m.  Nathan  Bass. 

II.  John." 

III.  Elijah,6        b.  Nov.  14,  1744,  O.  S. ;  m.  Lucy  Wright. 

IV.  Mary,6  m.  William  Goodwin. 
V.  Jerusha.6 

VI.  Elizabeth.6 
.  VII.  Gurdon.6 
VIII.  Joseph.6 

IX.  Elihu,6  lived  in  Winchester. 


Samuel  Rockwell5  married  Hepzibah  Pratt,  born  hi  East  Hartford 
(date  unknown),  daughter  of  Jonathan  and  Mary  (Benton)  Pratt,  grand 
daughter  of  John  and  Hepzibah  Pratt,  and  great-grand-daughter  of  John 
Pratt,  one  of  the  original  members  of  Mr.  Hooker's  Cambridge  Church, 
and  an  early  settler  of  Hartford,  where  he  died  July  15,  1655,  leaving  a 
widow  Elizabeth,  and  sons  John  and  Daniel.  He  died  at  Colebrook  Sept. 
7,  1794,  aged  66.     She  died  ,  1814. 


I.  Samuel,6 
II    Timothy,6 
Canaan. 

III.  Solomon,6 

IV.  Solomon,6 
V.  Reuben,6 

VI.  Alpha,6 

town  ;  hence  his  name. 
VII.  Martin,6  b.  C. 

VIII.  Luman,6  b.  C. 

IX.  Hebzibah,6        b.  C. 


CHILDREN. 

b.  East  Windsor,  Feb.  18,  1759. 

m.,  1793,  Mary  Burrall,  of 
He  d.  Sept.  4,  1794,  aged  34  years,  s.  p. 
bap.  East  Windsor,  Oct.  3,  1762;   d.  young, 
b.  East  Windsor,  Jan.  20,  1764;  bap.  Jan.  22,  1764. 
b.  East  Windsor,  Oct,  1,  1765;  bap.  Oct.  6,  1765. 
b.  Colebrook,  Sept.  21,  1767,  the  first  child   born  in  the 


1772. 


d.  Nov.,  1777. 
d.  Nov.,  1777. 


Elijah  Rockwell6  married,  Jan.   19,  1775,  Lucy  Wright,  born  in 
Goshen,  Conn.,  Oct.  7,  1756,  daughter  of  Capt.  John  Wright.     He  was 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  367 

the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  and  the  life-long  town  clerk  of  Colebrook. 
She  died  at  Colebrook,  May  24,  1830.  in  her  74th  year.  He  died 
August  2,  1841. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucr,7  b.  June  8,  1776;  d.  April  2,  1778. 

II.  Elijah,7  b.  Nov.  9,  1  "77  ;  m.  Sophia  Ensign,  daughter  of  John. 

III.  Lucy,7  b.  Jan.  8,  1779;  m.  Aaron  Case  of  Norfolk. 

IV.  Theron,7  "  b.  June  5,  1782. 

V.  Anne,7  b.  Oct.  9,  1783;  m.  Joseph  P.  Hurlbut. 

VI.  Betsey,7        b.  Feb.  18,  1789  ;  m.  Dr.  Luman  Wakefield. 

Samuel   Rockwell,6  a  physician,  settled  in  Salisbury,  Conn. ;    after- 
ward  removed   to   Sharon,  where  he   died  June   24,  1836.     He   married 
1788,  Eunice  Canfield.     She  died  and  he  married 
(2d)  1798,  Hannah  Reed. 

CHILDREN  BY  FIRST  WIFE. 

I.  Hepzibah,7  m.  Nathaniel  B.  Gaylord. 

II.  John  Canfield,"  d.  at  Colebrook,  unm. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

III.  Mary  Ann,7     b.  Salisbury,  June  2,  1800;  m.  Aaron  Hawley. 

IV.  William,7  grad.  Yale  College  Law  School ;   lawyer  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ; 

Judge  of  Superior  Court  of  Kings  county  at  the  time  of  his  death :  m. 
Susan  Prince  of  Brooklyn. 

Solomon  Rockwell6  married,  July  2,  1800,  Sarah  McEwen,  born 
March  2,  1775,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Jerusha  (Doolittle)  McEwen. 
She  died  March  15,  1837  ;  he  died  Aug.  1,  1838. 

CHILD. 
I.  Jerusha,7  b.  March  28, 1803;  m.  Theodore  Hinsdale ;  and  (2d)  John  Boyd. 

Reuben  Rockwell,6  of  Colebrook,  born  in  East  Windsor  Oct.  1, 
1766,  married  Rebecca,  daughter  of  Col.  Bezaleel  Beebe  of  Litchfield. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Julius,7  grad.  Yale  College;  lawyer  at  Pittsfield,  Mass.;  representative 
and  senator  from  Mass.  in  Congress;  and  now  judge  of  supreme  court, 
Massachusetts. 
II.  Louisa,7  m.  Giles  H.  Bass,  of  Colebrook. 
III.  Bezaleel  Beebe,7  of  Winsted,  b.  Oct.  28,  1809  ;  m.  April  23,  1834,  Caro- 
line, daughter  of  Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale.  Children:  1.  Elizabeth,8  b. 
Jan.  8,  1836;  2.  Julia,8  b.  Oct.  13,  1838;  3.  Caroline  Rebecca,8  b.  June 
1,1840;  4.  Mary  Pitkin  Hinsdale,8  b.  Sept.  10, 1844;  5.  John  Hinsdale,8 
b.  Sept.  27,  1847  ;  d.  April  10, 1848  ;  6.  Kate  Louisa,8  b.  June  29,  1850 ; 
7.  Lilian,8  b.  Feb.  22,  1854.  He  resides  in  Winsted,  holds  the  office  of 
assistant  assessor  of  U.  S.  Internal  Revenue. 


368  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  Elizabeth,7  living  in  Colcbrook. 

V.  Rhoben,7  of  Colcbrook,  m.  Amelia  L.  Eno;  representative  and  senator  of 
Connecticut  legislature,  and  now  holds  the  office  of  collector  U.  S.  In- 
ternal Revenue,  Fourth  District  of  Connecticut. 


Alpha  Rockwell,6  married,  May  20,  1800,  Rhoda  Ensign,  born  in 

Salisbury, ,  1775,  daughter  of  John  and  Rhoda  (Lee)  Ensign. 

She  died  Feb.  25,  1817;  he  died  May  31,  1818. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Edward,7  b.  Colebrook,  June  30,  1801. 

II.  Samcel,7  b.  Winchester,  April  18,  1803. 

III.  Caroline,7  b.  Dec.  27,  1804;    m.  William  Lawrence,  of  Norfolk,  who 

d.  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  Feb.  22,  1867,  s.  p. 

IV.  Cornelia,7  b.  March  23,  1808;   m.,  Oct.—,  1838,  Osmyn  Baker,  of 

Amherst,  Mass.,  and  d.  Feb.  12,  1840,  leaving  one  child,  William  Law- 
rence,8 b.  Oct.  5,  1839;  "grad.  Dartmouth  College,  1858;  made  the 
tour  of  Europe,  1860;  was  commissioned  second  lieutenant  of  artillery 
in  the  regular  army,  August,  1861  ;  was  promoted  to  first  lieutenant, 
November,  1861  ;  was  in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Port  Republic,  Man- 
assas Heights,  Chantilly,  South  Mouutain,  and  was  killed  at  Antietam, 
Sept.  17,  1862,  aged  23  years." 

V.  Delia  Ellen,7  b.  Jan.  16,  1811  ;  m.   March  28,  1838,  Dea.  Elliot  Beards- 

ley,  b.  Monroe,  Conn.,  Dec.  26,  1801,  son  of  Elliot  and  Abigail  (Patter- 
son) Beardsley.  He  moved  from  South  Britain  to  Winsted  in  1840,  and 
engaged  in  business,  in  company  with  Theodore  Hinsdale ;  and  after 
the  death  of  the  latter  became  sole  owner  of  one  of  the  largest  manufac- 
turing establishments  in  the  Society,  and  managed  it  with  consummate 
ability  during  his  remaining  active  life.  Reticent  and  deliberate  by  na- 
ture and  habit,  he  minded  his  own  business  entirely,  yet  had  an  eye  on 
all  that  was  going  on  around  him,  and  participated  influentially,  though 
quietly,  in  public  affairs.  No  man  in  the  town  was  more  looked  to  for 
advising  and  giving  a  direction  to  all  measures  for  public  interest ;  and 
none  more  respected  for  purity  of  life,  religious  example,  and  earnest 
patriotism  ;  he  was  one  of  the  first  office  bearers  of  the  Second  Congre- 
gational Church ;  a  Director  and  President  of  the  Winsted  Bank ;  a 
Representative  of  the  town  and  Senator  of  the  15th  District  in  the  State 
Legislature,  and  held  various  other  offices.  The  war  of  the  rebellion 
opened  near  the  close  of  his  active  life ;  —  and  no  citizen  of  the  town  ex- 
ceeded him  in  energetic  and  persistent  efforts  to  aid  the  Union  Cause. 
A  slow  decay  of  his  physical  faculties,  and  eventually  of  his  mental 
powers,  clouded  the  last  years  of  his  life,  which  terminated  Jan.   19, 

1871.     Mr.  Beardsley,  by  a  former  wife, (Johnson),  had  a  daughter, 

Martha  E.,  b.  in  South  Britain,  Feb.  13,  1856,  now  living. 

CHILDREN  BT  SECOND  WIFE. 

1.  Edward  Rockwell,8  b.  Jan.  10,  1839;  grad.  Yale  College,  1859; 
m.  Jan.  10,  1867,  Emma  Adelaide  Watson,  b.  in  New  Hartford, 
Jan.  30,  1840;  has  twin  sons,  Elliot  Gay,9  and  Edward  Watson,9  b. 
June  4,  1868. 


\ 


t  cu/thjUsiJ 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  3(39 

2.  Cornelia,8  b.  July  27,  1840;  m.  Oct.  23,  1867,  Rev.  Samuel  Baker 
Forbes,  b.  in  Westborough,  Mass.,  Aug.  1,  1826,  son  of  Nahum  and 
Polly  (Davis)  Forbes;  hegrad.  Williams  College,  1855  ;  East  Wind- 
sor Theological  Seminary,  1857;  licensed  by  Hartford  Fourth  As- 
sociation, 1856  ;  ordained  at  Manchester,  Conn.,  Oct.  20, 1857  ;  dis- 
missed April,  1859  ;  resides  in  West  Winsted ;  his  one  child,  Henry 
Stuart,9  b.  June  16,  1871. 

3.  Sarah  Hinsdale,8  b.  Jan.  9, 1842 ;  m.  Oct.  13, 1868,  Eugene  Potter; 
she  d.  April  — ,  1871,  at  Lexington,  Mich.,  leaving  a  son,  Lawrence 
William,  b.  April  4,  1871. 

4.  Elliot,8  b.  Nov.  17,  1843 ;  d.  June  12,  1862. 

5.  Julia  Plummer,8  b.  Oct.  1,  1845  ;  m.  May  28,  1867,  George  F.  Bar- 
ton ;  hives  at  W.  Winsted ;  has  children,  Elizabeth  Nichols,9  b. 
April  4,  1869,  and  George  Elliot,9  b.  Dec.  19,  1870. 

6.  Theodore  Hinsdale,8  b.  April  13,  1851 ;  m.  June  15,  1870,  Alura 
Francis  Harrison,  b.  in  New  Milford,  Conn.,  Feb.  7,  1850;  has  one 
daughter,  Sarah  Harrison,9  b.  May  11,  1871. 

VI.  Rhoda,7  b.  Feb.  22,  1817 ;  m.  May  2,  1838,  Rev.  Clement  Long,  b.  in  Hop- 
kinton,  N.  H,  Dec.  31,  1807,  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Clement)  Long; 
Prof,  of  Int.  and  Moral  Philosophy  in  Wes.  Res.  Coll.,  O.,  1834-1852  ; 
Prof,  of  Christian  Theology  in  Auburn  Theol.  Sem.,  1852-1854;  Prof, 
of  Int.  and  Moral  Phil,  in  Dart.  Coll.,  from  1854  till  his  death,  at  Han- 
over, N.  H,  Oct.  14,  1861. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Mary,8  b.  in  Hudson,  0.,  June  8,  1839. 

2.  Samuel  Rockwell,8  b.  H,  April  25,  1841 ;  d.  Aug.  3,  1842. 

3.  Caroline  Rockwell,8  b.  H.,  Oct.  24,  1844. 

4.  Julia  Russell,8  b.  H.,  April  6,  1851. 

5.  Cornelia  Baker,8  b.  in  Auburn,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  5,  1853. 

Martin  Rockwell,6  of  Colebrook,  married  (1st),  Mary  (Burrall) 
Rockwell,  widow  of  his  brother,  Timothy  Rockwell,  deceased,  and  by  her 
had 

CHILDREN. 

I.   Eliza,7  who  m.  Rev.  Ralph  Emerson,  D.  D. 

II.   Timothy,7  who  lived  in  Winsted  until  1827,  and  thence  removed  toPaines- 
ville,  O.,  where  he  still  resides.     He  m.  Helen  Maria, 

daughter  of  Seth  Marshall,  Esq. 

III.  Mary,7  living  (1872)  in  Colebrook. 

IV.  Susan,"  m.  Rev.  George  E.  Pierce,  D.  D.,  minister  at  Har- 

winton,  Conn.,  and  afterwards  President  of  Western  Reserve  College, 
Hudson,  O. 
V.   William,7  m.  Maria  Roberts;  d.  at  Honesdale,  Penn. 
VI.    Charles,7  grad.  Yale  College ;  Chaplain  U.  S.  Navy;  clergyman. 
VII.   Charlotte,"  living  (1872)  in  Colebrook. 

He  married  (2d),  Lucy  (Beebe)  Robins,  who  survived  him  ;  he  died 
Dec.  8,  1851. 

Theron  Rockwell,7  married,  September  6,  1814,  Clarissa  Treat, 
born  in  Hartland,  Conn.,  September  6,  1788,  daughter  of  John  Treat. 
They  settled  in  Colebrook,  where  he  died  January  30,  1848. 
47 


370  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  James  Sidney,8  b.  Oct.  2,  1817;    m.  Nov.  11,  1844,  Catharine  A.  Corley ; 

lives  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Clara,9  b.  1847;  d.  1851. 

2.  Fanny,9  b.  April  17,  1850;  m.  Nov.  16,  1870,  James  Dunham  Carhart. 

II.  Henry  Edwards,8  b.  Feb.  12,  1824;   d.  May  20,  1825. 

III.  John  Treat,8  b.  Jan.  21,  1827. 

IV.  Annie  Clarissa,8    b.  Sept.  29,  1832;  m.  Sept.  28,  1854,  Frederick  Michael 

Shepard,  b.  in  Norfolk,  Sept.  24,  1827 ;  lives  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Annie  Rockwell,9  b.  June  7,  1856. 

2.  Frederick  Michael,9  b.  June  8,  1858. 

3.  Clara  Margaret,9  b.  Oct.  12,  1862. 

4.  Joseph  Minot,9  b.  Aug.  31,  1864. 

5.  John  Andrus,9  b.  March  15,  1869. 

Edward  Rockwell,7  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1821 ;  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  New  Haven  in  1825  ;  removed  to  Ohio,  and  was  Secretary 
of  Cleveland  and  Pittsburg  Railroad  Company  till  1867,  when  he  re- 
signed and  moved  to  New  York.  He  married  Matilda  du  Plessis  Salter, 
of  New  Haven. 

CHILDREN. 

I.    Sarah,8  b.  m.  John  M.  Isaacs,  Cleveland,  O. 

II.   Matilda,8      ;  b.  m.  George  E.  Kent,  N.  Y. 

III.  Cleveland,8  b.  Engineer  U.  S.  Navy. 

IV.  Edward,8        b.  d.  young. 

Samuel  Rockwell7  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1825 ;  admitted 
to  the  ministry  in  1828;  ordained  pastor  at  Plainfield,  April  11,  1832; 
dismissed  April  — ,  1841 ;  installed  pastor  of  South  Church,  New 
Britain,  January  4,  1843  ;  resigned  his  pastorate  June  20,  1858  ;  elected 
Representative  to  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut  in  1862  and  1869,  and 
Senator  in  1865;  Judge  of  Probate,  Berlin  District,  since  July  4,  1861 ; 
Treasurer  of  Savings  Bank  of  New  Britain,  from  its  incorporation  in 
1862.  He  married,  June  6,  1833,  Julia  Ann  Plummer,  who  died  April 
— ,  1838;  and  he  married  (2d)  May  5,  1840,  Elizabeth  Eaton,  of  Plain- 
field.  She  died,  and  he  married  (3d),  July  29,  1844,  Mrs.  Charlotte 
(North)  Stanley. 

CHILD    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 

I.   George  Plummer,8    b.  May  9,  1834. 

CHILD    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 

II.   Elizabeth  Eaton,8    b.  April  9,  1843;  d.  March  11,  1866. 

John  Treat  Rockwell,8  married,  December  14, 1853,  Harriette  Ann 
Burt,  born  April  19,  1830,  daughter  of  Miles   C.  and   Ann  (Mallory) 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS.  371 

Burt.  She  died  Oct.  24,  1855  ;  and  he  married  (2d),  Feb.  26,  1857, 
Mary  Ann  Hawley,  born  in  Sharon,  Conn.,  June  22,  1827,  daughter  of 
Aaron  and  Mary  Ann  (Rockwell)  Hawley  ;  she  died  June  5,  1859,  and 
he  married  (3d),  April  18,  1861,  Jane  Elizabeth  Arcularius,  born  in  New 
York,  May  14,  1828,  daughter  of  Andrew  Merrill  and  Eliza  Lucretia 
(Saltonstall)  Arcularius. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Annie  Mallory,9         b.  March  14,  1855. 
II.  Theron,9  b.  July  18,  1863. 

III.  Eliza  Saltonstall,9  b.  Jan.  2,  1867. 

IV.  James  Sidney,9  b.  July  18,  1868. 

Ezra  Rockwell,  this  year  bought  and  occupied  the  house  on  South 
street,  near  Torringford  line,  previously  owned  by  Jehiel  and  Mabel 
Burr,  which  he  sold  in  1803.     He  lived  in  the  town  some  years  later. 

Jacob  Chamberlin,  from  Colebrook,  this  year  bought  the  Israel 
Crissey  farm,  adjoining  Colebrook  line,  and  now  a  part  of  the  William  E. 
Cowles  farm,  which  he  occupied  until  1805,  and  then  returned  to  Cole- 
brook. 

Aaron  Loomis  owned  and  occupied  land  on  South  street,  near  Tor- 
rington  line,  from  1801  to  1806,  or  later.  He  was  b.  May  25,  1766,  son 
of  Ephraim  and  Jane  (Campbell)  Loomis.  He  m.  Feb.  12,  1789,  Anne 
Drake,  of  Windsor.     Their  children  were  probably  b.  in  Torrington. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Aaron,  b.  May  16,  1790. 

II.  Jane,  b.  March  11,  1792. 

III.  Laura,  b.  Feb.  17,  1794;  m.  Jan.  5,  L809,  Erastus  Hodges. 

IV.  Annes,  b.  June  23,  1797. 

V.  Alvan,         b.  Dec.  22,  1800.  [Loomis  Genealogy,  p.  111.] 

1802. 
Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale,6  [see  Genealogy  under  1799,]  from  Berlin, 
came  to  Winsted  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  and  resided  in  the  gambrel- 
roofed  house  that  stood  on  the  site  of  Moses  Camp's  present  dwelling. 
He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  had  made  arrangements  to  begin  the  world 
in  Western  New  York  ;  but  the  discovery  at  that  time  made,  of  the  tan- 
ning properties  of  hemlock  bark,  changed  his  plans,  and  he  came  here  to 
avail  himself  of  the  abundance  of  this  material  found  in  our  forests.  In 
company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Major  James  Shepard,  afterwards  of 
Norfolk,  he  built  the  tannery  at  the  corner  of  Spencer  and  Hinsdale 
streets,  the  last  vestiges  of  which  have  this  year  (1871)  been  obliterated, 
by  the  excavation  of  Mr.  J.  T.  Rockwell's  skating  pond,  where  he  did  a 
leading  business  for  some   thirty  years.     In   1810,  Major   Shepard  with- 


372  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

drew  from  the  concern,  and  it  was  conducted  solely  by  Col.  Hinsdale 
until  about  1845. 

Colonel  Hinsdale,  in  addition  to  the  tanning  business,  was  largely 
engaged  in  public  affairs,  "  swinging  around  the  circle  "  of  town  offices, 
and  trying  his  hand  as  grand  juror,  constable,  selectman,  assessor,  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  representative,  and  of  military  affairs  from  private  to 
colonel  of  cavalry.  He  was  also  for  several  years  a  deputy,  under 
Sheriff  Landon,  who  prided  himself  on  his  selection  of  a  staff  of  not  only 
able  but  portly  and  fine  looking  assistants,  thereby  sustaining  the  dignity 
of  the  county  magistracy.  He  closed  his  public  life  with  the  presidency 
of  the  Litchfield  County  Temperance  Society,  which  he  filled  with 
punctuality  and  ardent  zeal  for  seven  or  eight  years. 

His  social  qualities  were  of  a  high  order.  His  acquaintance  with  men 
of  the  county  and  state  was  extensive,  and  his  memory  of  events  accurate 
in  a  remarkable  degree.  At  ninety  he  could  recall  an  acquaintance  or 
event  of  early  days  with  the  readiness  of  a  young  man.  Like  most  of 
his  neighbors  he  was  a  reading  man,  well  posted  in  all  current  events. 
In  person  and  manner  dignified,  fluent  and  attractive  in  conversation ;  he 
was  the  chronicler  and  patriarch  of  the  village,  the  last  of  the  generation 
of  men  who  laid  the  foundations  and  controlled  the  destinies  of  our  com- 
munity. He  married,  March  2,  1798,  Elizabeth  Shepard,  born  at  Hart- 
land,  September  2,  1777,  daughter  of  Eldad  and  Rebecca  (Seymour) 
Shepard.     She  died  January  25,  1861.     He  died  October  21,  1866. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Elizabeth,7        b.  December  17,  1798;  d.  December  4,  1804. 
II.  Harriet,7  b.  September  25,  1801 ;  d.  December  10,  1804. 

III.  Julia,7  b.  November  14,  1805. 

IV.  Henry,7  b.  August  31,  1807. 

V.  Caroline,7  b.    July  19,  1811;    m.  April  23,    1835,  Bezaleel  Beebe 

Rockwell. 

VI.  Harriet,7  b.  December  6,  1813 ;  d.  October  7,  1816. 

VII.  John,7  b.  May  10,  1817. 

Henry  Hinsdale,7  married  October  13,  1834,  Jane  Coe,  born 
August  14,  1812,  daughter  of  Jonathan  Coe.  She  died  October  5, 
1839 ;  he  died  October  14,  1846. 

CHILD. 
I.  Harriet  Amelia,8        b.  October  22,  1835  ;  d.  June  1,  1842. 

John  Hinsdale,7  married  August  31,  1841,  Amanda  Malvina  Alvord, 
born  August  20,  1821,  daughter  of  Deacon  James  H.  Alvord. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Mart  Elizabeth,8    b.  March  18,  1848;   m.  June  19,  1867,  Robert   R. 
Noble,  b.  September  27,  1840;  had,  1.  Susie  Alvord,9  b.  April  9,  1868; 
d.  March  1,  1869  ;  2.  twins,  John  Hinsdale  and  Robert  Chamberlin,  b. 
Oct.  3,  1872. 
II.  John  Alvord,8  b.  October  22,  1858. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  373 

Colonel  James  Shepard  from  New  Hartford,  came  to  Winsted 
with,  or  soon  after,  Colonel  Hinsdale,  his  brother-in-law,  and  in  1803 
built  the  house  at  the  parting  of  Slain  and  Spencer  streets,  afterwards 
the  life-long  homestead  of  Colonel  Hinsdale,  with  whom  he  was  associ- 
ated in  the  tanning  business  until  1810,  when,  in  company  with  Asahel 
Miller,  he  built  the  original  tannery  on  the  site  of  the  present  establish- 
ment of  George  Dudley  &  Son. 

In  1815  he  removed  to  Norfolk,  where  he  resumed  the  tanning  busi- 
ness for  a  few  years,  and  afterwards  became  a  highly  respected  tavern 
keeper  and  stage  owner.     He  married  Abigail  Andrus,  and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John  Andrus,  b.  July  15,  1802. 

II.  Laura  Seymour,  b.  March  19,  1804. 

III.  James  Hutchins,  b.  August  11,  1806. 

IV.  Jerusha  Treat,  b.  September  27,  1808;  m.  A.  E.  Dennis. 

V.  Samuel,  b.  December    10,    1812;    m.   —  Dennis;   kept  the 

Beardsley  House  for  several  years  ;  d.  Norfolk,  January  14,  1872. 

Jesse  Clark  became  a  resident  of  Winchester  this  year.  He  owned 
and  lived  until  1837,  on  the  farm  on  Wallen's  Hill,  which  he  then  sold 
to  Elisha  Kilbourn,  and  moved  into  Barkhamsted,  where  he  died 
December  17,  1853,  aged  76.  His  wife  died  December  11,  1849,  aged 
72.  His  parents  were  Paul  Clark,  born  August  29,  1750  ;  died  March 
1,  1804,  and  Sarah  Wheeler,  born  March  28,  1754 ;  died  August  14, 
1829. 

He  married,  November  26,  1801,  Lydia,  daughter  of  Elisha  and 
Esther  Mallory. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Nathan  Wheeler,  b.  April  25,  1803. 

II.  Orlando  Mallort,  b.  March  11,  1805;  d.  November  7,  1807. 

III.  Esther,  b.  March  9,  1807. 

IV.  Amasa,  b.  March  24,  1809;  d.  December  8,  1809. 
V.  Zatda,  b.  October  18,  1810. 

VI.  Betsey,  b.  December  24,  1812;  m.  October  5,   1848,  George 

E.  Shelton  ;  d.  March  17,  1850. 
VII.  Sarah  Ann,  b.  April  8,  1815 ;  d.  October  16,  1817. 

VIII.  Orlando,  b.  December  25,  1820. 

IX.  John  Benjamin,  b.  April  20,  1820;  d.  March  20,  1842. 

Nathan  Wheeler  Clark,  oldest  child  of  Jesse  and  Lydia,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  town  from  birth,  resides  on  Wallen's  Hill,  near  his  father's 
old  residence.  He  married,  June  5,  1830,  Rebecca  Cordelia  Dickinson, 
born  November  7,  1805. 

children. 

I.  Lucius  Wadsworth,    b.  September  19,  1831. 
II.  John  Benjamin,  b.  April  14,  1834. 


3Y4  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

III.  Emma  Harriet,  b.  March  22,  1836. 

IV.  Burton  Mallort,  b.  October  11,  1838;  d.  December  7,  1840. 

V.  Mart  Betset,  b.  December  2,  1840. 

Orlando  Clark,  eighth  child  of  Jesse  and  Lydia,  removed  with  his 
father  to  Barkhamsted,  where  he  still  resides.  He  married,  November 
30,  1852,  Melissa  Race,  born  June  25,  1821. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Alrert  Mallort,  b.  October  12,  1843. 

II.  Sarah  Ann,  b.  December  21,  1844. 

III.  George  Orlando,  b.  August  17,  1848. 

IV.  Geougiana  Melissa,  b.  August  17,  1848. 

V.  Miles  Belden,  b.  July  31,  1851 ;  d.  September  5,  1853 

Salmon  Burr  from  Torrington,  this  year  came  to  Winsted,  where  he 
built  and  occupied  the  brick  dwelling  on  the  west  side  of  South  street, 
now  owned  by  Hilamon  Fyler,  until  his  death,  December  19,  1851,  at  the 
age  of  77 ;  a  man  of  retiring  manner  and  sterling  worth.  He  married 
Mary  Ensign,  born  September  8,  1776;  died  December  29,  1846. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Maria,        b.  February  17,  1799;  m.  November  29,  1820,  Ansel  Shattuck ; 
d.  July  29,  1840. 
II.  Rufus,         b.  December  17,  1800 ;  m.  May  10,  1828,  ,  daughter  of 

Barzillai  Hudson  of  Tor. 

III.  Samuel,       b.  September  22,  1802;  m.  February  22,  1831,  Louisa  Flowers. 

IV.  Wilson,       b.  April  11,  1804;  m.  May  5,  1829,  Morinda  Cadwell. 

V.  Mart,  b.  June  12,  1806  ;  m.  May  11,  1827,  Porter  Gibbs;  d.  November 

23,  1835. 

VI.  Rhoda,  b.  January  11,  1808  ;  m.  George  Ransom. 

VII.  Sarah,  b.  March  2,  1810 ;  m.  February  22,  1831,  Anson  H.  Stuart. 

VIII.  Willard,     b.  February  8,  1812  ;  m.  September  1,  1843,  Sarah,  daughter 
of  George  Burr. 
IX.  Huldah,       b.  May  21,  1814  ;  m.  October  5,  1834,  Luman  Smith. 
X.  Harmon  Ensign,     b.  November  13,  1818 ;  m.  May  1,  1849,  Ann  Squire. 
XI.  Charlotte,    b.  October  3,  1820  ;  m.  June  29,  1839,  Erasmus  N.  Ransom. 

Jacob  Seymour,  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  this  year  bought  the  land 
around  the  new  meeting  house,  now  constituting  the  larger  portion  of 
the  east  village,  and  lived  in  a  dwelling  that  stood  on  the  site  of  Normand 
Adams'  store.  He  sold  out  his  purchase  in  a  few  years,  and  subse- 
quently lived  in  the  old  hemlock  building  then  standing  at  the  north 
corner  of  Hiusdale  and  North  Main  streets.  He  left  the  town  about 
1810.  The  first  gravestone  in  the  central  burying  ground  was  erected 
by  him  over  the  remains  of  a  deceased  child. 

John  Seymour,  brother  of  Jacob,  also  lived  in  the  Society  for  a  few 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  375 

years    at    this    period,   and   became   part   owner   of    the   east    village 
property. 

John  Phillips,  an  iron  refiner,  of  Welsh  extraction,  came  into  the 
employ  of  the  Rockwell  Brothers  this  year,  or  earlier,  and  lived  in  the 
rear  wing  of  the  house  on  Lake  street,  adjoining  the  carriage  entrance  to 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Boyd's  premises.  He  had  a  son,  William,  who  lived  in 
the  same  dwelling  until  his  death,  February  26,  1817,  leaving  a  son, 
William  S.,  born  December  22,  1816,  who  lived  in  this  Society  from 
1846  to  the  time  of  his  death,  aged  41  years.  He  was  trained  to  business 
in  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  where  his  widowed  mother  resided  until  her  death, 
and  came  here  as  a  partner-in-trade  with  his  brother-in-law,  David  A. 
Rood,  now  of  Hartford.  He  built  the  house  now  occupied  by  his  widow, 
at  the  head  of  Spring  street,  where  he  died  of  dysentery,  August  19, 
1860.  He  was  a  retiring,  exemplary,  kind-hearted,  Christian  man< 
highly  esteemed,  and  sincerely  lamented.  He  marrhd  June  10,  1844, 
Frances  Slocum  Hamilton,  born  in  Tolland,  Mass.,  February  2,  1822, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Maria  (Slocum)  Hamilton.  She  in  died  Otis 
Mass.,  May  13,  1845  (leaving  a  son,  William  Henry,  born  March  30, 
1845,  who  died  January  14,  1846).  He  married  (2d)  October  18,  1847, 
Harriette  J.  Rood;  she  died  Winsted,  July  31,  1848,  aged  23  years,  s.  p., 
and  he  married  (3d)  March  18,  1850,  Ellen  Amantla  Griswold,  daughter 
of  Roswell  and  Jerusha  (Grant)  Griswold. 

children. 

I.  William  Banister,     b.  February  16,  1853. 
II.  Mart  Louise,  b.  April  29,  1857. 

The  other  children  of  William  Phillips  were  Aurelia,  who  died  unmar- 
ried, Semantha,  born  February  11,  1805,  now  living  in  Winsted 
unmarried,  Emeline,  wife  and  widow  of  Lemuel  K.  Strickland,  Esq., 
late  of  Sandisfield,  deceased,  and  Clarissa,  wife  of  Carlton  Hayden. 

Thomas  R.  Bull  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  worked  with  his 
brother,  Merritt  Bull,  in  a  blacksmith  shop,  afterwards  burned  down, 
that  stood  near  the  premises  of  G.  W.  Gaston  on  Main  street.  He 
afterwards  moved  to  Colebrook,  from  whence  he  returned  in  1810,  and 
bought  the  old  Jenkins  &  Boyd  Scythe  Works,  and  lived  in  the  house  on 
the  top  of  the  knoll  east  of  the  parsonage  house  of  Mr.  Beach.  In  1816 
he  bought  an  interest  in  the  Cook  forge,  which  proved  an  unfortunate 
investment,  bringing  him  to  poverty,  in  spite  of  his  untiring  industry  and 
frugal  habits.     He  died  November  6,  1829,  aged  49. 

He  married,  April  3,  1806,  Diantha,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Rowley,  by 
whom  he  had 


376  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Celestia,  a  deaf  mute,  who  m.  Isaac  Davis. 

II.  Mart,  m.  Lucius  Phelps. 

III.  Clorinda,  m.  Lemuel  Munson 

IV.  Jane,  m.  James  Gilman. 
V.  Catharine  M.,  m.  —  Clapp. 

VI.  Thomas. 

Timothy  Persons  came  into  the  town  this  year,  and  continued  a 
resident  until  about  1807,  when  he  moved  to  Colebrook  river,  where  he 
carried  on  a  tannery  until  his  death,  a  hard-working,  honest  man.  He 
married  Lucy  Davis  of  Winsted. 

Alpheus  Persons,  brother  of  Timothy,  came  here  about  the  same 
time  with  his  brother,  and  left  the  town  with  him,  moving  to  North 
Colebrook,  and  carrying  on  a  tannery  there  during  his  remaining  life. 
He  died  in  August,  1858,  aged  72.     His  wife  died  in  1821,  aged  32. 

He  married  in  1810,  Sally  Davis,  sister  of  Lucy  aforesaid.  Their  son, 
Wing  Persons,  came  to  Winsted  in  1851,  and  has  since  resided  here, 
living  on  the  north  side  of  Hinsdale  street,  adjoining  the  graded  school 
building.  He  married,  in  August,  1843,  Flavilla,  daughter  of  Travis 
Phillips  of  Colebrook. 

children. 

1.  Benjamin  Franklin,     b.  January  8,  1844. 

2.  Grace,  b.  July  6,  1851. 

3.  Charles,  b.  June,  1865. 


1803. 

With  the  year  1803  the  personal  reminiscences  of  the  compiler  begin. 
The  Green  Woods  turnpike  then,  as  now,  ran  along  the  easterly  and 
northerly  border  of  Mad  River,  from  Coe  street  to  Chestnut  street.  The 
green,  or  east  village  park,  and  the  road  northward,  now  constituting 
North  Main  street,  had  been  recently  laid  out,  and  was  cleared  in  its 
whole  extent.  At  the  south  end  of  the  park  was  a  gravel  knoll  of  eight 
or  ten  feet  elevation,  and  to  the  west  of  it,  about  opposite  Woodruffs 
confectionery  store,  was  a  sink  hole  or  frog  pond,  depressed  to  the  level 
of  the  river  channel,  which  was  soon  after  partially  filled  with  flood-wood 
logs  from  the  river,  which  were  covered  over  at  successive  "  spells  "  by 
plowing  the  knoll  and  spreading  the  gravel  on  them,  until  the  depression 
and  elevation  were  graded  to  one  level. 

The  level  land  north  of  the  lake  stream,  through  which  Meadow  street 
now  runs,  was  an  unbroken  forest ;  so  also  was  the  westerly  and  southerly 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  377 

border  of  Mad  River  from  near  Lake  street  to  Still  River,  the  meadow 
land  south  of  the  east  village  being  an  impenetrable  morass  covered  with 
timber,  where  the  flood-wood  of  Mad  River  had  lodged  and  accumulated 
to  such  a  degree  that  in  time  of  winter  and  spring  floods  the  road  above 
the  creek  bridge  would  be  submerged  and  covered  by  broken  ice,  not 
unfrequently  to  a  depth  of  six  feet,  rendering  it  impassable  until  the 
water  subsided,  and  the  cakes  of  ice  could  be  removed  from  the  road 
path.  The  hill  lands,  encircled  on  three  sides  by  Main  and  North 
Main  streets,  and  bordering  Hinsdale  street,  were  an  unbroken  forest, 
save  at  points  where  houses  had  been  erected.  A  part  of  the  flat  had 
been  cleared,  but  the  aboriginal  stumps  remained,  only  partially  decayed. 

On  Lake  street  stood  nearest  the  lake  outlet  the  one  and  a  half  story 
house  built  by  David  Austin,  Jr.,  and  then  occupied  by  Solomon  Rockwell 
and  his  recently  married  wife.  Next  northerly  on  the  east  side  of  the 
street  was  the  two-story  lean-to  hou^e  built  by  Deacon  David  Austin  and 
then  occupied  by  the  miller  and  one  or  two  other  families.  Next  northerly 
stood  the  Daniel  Wilcox  house,  immediately  west  of  which  Rockwell 
street  now  runs.  The  Lake  street  road  then  ran. directly  down  the  hill  in 
front  of  this  house,  and  has  since  been  swung  around  to  the  north  for  ease 
of  grade. 

The  lake  stream  was  then  conducted  by  a  canal  easterly  across  the 
street  opposite  the  lean-to  house  and  then  on  the  east  border,  to  near  the 
Wihox  house  where  it  again  crossed  back,  and  poured  its  waters  on  the 
wheels  of  the  old  Austin  Mill,  which  stood  where  the  road  now  runs,  a 
little  below  the  Henry  Spring  Company's  works.  On  the  westerly  side 
of  the  road,  immediately  below  the  first  canal  crossing,  stood  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  dish  mill,  and  below  the  corn  mill,  a  clothn  r's  shop,  fulling  mill 
and  carding  mill.  A  dwelling  house,  soon  after  this  period  burned  down, 
stood  below  and  adjoining  the  clothier's  shop.  There  was  another  dish 
mill  where  the  Beard-ley  company's  grinding  shop  now  stands.  Below 
this  stood  the  old  original  forge  where  the  Winsted  Company's  grinding 
works  now  stand,  and  "the  middle  forge"  then  recently  erected  by  the 
Rockwells  and  now  rebuilt  and  owned  by  Timothy  Hulbert.  Around 
these  forges  were  three  tenements  for  workmen,  and  two  others  stood  on 
Lake  street. 

On  the  depot  grounds  of  the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Company 
stood  the  oldest  store  building  within  ih%  borough  limits,  built  before  1800 
by  Thomas  Spencer,  Jr.,  and  Hewitt  Hills.  Below  the  middle  forge 
stood  a  saw  mill,  on  the  site  of  which  "  the  lower  forge  "  was  built  a  few 
years  after  by  the  Rockwell  Brothers.  On  the  next  privilege  stood  the 
scythe  works  of  Meritt  Bull,  this  year  completed,  where  the  stone  shop  of 
the  Winsted  Hoe  Co.,  adjoining  Meadow  Street  bridge,  now  stands.  Be- 
low this  on  the  northerly  side  of  Lake  6treet,  immediately  east  of  Meadow 
48 


378  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

street,  was  James  Boyd's  scythe  works ;  and  nearly  opposite  them  stood 
and  now  stands  the  gambrel-rooted  store-building,  that  year  erected  by 
Mr.  Kirkum. 

On  the  turnpike,  or  Main  street,  there  stood  an  old  house  on  the  site 
of  George  Dudley's  residence,  occupied  by  David  West.  The  next  house 
was  erected  and  afterwards  occupied  during  his  life  by  James  Boyd,  and 
now  owned  by  John  T.  Rockwell.  The  next  house  was  built  in  1802  by 
Deacon  Alpha  Rockwell  on  the  site  of  the  Beardsley  House.  The  Lyman 
&  Lewis  store-building  stood  on  the  site  of  Moses  Camp's  dwelling  until 
taken  down  and  re-erected  about  1842  on  Prospect  street  and  now  owned 
by  Benjamin  Lawrence.  On  the  south  corner  of  Main  and  Lake  streets 
stood  the  small  gambrel-roofed  store  built  two  years  earlier  by  Bissell 
Hinsdale.  Next  south  of  this  stood,  and  still  stands,  the  old  Higby  tavern  ; 
and  beyond  this,  on  the  site  of  Weed's  block,  the  gambrel-roofed  Kirkum 
dwelling.  From  this  point  to  the  new  meeting-house  in  the  east  village, 
not  a  single  building  had  been  erected  on  either  side  of  the  road,  except 
the  store  now  occupied  by  T.  Baird.  There  had  been  a  log  house  on  the 
fiat  and  another  on  High  Street  hill,  but  both  had  disappeared. 

In  the  East  Village  the  original  hotel  building  had  been  raised  and 
covered,  and  a  small  dwelling  or  shop,  stood  on  or  near  the  Normand 
Adams  store  site,  and  a  coarse  hemlock  covered  dwelling,  built  by  one  of 
the  Potters,  stood  behind  the  ancient  elm  tree  at  the  corner  of  North  Main 
and  Hinsdale  streets.  There  was  a  small  opening  in  the  woods  through 
which  Hinsdale  street  ran,  near  the  residence  of  John  G.  Wetmore,  on 
which  stood  a  small  log-house  occupied  by  a  shoemaker  named  Henry 
Sanford.  Around  the  Doolittle  mill,  on  the  east  Aving  of  the  clock-factory 
dam,  stood  the  Jesse  Doolittle  dwelling,  afterwards  owned  by  Asaph 
Pease,  and  now  removed,  nearly  in  front  of  the  new  James  G.  Woodruff 
house,  on  the  west  side  of  the  North  Main  Street  road,  as  it  then  ran. 
North  of  this,  on  the  same  side  of  the  road,  stood  a  small  house  occupied 
by  the  miller ;  and  still  further  north  another  small  house,  which  was 
afterwards  removed  to  the  top  of  the  high  knoll,  beneath  which  it  before 
stood.  Opposite  this  house,  on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  stood,  and 
still  stands,  the  double  house  of  Jenkins  &  Boyd,  afterwards  the  parsonage 
house  of  the  late  Rev.  James  Beach,  in  which  the  compiler  was  born. 

The  district  school-house  of  the  West  District  was  a  building  of  dubious 
age  and  color  on  the  site  of  the  long  one-story  school-house  standing  west 
of  the  newly  erected  Graded  school  edifice.  The  Coe  Street  road,  Spen- 
cer Street  road,  and  Hinsdale  Street  road  concentrated  at  that  point ;  and 
it  was  reached  from  Lake  street  by  way  of  the  new  turnpike. 

On  the  now  discontinued  road  on  the  east  side  of  Still  River  stood,  and 
now  stands,  in  a  ruinous  condition,  the  Nathan  Wheeler  house,  with  a 
floating  foot  bridge  crossing  the  river,  and  two  other  houses  near  the 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  379 

Turnpike  bridge,  which  have  since  disappeared.  The  Widow  Hall  house 
at  the  parting  of  the  turnpike  and  the  Torringford  road,  had  been  recently 
built  for  a  tavern  by  Benjamin  Wheeler,  who  kept  the  only  post-office  in 
the  town. 

The  elms  around  the  East  Village  Park  were  set  out  this  year  and  were 
probably  the  first  transplanted  shade  trees  in  the  society,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  occasional  willow.  Most  unfortunately  for  New  England,  the 
spiky  Lombardy  poplar  was  first  imported  about  this  period,  and  gained 
a  most  unaccountable  popularity.  Its  easy  propagation  by  slips,  of  rapid 
growth,  and  its  singular  though  graceless  form,  gave  to  it  almost  universal 
favor.  It  had  a  run  of  a  whole  generation  to  the  almost  entire  exclusion 
of  our  beautiful  native  shade  trees.  Fortunate  indeed  were  the  older 
villages  which  had  reared  their  wide  branching,  majestic  elms  before  this 
graceless  and  short-lived  tree  gained  a  footing  among  us. 

On  the  subsidence  of  the  Lombardy  poplar  mania,  the  rock-maple 
found  general  favor  by  reason  of  its  cleanliness  and  depth  of  shade, 
rather  than  the  grace  and  majesty  of  its  matured  form.  The  elm, 
though  somewhat  later  in  its  introduction,  has  proved  itself  a  more  rapid 
grower  and  a  more  hardy  tree.  None  of  ours  away  from  the  East  Park 
have  yet  attained  the  maturity  of  size  which  developes  their  full  grace 
and  majesty ;  yet  the  large  number  now  in  process  of  healthy  growth. 
give  assured  promise  of  a  beautiful  town  in  the  future,  in  spite  of  its  ill 
proportioned  and  comfortless  residences. 

For  the  edification  of  the  antiquary  of  nineteen  hundred  and  three,  — 
in  the  event  of  a  copy  of  these  annals  reaching  his  hands  —  we  here  note 
the  date  of  transplantation  of  some  of  the  trees  now  standing  on  Main 
and  Lake  streets,  as  follows  : 

The  elms  around  the  East  village  Park,  as  already  stated,  in  1 803  ;  — 
and  those  in  the  vicinity  on  Main  street  perhaps  a  year  later ;  —  the 
maples  around  the  Solomon  Rockwell  place  on  Lake  street,  and  in  front 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  about  1818.  The  elms  in  front  of  the  E. 
S.  Woodford  place  about  1825,  and  those  fronting  Moses  Camp's  place 
about  1830;  those  in  front  of  the  Winsted  Savings  Bank  and  the  S.  W. 
Coe  store,  in  1832. 

Of  the  seedling  elms  along  the  bank  of  Mad  River,  which  may  be 
known  by  their  irregular  positions,  probably  not  one  had  sprung  up  be- 
fore the  opening  of  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  in  1799. 

In  recalling  Winsted  as  it  was  in  its  infancy,  memories  of  the  West 
village  school  house  and  its  occupants  crowd  upon  us.  It  was  there  that 
we  this  year  began  to  ascend  the  hill  of  science,  seated  on  one  of  the  slab 
benches,  supported  by  four  rough-hewn  legs,  —  without  backs,  —  and  a 
little  too  high  for  our  feet  to  touch  the  floor.    The  building  was  erected  in 


380  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

the  last  century,  — ■  how  early  no  one  now  living  can  tell,  and  no  record  in- 
forms. It  was  of  mature  age,  — had  once  been  painted  red,  but  then  had 
a  dirty,  brindle  look,  neither  venerable  nor  picturesque.  It  had  a  large 
stone  fire-place  at  the  north  end,  with  the  entry  from  the  outer  doors  on 
one  side  and  "  the  dungeon,"  —  a  dark  closet,  —  on  the  other. 

A  smaller  fire-place  and  chimney  of  later  construction  stood  at  the 
south  end.  Writing  desks,  fronting  inwards,  stood  near  the  east  and  west 
walls.  In  front  of  these  were  the  hemlock  slabs  in  two  tiers  for  torment- 
ing the  young  children,  —  and  teaching  them  at  the  outset,  the  rugged- 
ness  of  the  path  of  learning  they  were  to  ascend.  The  teacher's  table,  a 
small  platform  of  boards,  fastened  on  top  of  an  over-grown  saw-horse,  and 
a  splint-bottom  chair,  were  the  only  other  articles  of  furniture  or  adorn- 
ment, save  that  sundry  hieroglyphics  and  portraits  were  frescoed  on  the 
walls,  by  using  the  end  of  a  tallow  dip  for  a  pencil  or  brush,  and  bringing 
out  the  figures  in  relief  by  the  vigorous  application  of  a  black  felt  hat. 
New  inscriptions  and  new  pictures  would  from  time  to  time  appear,  as 
some  new  genius  in  the  school  developed  his  talents. 

In  the  rear  of  the  school  house  ran  a  little  brook,  well  stocked  with 
striped  dace,  on  whom  the  sporting  boys  tried  their  first  experiments  with 
a  crooked  pin  attached  to  a  linen  thread,  and  baited  with  a  grub. 

It  is  hard  to  realize,  that  before  there  were  half  a  dozen  dwellings 
along  the  Mad  River,  this  school  house  was  filled  to  overflowing  with 
strapping  boys  and  girls  from  the  surrounding  hills.  There  were  the 
Spencers,  the  Loomises,  the  Cooks,  the  Douglasses,  the  Harts,  the  Wal- 
ters, Millers,  Burtons,  Osborns,  Apleys,  Butrixes,  and  Wrights,  from 
Spencer  street  ;  the  Sweets,  Coes,  Whitings,  Hoskins,  and  liussells, 
from  Coe  street;  the  Chases,  Ilolmeses,  Elwells,  De Wolfs,  Westlakes, 
Phillipses,  Lemleys,  Munsons,  and  Davises,  from  the  upper  part  of  Lake 
street. 

The  butternut  coats  of  the  larger  boys  were  all  too  small  of  girth  to 
button  round  their  bodies,  and  leather  straps,  from  three  to  six  inches 
long,  with  button  holes  at  each  end,  were  used  to  hold  them  together. 
High  peaked,  woolen  caps  of  mitre  shape,  made  of  alternate  perpendicu- 
lar stripes  of  "  white,  red,  and  blue,"  or  other  fancy  colors,  were  in  gen- 
eral vogue  for  winter  wear.  Long  leggins,  of  mixed  sheep's  wool,  tied 
close  to  the  cowskin  shoes  with  tow-strings,  were  chiefly  used  instead  of 
boot-legs  to  keep  out  the  snow  from  the  feet.  The  girls  had  winter 
dresses  of  cam-wood  colored  cloth,  or  red  flannel,  for  winter  wear,  and 
calico  or  home-made  gingham  petticoats  and  short  gowns  for  summer,  with 
pockets,  fastened  outside,  around  the  waist. 

There  were  no  puny  children  in  those  days.  The  big  boys  were 
bullies,  and  the  small  ones  game  cocks.  One  strapping  girl  I  remember 
who  could  flax  out   any  boy  in  school.     She  was  called  "  Bonaparte's 


AND  FAMILY  RECOKDS.  381 

wife."  There  was  a  big  boy,  Miles  Munson  by  name,  who  was  proud  of 
his  strength  and  prowess,  and  had  curious  ways  of  showing  himself  off  to 
the  smaller  boys.  One  day  he  laid  himself  down  on  the  descending 
ground  between  a  large,  half  rotten  saw-mill  log  and  the  brook,  and  told 
the  boys  they  might  roll  the  log  over  him,  —  not  dreaming  that  the  little 
imps  could  move  it.  They  laid  hold  of  the  log  with  a  will,  and  it  yielded 
to  their  united  strength.  Before  Miles  could  get  out  of  the  way  it  had 
flattened  him  down  and  gone  over  him,  into  the  brook.  Strange  to  say, 
it  didn't  kill  him,  nor  break  his  bones.  It  was  pitiable  and  laughable  to 
see  the  poor  fellow  gather  up  his  scattered  senses  and  limbs,  and 
straighten  himself  up  ;  —  and  to  hear  him  with  mouth  full  of  dirt,  stream- 
ing eyes  and  flattened  drooling  nose,  pour  forth,  with  Yankee  drawl,  his 
emphatic  "  Gaul  darn  you,  boys  !  what  on  airth  did  you  du  that  for  ?  " 

Snow-balling  was  a  science  in  those  days ;  and  so  was  sliding  down  the 
hill  above  the  school  house.  A  dozen  boys  would  come  down  on  their 
sleds  at  locomotive  speed.  Another  dozen  would  form  a  gauntlet  near 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  with  each  a  pole  to  place  before  the  sled  runners, 
and  overturn  the  rider.  The  boy  who  could  run  the  whole  gauntlet, 
right  side  up,  was  a  trump.  One  of  the  indoor  games  was  gambling  for 
pins.  Two  boys  would  each  place  a  pin  parallel  to  that  of  his  opponent 
on  the  crown  of  a  hat.  One  would  strike  the  side  of  the  hat  with  his 
hand  so  as  to  jostle  the  pins,  and  then  the  other  would  follow,  until  one 
of  them  had  thrown  one  of  the  pins  across  the  other,  when  the  two 
became  his,  and  then  a  new  stake  commenced.  The  most  successful 
gamblers  in  this  line  were  distinguished  by  the  long  rows  of  pins  dis- 
played on  their  coats  sleeves.  This  game  gave  rise  to  a  brisk  manufac- 
ture of  pin-boxes,  by  pealing  the  bark  from  an  elder  stick,  punching 
out  the  pith,  fitting  a  plug  into  one  end  and  a  stopper  at  the  other.  The 
price  of  these  varied  from  two  to  six  pins,  according  to  quality. 

The  school-masters  and  "  school-marms  "  of  this  model  school  come  up 
before  us.  The  good  Deacon  Lorrin  Loomis,  lately  gone  to  heaven  at 
nearly  a  hundred  years  old,  first  appears  on  the  vista  of  memory,  —  a  kind, 
loving,  cheerful-spirited  man,  —  who  impressed  his  Christ-like  character  on 
more  of  the  children  of  Winchester  than  any  other,  —  priest  or  layman. 
Then  comes  the  hated  vision  of  Doctor  Pratt,  —  a  tyrant  of  the  hyena 
sort,  who  brought  in  his  whips  from  the  woods  by  the  armful,  —  ran  them 
through  the  hot  embers  to  make  them  tough  and  supple,  and  was  never 
without  one  in  his  hand.  His  amateur  diversion  was  to  switch  the  small 
boys  into  a  bolt  upright  position  on  their  slabs,  and  to  wallop  the  bigger 
ones  with  or  without  cause,  until  his  savage  nature  was  soothed  into  com- 
placency. The  classes  were  marshaled  for  reading  or  spelling  with  the 
whip.  Its  hissing  sound,  as  he  swung  it  around  his  head  at  the  door  of 
the  school  house,  was  the  signal  to  come  in  from  play  ;  and  woe  to  the 


382  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

urchin  who  was  among  the  last  half  of  the  in-gathering  procession.  A 
worthy  resident  of  the  Western  Reserve,  who  went  from  this  seminary 
with  his  parents  to  the  West,  remarked  in  mature  life  that  he  was  at 
peace  with  all  the  world  except  Dr.  Pratt ;  and  that  if  he  should  ever  see 
him  again  he  would  thrash  him  if  he  died  for  it. 

Next  come  the  two  Haydens,  Seth  and  Moses.  Seth  was  a  mild, 
kind-hearted  man,  who  ruled  by  love  more  effectually  than  any  tyrant 
of  the  rod  could  do  by  force. 

Moses  was  a  crack  teacher,  a  good  disciplinarian,  and  skilled  in  show- 
ing off  his  school  to  the  visitors  at  the  end  of  his  term.  We  remember 
on  one  of  these  occasions  his  calling  up  his  youngest  geography  class, 
remarking  that  time  would  only  permit  of  his  asking  each  of  them  a 
single  question.  He  then  began  with  the  question,  "  What  is  geography  ?" 
to  the  first ;  to  the  second,  "  How  is  the  earth  divided  ?" ;  to  the  third, 
"  What  portion  of  the  earth  is  land  ?"  and  so  on.  The  third  question 
had  been  previously  given  out  to  our  sister,  and  she  had  learned  to 
answer,  "  About  three  fists  (fifths)  of  the  whole,"  and  this  was  her  whole 
stock  of  geographical  knowledge.  Each  of  the  other  members  of  the 
class  had  been  drilled  in  the  same  way  to  one  question  and  answer,  and 
knew  nothing  more  of  the  science.  The  pitiful  farce  worked  to  a  charm, 
and  added  a  new  laurel  to  the  brow  of  the  pedagogue. 

Giles  Russell  was  a  flippant,  sarcastic  teacher,  who  could  work  con- 
siderable learning  into  a  blockhead  in  the  course  of  a  winter. 

Our  first  teacher  in  this  school  wore  a  female  garb,  but  possessed  mas- 
culine powers.     Miss  Roxy  F was  the  name  of  this  semiramis.     She 

was  large-boned,  corpulent,  loud  and  sharp-voiced,  choleric,  and  at  the 
meridian  of  single  blessedness.  She  had  a  ferule  that  she  carried  in  her 
capacious  pocket,  something  like  a  watchman's  billy,  only  that  it  had 
a  round  head  two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter,  beveled  down  on  one 
side,  so  as  to  make  a  flat  surface,  fitting  the  palm  of  an  urchin's  hand. 
This  was  freely  applied,  secundum  artem,  to  the  hands  of  delinquents 
within  her  reach,  and  thrown  with  unerring  aim  at  any  disorderly  boy  in 
a  distant  part  of  the  room,  who  brought  it  back  for  application  to  his  own 
hand.  Miss  F.  had  her  predilections  and  antipathies.  She  hated  the 
itch,  and  rapturously  kissed  the  children  that  came  to  school  with  a  strong 
smell  of  brimstone. 

In  striking  contrast  with  this  virago  was  Miss  Sally  Sherman,  after- 
wards wife  of  Joseph  Miller,  Esq.,  a  young  lady  of  exquisite  refinement 
and  cultivated  intellect,  adorned  with  grace  of  manner  and  a  loving 
heart.  No  unkind  word  ever  escaped  her  lips.  If  she  ever  used  a 
ferule,  it  was  so  mildly  applied  as  to  give  no  pain,  and  to  escape  remem- 
brance. The  tired  and  sleepy  child  on  the  hemlock  slabs,  instead  of 
having  its  ears  cuffed  for  falling  to   the  floor  in  pure  exhaustion,  was 


AND  FAMILY  EECORDS.  383 

gently  laid  on  a  blanket  in  the  center  of  the  room  and  allowed  to  sleep 
away  its  fatigue  and  petulance.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  half  a  dozen 
of  these  wearied  sleepers  to  occupy  the  blanket  during  a  warm  afternoon. 

Other  teachers,  male  and  female,  might  be  named — some  of  them  love- 
able  and  some  of  them  hateful — but  the  specimens  given  must  suffice. 
The  punishments  of  those  days  inflicted  on  such  of  the  children  as 
inherited  dispositions  too  sprightly  for  puritanic  decorum  were  various. 
The  birch  was  in  use  to  some  extent,  but  the  beech  was  the  more  favored 
implement,  as  being  tougher  and  more  durable.  The  "dungeon  "in  the 
old  school  house  was  a  dark,  unwholesome  cell,  unventilated  and  un- 
lighted.  It  was  the  imaginary  habitation  of  she  bears,  snakes,  and 
vermin,  and  cruel  was  the  shock  to  children  of  sensitive  natures  con- 
signed to  its  darkness.  Various  amateur  punishments  would  be  intro- 
duced by  different  teachers.  One  master  would  make  the  delinquents 
crawl  under  and  between  the  cross  legs  of  the  school  table  ;  another 
would  fasten  a  split  stick  to  their  tongues ;  another  would  make  them 
stoop  over  with  unbent  knees,  and  place  the  forefinger  of  the  right  hand 
on  a  nail  head  in  the  floor. 

•The  saturnian  "  school  marms "  were  generally  powerful  with  the 
ferule,  and  effective  in  the  cuffing  of  ears,  and  some  of  them  in  pulling 
hair.  Fine  sewing,  working  muslin,  and  especially  making  "  samplers  " 
of  block  lettering,  were  an  important  part  of  the  teaching  of  the  female 
scholars  in  the  summer  months. 

The  catechism  tasks,  and  the  reading  of  the  New  Testament  as  a 
school  book,  in  all  the  drawling  tones  and  halting  utterances  of  unsophis- 
ticated Yankee  children,  were  ill  calculated  to  impress  the  mind  with  a 
favorable  view  of  Calvinistic  doctrines,  or  of  the  divine  teachings  of  the 
Saviour. 

1803. 

Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  (brothers)  from  Waterbury,  became 
residents  of  the  town  during  this  or  the  preceding  year.  The  Doolittle 
mill  had  been  swept  away  previously,  and  they  became  the  owners  of  the 
dam,  water  privilege,  and  the  land  adjoining  on  both  sides  of  the  river. 
They  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  old  corn  mill  site,  and  soon  after  erected 
a  new  grist  mill  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream,  on  the  site  of  the  brick 
clock  factory,  recently  burned  down.  They  also  built  for  the  town  the 
wooden  bridge  crossing  the  chasm  where  the  stone  arched-bridge  has 
been,  within  a  few  years,  erected.  The  original  bridge  crossed  the  river 
above  the  dam,  nearly  opposite  the  Rollin  L.  Beecher's  late  residence, 
and  was  abandoned  on  the  erection  of  the  wooden  bridge  before 
mentioned.  About  1807  they  erected  a  small  wooden  clock  factory 
adjoining  the  east  wing  of  the  bridge  on  the  south  side  of  the  road," in 
which  they  did  a  large  and  prosperous  business  in  connection  with  Riley 
Whiting,  who  married  their  sister. 


384  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

They  were  for  ten  years  prominent  and  highly  esteemed  business  men, 
and  by  their  ingenuity  and  enterprise  contributed  largely  to  the  growth 
and  prosperity  of  the  village.* 

Samuel  Hoadley  retired  from  business  on  his  appointment  as 
Major  of  Volunteers  in  the  war  of  1812.  He  was  promoted  to  a 
colonelcy,  and  served  through  the  war,  mainly  at  New  London.  He 
continued  his  residence  in  Winsted  until  his  removal  to  Ohio  about 
1825.  He  built  and  resided  in  the  two  story  house  west  of  and  nearly 
opposite  the  stone  bridge.  He  married,  about  1801,  Content  Barnes, 
from  near  New  Haven. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Sarah  Anna,  b.  January  1,1802;  m.  Bennett  Blakeslce  of  Medina, 

Ohio. 
II.  Amelia,  b.  October  25,  1803;  in.  Dr.  Deming  of  Ashland,  O., 

ami  (2d)  —  Du  Bois. 

III.  Harriet,  b.  August  6,  1805;  d.  November  27,  1817. 

IV.  Sophronia,  b.  May  2,  1808  ;  m.  Wm.  P.  McCrary  of  Paris,  O. 
V.  Samuel  Buckley,     b.  April  20,  1810;  m.  Jemima  Hiekox. 

VI.  Juliette,  b.  March  3,  1812. 

VII.  Charlotte,  b. 

VIII.  Lucius,  (twin). 

IX.  Lucien,  (twin). 

X.  Charles,  died  when  six  years  old. 

Luther  Hoadley,  son  of  Lemuel  and  brother  of  Samuel,  built  and 
lived  in  the  first  house  south  of  the  Wallen's  Hill  road,  near  the  clock 
factory.  In  1813  he  went  to  New  London  as  captain  of  dratted  militia, 
and  died  there  Sept.  8,  1813,  aged  31  years.  He  married,  in  1810,  Sophia 
Dexter  of  Windsor. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Sophia  Dexter,  b.  Feb.  1,  1812;  m.,  at  Harwinton, Cone,  of  Pe- 
oria, 111. 
II.  Luther  J.,    -           b.  March  6,  1814;  after  his  father's  decease,  m.  (1st),  at 
Harwinton,  Jane,  daughter  of  Truman  Kellogg,  Esq.;    (2d),  Hannah 
Wood ;  (3d),  Hannah  Abby  Wood.    He  settled  at  Brownsville,  Nebraska. 

*  They  were  sons  of  Lemuel  and  Urania  (Mallory)  Hoadley,  whose  children  were 
as  follows  : — 

I.  Mart,  m.  Asabel  Osborne,  Esq.,  of  Columbia,  Lorrain  Co.,  O. 

II.  David,  the  builder  of  many  churches  in  Conn. 

III.  Sally,  m.  Zaphni  Potter  of  Columbia,  O. 

IV.  Calvin,  settled  and  died  in  Columbia,  O. 
V.  Samuel,  see  text. 

VI.  Luther,         see  text. 
VII.  Urania,  b.  May  5,  1788;  m.  February  9,  1806,  Riley  Whiting.     She 

m.  (2d)  December — ,  1841,  Erasmus  Darwin  Calloway. 
VIII.  Lemuel,  d.  Olmsted,  or  Concord,  Ohio. 

IX.  Marshall,    was  drowned  when  about  twelve  years  old. 


AND  FAMILY  KECORDS.  385 

Hawley  Oakley,  lived  on  West  branch  of  Spencer  street  above 
Nelson  Beardsley's  from  this  date  for  five  or  six  years,  and  then  moved  to 
Canaan,  Conn.     He  married  Lydia,  daughter  of  Luke  Hart,  and  had 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Alva,  b.  Hartland,  Oct.  13,  1799,  now  a  resident  of  Winsted,  and  William, 
now  of  Norfolk,  and  may  have  had  other  children. 

Alva  Oakley,  son  of  Hawley  above  named,  came  from  Canaan  to 
Winsted,  not  far  from  1830,  and  has  since  resided  in  the  Hoskin  home- 
stead on  Coe  street.  He  married,  May  25,  1826,  Roxana,  daughter  of 
Theodore  Hoskin. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Henry,  b.  Canaan,  April  13,  1827 ;  d.  W.,  Oct.  27,  1846. 

II.  Helen,  b.  C,  April  13,  1827;  m.  Thomas  Atkins. 

III.  Junius  Silas,  b.  C,  June  12,  1829;  m.  Mary  A.  Atkins. 

IV.  Maria  Elizabeth,   b.  C,  April  23,  1831 ;  d.  W.,  Sept.  6,  1834. 
V.  Jennett  Alma,        b.  W.,  Jan.  18,  1833;  d. 

VI.  Sarah  Elizabeth,  b.  Jan.  1,  1839. 

1804. 
Ekastds  Burr,  son  of  Jehiel  and  Mabel,  appears  on  the  list  of  this 
year.  He  learned  the  scythe  maker's  trade  of  Jenkins  &  Boyd,  and  in 
1806  bought  their  original  scythe  works  of  Mr.  Jenkins,  which  he  operated 
until  1810  when  he  sold  out  to  Thos.  R.  Bull,  and  soon  after  moved  to 
Western  New  York.  He  married,  about  1806,  Polly,  daughter  of  Judah 
West  of  Winchester. 

Roswell  Burr,  younger  brother  of  Erastus  above,  lived  on  the  east 
side  of  North  Main  street,  half  a  mile  north  of  the  Woodruff  tannery  until 

1833,  when  he  moved  to  Ohio.     He  married Nancy,  daughter  of 

Judah  West,  and  had  a  son  David,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Reuhen 
Rowley,  and  lived  in  the  same  house  with  his  father  until  his  removal  to 
Ohio  in  1846;  and  had  other  children,  Luther,  Halsey,  and  Roswell. 

Halsey  Burr,  younger  brother  of  Erastus  and  Roswell,  learned  scythe 
making  of  Benjamin  Jenkins,  and  in  1814  built  a  scythe  shop  on  North 
Main  street,  which  he  operated  until  about  1853,  when  he  sold  his  shop  to 
B.  &  E.  Woodall,  who  erected  the  long  factory  building  now  standing  on. 
the  premises.  He  lived  on  the  West  side  of  the  road,  opposite  the  shop, 
until  his  death,  Jan.  15,  1861.  He  married  Lucy,  daughter  of  Oliver 
White,  Sen.,  by  whom  he  had 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Eliza,  b.  July  19,  1819. 

II.  Dency,  b.  April  10,  1821  ;  d.  May  26,  1848. 

III.  Matilda,        b.  July  28,  1822. 

49 


386  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  Jehiel,  b.  Aug.  24,  1824. 

V.  Lucy,  b.  July  5,  1827. 

VI.  Mary,  b.  June  13,  1829. 

VII.  Jane  A.,  b.  June  27,  1831. 

VIII.  Nancy,  b.  July  7,  1833. 

IX.  George  H.,  b.  Aug.  7,  1837. 

X.  Abby  M.,  b.  June  2,  1839. 

XI.  Carlos,  b.  Dec.  29,  1841. 

Luke  IIayden,  from  Torringford,  this  year  bought  the  John  Wright 
farm,  on  the  Old  Country  road  near  Rowley  pond,  on  which  he  lived  until 
his  removal  to  Hartland,  in  1814. 

1805. 
Reuben  Baldwin,  from  Derby,  a  joiner,  came  to  Winsted  this  or  the 
preceding  year,  and  superintended  the  finishing  of  the  meeting-house  in 
the  east  village.  He  continued  his  residence  in  the  Society  until  his  death, 
Dec.  15,  1855,  at  the  age  of  71.  His  residence  was  in  the  one-and-a-half- 
story  house  near  the  Lake  outlet.  He  married,  July  13,  1807,  Nancy, 
daughter  of  Nathan  Wheeler.     She  died  Feb.  7,  1854,  aged  65. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Emeline,  b.  Sept.  20,  1808;  m.  Sept.  27, 1832,  William  F.  Hatch;  d.  Sept. 
22,  1870. 
II.  Lyman,      b.  March  12,   1810;  m.,  Nov.  30,  1837,  Rebecca  C.  Mather,  of 

Middletown :  Child:  Sarah  Gray,  b.  July  16,  1852. 
III.  Matilda,  b.  Feb.  15,  1816;  m.,  Dec.  3,  1839,  Miles  Smith,  who  d.  July  27, 
1851.     Child:   Martha  Benbain,  b.  May,  1848;   m.,  April  23,  1872, 
King  T.  Sheldon. 

Eliab  Bunnell  this  year  bought  the  lot  east  of  the  Park,  on  which 
the  James  T.  Norton  house  now  stands.  In  company  with  Reuben  Bald- 
win, he  built  thereon,  for  a  work  shop,  the  house  since  owned  by  Chester 
Soper,  and  afterwards  removed  to  the  south  side  of  Main  street,  east  of 
Hiram  Perkins,  in  which  they  made  patent  washing  machines  until  about 
1810,  when  Mr.  Bunnell  removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y. 

Andrew  Walter,  son  of  John,  of  Winchester,  this  year  returned  from 
Vermont,  and  spent  his  remaining  life  in  the  town.     He  was  born  Dec.  5, 

1779  ;  married, , ,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Samuel  Westlake, 

of  W.,  and  had  several  children,  of  whom  Charlotte,  the  oldest,  married 
Sylvester  Hart,  of  W. 

1806. 

Rev.  James  Beach  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational 

Church   on  the  first  of  January  of  this   year.     He  was  a  native  of  the 

town,  but  resided  from  infancy  to  early  manhood  in  Torrington.     He  was 

graduated  with  honor  at  Williams  College,  studied  divinity  with  Rev. 


£^WA/ 


Itt 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  387 

Asahel  Hooker,  D.  D.,  of  Goshen,  and  after  a  brief  candidacy,  was  called 
to  and  settled  over  this  church  on  a  cash  salary  of  $350  a  year,  with  an 
advance  of  funds  to  purchase  a  dwelling,  repayable  in  yearly  installments. 
No  record  is  found  of  the  ordaining  exercises. 

He  was  sound,  dignified,  and  conservative;  faithful  in  his  parochial 
duties,  —  especially  in  his  pastoral  visits  and  his  supervision  of  the 
schools.  The  faithfulness  of  his  ministry  was  attested  by  repeated  re- 
vivals and  the  exemplary  lives  of  most  of  the  converts.  He  was  dis- 
missed from  his  charge,  at  his  own  request,  January  26,  1842,  but  con- 
tinued his  residence  until  his  death  on  the  10th  day  of  June,  1850,  at  the 
age  of  70  years. 

His  character  and  standing  in  the  ministry  is  happily  portrayed  in  the 
following  sketch  by  Rev.  Doctor  Eldridge  of  Norfolk. 

"  Rev.  Mr.  Beach  had  been  settled  in  the  ministry  at  Winsted  many 
years  when  I  came  to  reside  in  Norfolk.  I  immediately  formed  his  ac- 
quaintance, and  soon  came  to  look  to  him  with  filial  affection  and  confi- 
dence, feelings  that  I  continued  to  entertain  towards  him  to  the  end  of 
his  life. 

"  Mr.  Beach  was  endowed  with  strong  intellectual  powers.  His  bias 
was  more  towards  the  practical  than  the  merely  speculative.  This  ten- 
dency, combined  with  a  calm  temperament,  fitted  him  to  be  a  wise  coun- 
selor, and  a  most  useful  member  of  our  ecclesiastical  associations. 

"  His  disposition  was  social  and  genial.  He  was  a  pleasant  man  to 
meet.  He  had  a  considerate  regard  for  his  ministerial  brethren,  in  re- 
spect to  their  feelings  and  reputations;  rejoiced  in  their  success  and  in 
their  usefulness.  I  never  saw  him  out  of  temper,  never  heard  him  utter 
a  harsh  or  censorious  remark  ;  he  never  thrust  himself  forward,  was  more 
disposed  to  stand  back  and  make  room  for  others. 

"  I  heard  him  preach  but  a  few  times.  His  sermons  were  full  of  truth, 
clearly  and  plainly  expressed.  In  their  delivery  he  was  earnest,  but 
never  impassioned  ;  —  perhaps  more  of  emotion  would  have  improved 
them.  His  prayers  in  public,  especially  those  on  special  occasions,  such 
as  ordinations  and  the  like,  were  very  remai-kable  for  their  ease,  their 
felicitous  adaptation  in  all  respects  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  and 
the  happy  introduction  of  scriptural  quotations  ;  and  at  the  same  time  re- 
markable for  their  exemption  from  everything  of  the  nature  of  effort  at 
display,  and  for  their  simple  tone  and  humble  earnestness. 

"  My  recollection  of  Father  Beach,  as  I  used  to  call  him,  are  very  dear 
to  me.  I  loved  him  in  life,  and  lamented  him  in  death,  and  feel  that  I 
owe  it  to  his  kindness  and  his  encouragement  and  advice  in  no  small  de- 
gree, that  I  have  so  long  remained  where  I  am." 

He  married,  Oct.  28,  180G,  Hannah  Clarissa  Baldwin,  born  in  Goshen, 


388  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Conn.,  March  10,  1784,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Lucy  (Lewis)  Baldwin. 
He  died  June  10,  1850  ;  she  died  May  7,  1752. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucy  Baldwin,2  b.  Aug.  20,  1807  ;  m.  Dec.  16,  1830,  Henry  Hazcn  Hyde, 
b.  in  Catskill,  N.  Y.,  July  1,  1805,  son  of  Wilkes  and  Sarah  Hazen 
Hyde.  She  d.  Feb.  7,  1846;  and  he  m.  (2d),  Feb.  14,  1856,  Sarah  B. 
Shepard,  of  Boston. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  James  Beach,3  b.  Nov.  14,  1831 ;  d.  Jan.  8,  1850,  while  in  Col- 
lege, an  undergraduate. 

2.  Henry  Baldwin,3  b.  Feb.  15,  1834;  m.  March  20,  1864,  Annie 
Fitch,  of  New  York ;  is  Vice-President  of  the  Equitable  Life  As- 
surance Company  of  New  York ;  has  children:  1.  Annie  Baldwin,4 
b.  Jan.  15,  1865;  d.  Sept.  2,  1865.  2.  Mary  Baldwin,4  b.  Nov.  9, 
1867. 

3.  Mary,3  b.  Sept.  4,  1839;  d.  Jan.  4,  1840. 

4.  Lucy  Baldwin,3  b.  Aug.  20,  1841. 

II.  Hannah  Clarissa,2  b.  March  20,  1809 ;  d.  Oct.  26,  1815. 
III.  Mary,2  b.  Dec.  16,   1814;  m.  Caleb  J.  Camp.     (Their  chil- 

dren noted  in  connection  with  the  family  record  of  Samuel  Camp.) 

Captain  Ezekiel  Woodford,  from  Avon  or  Bloomfield,  this  year 
purchased  of  John  Sweet  the  house  and  land  at  the  corner  of  Main  and 
Coe  streets,  and  there  resided  during  his  remaining  life.  During  most  of 
this  period  he  kept  a  tavern,  and  managed  a  saw-mill  nearly  opposite  his 
house.  He  died  May  10,  1820,  aged  71  ;  his  wife,  Anne  (Bishop),  died 
December  23,  1831,  aged  77. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Lucy,  m.  Wadsworth  of  West  Hartford. 

II.  Erastds,  late  of  Winsted. 

III.  Jeremiah,  late  of  Bloomfield. 

IV.  Nancy, 
V.  Bomanta, 

VI.  Ezekiel,  late  of  Winsted,  b.  June  30,  1790. 
VII.  Mary, 
VIII.  Harriet,  m.  Shepard. 

IX.  Lester,  b.  June  19,  1797. 

Erastus  Woodford,  son  of  Ezekiel,  came  to  Winsted  soon  after  his 
father,  and  owned  and  occupied  the  Green  Woods  Hotel  property,  on  the 
Green  Woods  turnpike,  near  Colebrook  line,  until  soon  after  1820,  when 
he  removed  to  his  father's  late  homestead,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  April  20,  1855,  at  the  age  of  74.  He  was  Town  Clerk  from  Octo- 
ber 1826,  to  October  1829,  and  filled  other  town  offices  from  time  to  time. 
He  married,  November  14,  1805,  Ruth  Barber,  born  October  27,  1780, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Ruth  (Bolles)  Barber. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  389 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Benjamin  Barber,  b.  Jan.  22,  1807. 

II.  Erastus  Sterling,  b.  Sept.  20,  1808. 

III.  Julia  Ann,  b.  Feb.  14,  1811 ;  m.  Willard  S.  Wetmore. 

IV.  Lucius  Jonah,  b.  May  16,  1814. 

V.  Cordelia  Rutht,        b.  June  2,  1818;  m.  James  H.  Tuttle. 

Romanta  Woodford,  son  of  Ezekiel,  came  into  the  town  a  few  years 
after  his  father,  and  built  and  occupied  the  house  on  Main  street,  next  his 
father's  homestead,  carrying  on  the  tinning  business  until  his  removal  to 
Bennington,  Greene  County,  New  York,  in  1818. 

Ezekiel  Woodford,  son  of  Ezekiel,  sen.,  came  into  the  town  with 
his  father  in  his  minority.  He  bought  his  brother  Romanta's  Homestead 
in  Dec,  1817,  and  there  resided  until  his  removal  to  Windsor  in  1832. 
Returning  to  Winsted  in  1857,  he  lived  in  the  house  on  the  north  side  of 
Hinsdale  street,  next  east  of  the  graded  school  house,  until  his  death, 
August  14,  1859,  at  the  age  of  69.  He  was  born  June  30,  1790;  m. 
Sept.  7,  1825,  Roxana  Lyman,  b.  June  18,  1797;  died  Dec.  2G,  1871. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Andrew  D.,  b.  June  15,  1826;  d.  Dec.  9,  1826. 
II.  George  L.,   b.  Dec.  29,  1827. 

III.  John,  b.  March  4,  1831. 

Lester  Woodford,  youngest  son  of  Capt.  Ezekiel,  came  with  his 
father  to  Winsted  while  a  minor.  In  1823,  in  company  with  N.  Kinney, 
he  bought  the  Elihu  Rockwell  farm  on  the  Spencer  Street  road  north  of 
Amos  Pierce,  and  resided  there  until  his  removal  to  the  Russell  homestead 
on  the  Coe  street,  now  owned  by  Junius   Gillett,  where  he   afterwards 

resided  until  his  removal  to in  1867.     He  married,  Dec.  10,  1823, 

at  W.,  Rosanna,  daughter  of  Luke  Case,  late  of  Winchester,  deceased. 

children. 

I.  Lyman  Case,  b.  June  15,  1826,  d.  Feb.  10,  1835. 

II.  Caroline  Elizabeth,  b.  April  28,  1832,  d.  May  21,  1836. 

IH.  Charles  Bishop,  b.  Feb.  10,  1837. 

IV.  Marianne,  b.  Oct.  16,  1839. 
V.  William  Sterling,  b.  Sept.  3,  1842. 

Benjamin  Barber  Woodford,  oldest  son  of  Erastus,  lived  in  the 
Green  Woods  Hotel,  his  father's  early  residence,  from  his  first  marriage  to 
about  1848,  when  he  built  a  small  brick  house  on  High  street,  which  he 
occupied  until  his  removal  to  Derby  about  1851.  He  now  lives  in  Spring- 
field, Mass.  He  married  Polly  Ann  Hills,  and  has  one  daughter,  Mary 
C,  his  only  child. 


390  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Erastus  Sterling  "Woodford,  second  son  of  Erastus,  became  a 
partner  with  Samuel  W.  Coe  and  Luman  Hubbell,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Coe,  Hubbell  &  Co.,  about  1830,  and  continued  with  them  in  mercantile 
business  until  1842,  when  he  withdrew  from  the  firm,  and  did  business  in 
his  individual  name  until  about  1849,  when  he  went  to  California,  whence 
he  returned  some  three  or  four  years  later,  and  engaged  for  a  few  years 
in  the  manufacture  of  pins,  and  was  subsequently  engaged  in  Insurance 
business  until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  refined  literary  culture  and 
modest  deportment,  kind-hearted  and  public  spirited ;  as  a  neighbor, 
obliging ;  as  a  citizen,  liberal,  not  only  in  his  contributions  to  public  ob- 
jects, but  indefatigable  in  his  personal  labors  for  their  advancement.  He 
married,  October  13,  1834,  Huldah  Coe,  born  April  6,  1809,  daughter  of 
Jonathan  and  Charlotte  (Spencer)  Coe.  She  died  of  consumption,  April 
18,  1859.  He  married  (2d),  June  20,  18G2,  Anna  J.  Coe,  daughter  of 
Asahel  M.  Coe.     He  died  Sept.  26,  1870. 

children. 
I.  Frank  Munro,  b.  August  10,  1843 ;   d.  Dec.  25,  1848. 
II.  Louise  Hale,    b.  June  6,  1863. 

Lucius  J.  Woodford,  third  son  of  Erastus,  lived  as  a  farmer  on  the 
old  Waterbury  turnpike,  near  Colebrook  line,  from  his  first  marriage,  until 
his  removal  to  the  Daniel  Tuttle  farm  on  South  street  near  Torringford 
line,  in  1845.  It  is  painful  to  refer  to  the  long  protracted  and  bitter  con- 
troversy between  him  and  his  brother-in-law,  resulting  in  the  death  of  the 
latter  by  a  gun-shot  wound  inflicted  by  the  former,  and  the  conviction  of 
Mr.  W.  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  for  which  he  was  sentenced  to  state 
prison  for  life  by  the  superior  court  for  Litchfield  county  in  1866.  On 
his  application  for  pardon  in  1869,  evidence  was  introduced  before  the 
legislative  committee,  which  made  a  report  recommending  his  pardon, 
and  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation,  he  was  by  the  Assembly 
pardoned  and  liberated.     He  married  Catharine,  daughter  of  Daniel  G. 

Tuttle,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  George  E.,  born , ,  who 

married,  Nov.  27,  1864,  Rosa  A.,  daughter  of  John  S.  Fyler. 

CHILD. 

Frank,  b:  Feb.  — ,  1S68. 

George  Woodford,  oldest  son  of  Ezekiel,3  learned  the  joiner's 
trade,  and  resides  in  this  town.  He  married,  Sept.  15,  1856,  Helen  J. 
Watson,  born  June  5,  1833. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Ella  Louisa,  b.  Jan.  18,  1859;  d.  Nov.  23,  1S60. 

II.  Cora  Isabelle,  b.  Jan.  19,  1862. 

III.  De  Witt  Clinton,  b.  May  16,  1863. 

IV.  Frederick  Ezekiel,      b.  Oct.  5,  1865;  d.  Sept.  5,  1869. 


VFirz^Arr-vL/ 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  391 

John  Woodford,  second  son  of  Ezekiel,2  served  his  time  as  clerk  in 
the  mercantile  firm  of  M.  &  C.  J.  Camp,  and  was  received  into  and  con- 
tinues a  partner  in  the  concern.  He  married,  May  24,  1860,  Laura  C, 
daughter  of  Hiram  and  Irene  (Sanford)  Burnham,  born  March  6,  1840. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Arthur  Burnham,  b.  Oct.  7,  1861. 
II.  Frank  Clarke,        b.  Nov.  24,  1867  ;  d.  Nov.  17,  1868. 
III.  Fannie  Louise,        b.  Jau.  18,  1870. 

1806. 

Joseph  T.  Cumming  this  year  came  from  Kinderhook,  N.  Y.,  and, 
in  company  with  Benjamin  Jenkins,  went  into  trade  in  the  store  building 
on  Main  street,  east  village,  now  occupied  by  Theophilus  Baird,  and 
lived  in  the  Ezra  Baldwin  house  adjoining.  In  1 809  he  moved  to  Otis, 
Mass.,  where  for  several  years  he  kept  a  store  and  tavern. 

Samuel  Rowley,  Jr.,  from  Torrington,  this  year  bought  the  home- 
stead on  the  Old  North  road,  adjoining  Colebrook  line,  now  occupied  by 
his  son  Edwin  Rowley,  which  he  occupied  until  his  death  in  1854. 

No  record  is  found  of  his  family.  His  widow  died  several  years  after 
him.     They  had 

children. 

I.  Calvin,  who  died  a  resident  of  Illinois. 

II.  Eliza,  wife  of  Orrin  Freeman  of  Winchester. 

III.  Lucia  J.,  of  Colebrook,  in  1858;  d.  in  Illinois  about  1869. 

IV.  Edward  (twin). 

V.  Edwin  (twin),  of  Colebrook. 
VI.  Mary,  (twin),  m.  —  Miller. 
VII.  Mariaii  (twin),  m.  Darwin  Smith. 

Benjamin  Johnson,  a  cabinet  maker,  owned  and  lived  in  a  house, 
now  torn  down,  on  the  north  side  of  West  Lake  street,  nearly  opposite 
the  brick  house  built  by  John  C.  Stabell,  from  1806  to  1812,  when  he 
moved  to  Ohio.  Among  other  children  he  had  one  daughter,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Steese  of  Massilon,  O. 

Bkmsley  Carpenter,  a  singing  master,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year. 
From  1807  to  1816  he  lived  on  the  Jonathan  Gilbert  farm,  on  South 
street.  He  had  one  or  more  sons  and  two  daughters  —  Eunice,  now 
living  (1872)  here,  and  Emily,  who  married,  August  24,  1834,  James  B. 
Phelps,  from  Leicester,  Mass.,  and  resided  here  until  his  death,  March 
25,  1857.     She  died  in  1870. 

Elizur    Hinsdale  came  from  Torrington  in  1805.     He  this  year 


392  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

built,  and  afterwards  occupied,  the  house  on  north  side  of  Main  street, 
now  owned  by  Philo  G.  Sheldon,  and  a  trip-hammer  shop  on  the  site  ot 
the  Foundry  &  Machine  Co.'s  AVorks,  in  which  he  manufactured  axes 
until  his  removal  to  Leroy,  N.  Y.  His  first  wife,  Olive,  died  October 
28,  1816,  aged  30.  He  married  (2d)  Mrs.  —  Everett  of  New  Milford, 
in  1817. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Mary  Elizabeth,         baptized  June  7,  1807. 
II.  Morris. 

III.  Charlotte  Maria,       bap.  October  16,  1814. 

IV.  A  Daughter,  bap.  ,  1819. 

Elam  Rockwell  appears  on  the  list  as  a  resident  this  year.  From 
1812  to  1814  he  owned  and  lived  on  Mad  River,  near  the  Danbury 
schoolhouse. 

Daniel  Burnham,  from  1806  to  1814,  owned  and  lived  in  a  house 
nearly  opposite  and  west  of  the  stone  bridge  over  Still  River,  and  car- 
ried on  a  chair  factory  in  the  upper  part  of  Hoadley's  Mill.  In  1826  he 
bought  the  Lemuel  Clarke  place  on  Wallen's  Hill,  which  he  occupied 
until  his  death,  May  19,  1836,  at  the  age  of  54.  His  wife,  Clarissa  C, 
died  February  22,  1855,  aged  74.  The  names  of  their  deceased 
children,  as  found  in  their  burial  lot,  are — 

I.  Daniel  C,  d.  January  19,  1810,  aged  6. 

II.  Luther,  d.  August  23,  1837,  aged  26. 

III.  Erwin,  d.  February  12,  1812,  aged  19. 

IV.  Henry  S.,  d.  July  5,  1818,  aged  2. 

V.  Sally  A.,  m.  December  9,  1830,  Rufus  Cleveland;  d.  April  17,  1854, 

aged  51.     They  had  another  daughter,  Clarissa,  who  m.,  September 
13,  1831,  Milo  Hall  of  New  Marlboro,  Mass. 

Joseph  Miller,  Esq.,  attorney-at-law,  commenced  practice  in  Win- 
sted  this  year.  In  1807  he  built  the  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main 
street,  now  owned  by  Mrs.  Parke,  iu  which  he  lived  until  his  removal  to 
Kalamazoo  Co.,  Michigan. 

He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams'  College,  and  of  the  Litchfield  Law 
School ;  a  man  of  literary  tastes  and  sound  legal  acquirements  ;  a  kind, 
generous-hearted  man,  genial  and  upright  ;  a  good  neighbor  and 
citizen. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  able  in  argument,  and  honorable  in  practice.  An 
inborn  principle  of  uprightness  unfitted  him  for  resort  to  professional 
tricks,  and  his  moral  sense  revolted  at  whatever  was  mean  or  treacher- 
ous.    By  the  court  and  bar  he  was  highly  respected. 

n   1834,    with  a  view   to    the   advancement  of  a   large   family,  he 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  393 

removed  to  Richland,  then  a  sparsely-settled  region,  where  he  devoted 
himself  to  clearing  and  cultivating  his  new  homestead,  and  limitedly 
to  law  practice.  His  children  grew  up  around  him,  prospered  and 
respected. 

While  a  resident  of  Winsted,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  conven- 
tion which  framed  the  constitution  of  Connecticut  in  1818,  and  was 
subsequently  a  representative  of  the  town  in  the  general  assembly. 

In  Michigan  he  was  also  a  delegate  of  his  county  to  the  constitutional 
convention  of  that  state,  and  held  other  public  offices. 

He  married,  in  June,  1808,  Sarah  Sherman,  who  died  December  30, 
1816;  married  (2d)  October  1,  1817,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Eli 
Richards,  who  died  July  17,  1858,  aged  73. 

CHILDREN    BY   FIRST    WIFE. 
I.  Sherman,        b.    April   29,    1809;    lost  on  the  steamer  Pulaski,  on  the 

Carolina  coast,  in  June,  1838,  unmarried. 
II.  Sarah  Ann,    b.  January  28,  1811  ;  m.  Ira  Peake ;  d.  at  Richland,  Mich., 
January  27,  1859  ;  left  six  children. 

III.  Jane,  b.  December  23, 1812  ;  m.  Doctor  E.  Stetson  of  Neponset,  111. 

IV.  Ltdia  M.,         b.  Apr.  5,  1825;  m.  Enos  Northrup,  Richland,  Mich. 

V.  Joseph,  b.  December  13,  1816,  studied  law  with  his  father  and  was 

admitted  to  the  bar  of  Kalamazoo  county.  Prosecuting  attorney  of  said 
county  for  several  years;  U.  S.  Attorney,  District  of  Michigan,  from 
1857  to  1861 ;  an  able  and  upright  lawyer,  a  public-spirited  and  influen- 
tial citizen.  "  Thoroughly  identified,  both  by  early  associations  and 
matured  intimacy  with  the  people  among  whom  he  lived,  his  genial 
nature,  his  ripened  and  unerring  judgment,  his  high  legal  attainments, 
and  above  all,  his  pure  and  unsullied  integrity  and  entire  truthfulness  of 
thought  and  expression,  won  the  heart  and  secured  the  attachment  of  all 
who  approached  him."  At  the  session  of  the  U.  S.  District  Court, 
holden  at  the  time  of  his  decease,  the  district  attorney,  in  announcing  his 
death,  remarked,  "  The  period  of  our  deceased  brother's  connection  with 
the  officers  and  bar  of  this  court  is  so  recent  that  it  is  unnecessary  to 
call  to  mind  the  ability,  the  courtesy,  the  clear  intellect,  and  the  warm 
heart  which  characterized  him  in  the  manifold  relations  of  his  official 
and  professional  life.  He  was  endowed  by  nature  with  a  mind  of  high 
order,  and  with  sympathies  unusually  tender,  which  drew  around  him 
troops  of  friends,  whom  his  talents  enabled  him  to  serve.  A  handsome 
'  competency,  and  the  best  practice  of  his  section  of  the  state,  was  the 
fruit  of  his  diligence  and  ability."     He  m.  Charlotte  B.  Brown. 

CHILDREN    BY    SECOND    WIFE. 
VI.  Eli  Richards,     b.  Oct.  12,  1818;   m.,  1st,  Artheusa  Mills;   2d,  Harriet 
Cook. 
VII.  James,  b.  Feb.  11,  1838;  m.  Mary  Ada  Smith. 

1807. 
Benjamin  Skinner,  from  East  Hartford,  a  miller,  came  to  Winsted  this 
year  and  had  charge  of  Rockwell's  mill  during  his  remaining  life,  and 
lived  in  the  old  lean-to  house  on  Lake  street.     He  was  a  man  of  most 
50 


394  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

industrious  habits  and  sincere  piety,  training  and  educating  his  large  fam- 
ily, and  discharging  the  duties  of  a  Christian  citizen  with  exemplary 
fidelity.  He  died  Feb.  5,  1814,  aged  48.  His  wife  Nabby  (Spencer) 
died  Dec.  2,  1830,  aged  59. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  James,  b.  m.,  ,  Harriet  Spencer,  of  Hart- 

ford;  d.  iii  Hartford.     Children:  1.  Edward,  d.  young ;  2.  James,  m. 
Harriet  Spencer. 
II.  Benjamin,,    b.  1794;  m.  d.  Sept.,  1854,  aged  60; 

has  one  son  (Henry)  now  in.  and  living  in  Ohio. 

III.  Abigail,        b.  1797  ;  d.  unmd.  June  16,  1842,  aged  45. 

IV.  Rhoda,  b.  d.  unmd.  Feb.  17,  1864. 

V.  Horace,         b.  m.    (1st)    Charity   Sage,    (2d)    Sarah   Clark. 

Children  by  first  wife:    1.  Charles;   2.  Horace;   3.  Sarah.      By 
second  wipe  :   4.  Abby;   5.  Mary;  6.  Belle;  7.  Sarah  Beaeh.     Had 
seven  children,  all  dead  in  1872. 
VI.  Henry. 

VII.  Timothy  Phelps,  b.  Sept.  11, 1807  ;  m.,  March  — ,  1840,  Mary  T.  Jaques. 
VIII.  Frederick. 
IX.  Lucius,  b.  m.,  June  20,  1836,  Lucy  Champion; 

was  drowned  in  Naugatuck  river  by  railroad  disaster  at  Plymouth,  Conn. 
Children  :  1 .  Ellen  Maria,  b.  May  22,  1838 ;  2.  Hannah  Clark,  b.  May 
10,  1840,  d.  ;  3.  Lucius  Spencer,  b.  March  28,  1843; 

4.  Frank  Bevins,  b.  April  23,  1850. 

Capt.  Lemuel  Clarke,  from  Whately,  Mass.,  came  to  Winsted  this 
year,  and  bought  the  David  Mills  farm,  afterwards  owned  by  Daniel 
Burnham,  on  Wallen's  Hill,  on  which  he  resided  until  1826.  He  served 
as  a  sergeant  in  the  Continental  army  in  the  Revolutionary  War ;  was  in 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  and  other  engagements,  and  retired  from  the 
service  with  a  certificate  of  honorable  discharge  signed  by  Washington. 

He  was  born  at ,  Mass.,  March  24,  1755 ;  married  at  Sunderland, 

Mass.,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Ashley,  in  October,  1779,  to  Kezia  Hubbard:  he  died 
Aug.  22,  1840;  she  died  March  22,  1843. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  Lucius,  b.  July  14,  1780,  d.  March  9,  1782. 

II.  Levi  Hubbard,  b.  Sept.  22,  1782;  grad.  Yale  College,  1802;  states 
attorney  Middlesex  Co.,  Conn.,  1807-8;  judge  of  Monroe  Co.  court, 
N.  Y.,  in  1818;  judge  of  seventh  and  tenth  ward  court,  N.  Y.,  in  1835; 
assistant  editor  of  New  York  American,  1821-4,  and  New  York  Com- 
mercial Advertiser  1833-5.  He  m.  Nov.  — ,  1809,  Mary  Ann,  daughter 
of  John  Griswold,  of  Lyme,  Coun.,  eldest  son  of  Gov.  Matthew  Gris- 
wold.     She  d.  Jan.  30,  1812,  aged  26. 

child. 
Elizabeth  Brainard,  m.  Sept.  14,  1844,  Bushnell  White,  Esq.,  a 
lawyer   of  Cleveland,  Ohio.     Child;   John    Griswold   White,  b. 
August  10,  1845,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  now  practising  law  in 
that  city. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS  .  395 

III.  Caroline,  b.  Feb.  6,  1785,  d.  May  11,  1790. 

IV.  Kezia,  b.  Dec.  21,  1787  ;  m., ,  William  Moore,  d.  De- 

cember, 1824. 
V.  Lucius,  b.  Wbately,  Mass.,  Aug.  22,  1790,  d.  Dec.  28,  1863. 

VI.  Erastus  Lemuel,  b.  May  21,  1793;  m.  ;  d.  Oct.  27,  1835. 

VII.  Augustus,  b.  Sept.  8,  1796;  d.  Aug.  9,  1803. 

VIII.  George  Hubbard, b.  Dec.  27,  1799;  d.  Feb.  22,  1852;  m.  (1) 

Lucius  Clarke,  son  of  Capt.  Lemuel,  married,  Jan.  — ,  1819,  Nancy, 
daughter  of  James  Boyd,  of  Winchester. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Caroline,  b.  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  May  4,  1822  ;  d.  1822. 

II.  Frederick  Boyd,      b.  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  Dec.  11,  1823;  d.  1825. 

III.  Lucius  Hubbard,      b.  Winsted,  Sept.  25,  1825;  d.  s.  p. 

IV.  Mary  Munro,  b.  Winsted,  May  4,  1827 ;  m.  H.  B.  Alvord. 

V.  Thomas  Montague,  b.  Winsted,  Jan.  4,  1830  ;  m.,  May  6,  1839,  Julia  Cat- 
lin,  daughter  of  Dr.  Orrin  B.  Freeman,  Canton,  Conn.;  Children: 
1.  Carrie,  d.  in  infancy;  2.  Lucius  F.,  d.  in  infancy;  3.  Harry  Catlin  ; 
4.  Caroline  Freeman;  5.  Boyd;  6.  Munro,  d.  in  infancy;  7.  Thomas 
M.,  d.  in  infancy;  8.  Fanny;  9.  Jessie. 
VI.  Edward,  b.  April  15,  1832;  m.  Susan  Holmes. 

VII.  Martha,  b.  Springfield,  Mass.,  1834;  d. 

VIII.  Susan,  b.  Feeding  Hills,  Mass.,  July  10,  1838;  m.  Rev.  Mal- 

colm McGregor  Dana,  minister  of  First  Congregational  Church,  Nor- 
wich.    Children:  1. 

Jasper  Grinnell  appears  on  this  year's  list.  He  built  a  house  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Wallen's  Hill  road,  a  little  east  of  the  ancient  bury- 
ing ground  near  the  clock  factory,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  death, 
Feb.  24,  1832.  Of  his  family  we  have  no  record  except  his  marriage  to 
Lucy  Filley,  Sept.,  1811,  and  the  grave  stones  of  two 

children. 
Lydia  E.,         d.  March  28,  1809,  aged  8. 
Edwin  D.,        d.  Feb.  10,  1814,  aged  2. 

David  Tallmadge  is  on  the  assessment  list  of  this  and  many  suc- 
ceeding years.  He  was  not  a  land  owner,  and  had  no  permanent  residence. 
He  raised  a  family  of  children,  of  whom  the  wife  of  Truman  Scovill 
was  one. 

Eben  Coe,  son  of  Ensign  Jonathan,  married,  Dec.  1,  1806,  Eliza, 
daughter  of  Philemon  Kirkum,  and  after  living  with  his  father,  built  and 
occupied  the  Jesse  Williams  house,  on  Spencer  street,  until  near  the  date 
of  his  death.  He  died  Sept.  10,  1813,  aged  33,  soon  after  which  his 
widow  and  children  moved  to  Ohio.     (See  Coe  Record.) 

Deacon  Elisha  Smith  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  is  noticed,  and 
his  family  record  given  in  connection  with  the  record  of  his  father,  Capt. 
Zebina  Smith. 


396  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1808. 

Dr.  Lyman  Strong,  from  Southampton,  Mass.,  this  year  began  prac- 
tice in  Winsted  as  a  physician,  and  in  1809  became  principal  of  the 
grammar  school  or  Academy  then  first  opened  there,  and  continued  to 
teach  and  practice  until  his  removal  to  Guilford  in  1810,  where  he  prac- 
ticed until  1816,  when  he  moved  to  Hartford  and  opened  a  boarding  and 
day  school  for  young  ladies.  In  1821  he  moved  to  Beaufort,  S.  C,  and 
officiated  as  president  of  a  college  in  that  place.  Here  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston,  S.  C,  he  having,  before  coming 
to  "Winsted,  studied  theology  with  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker,  of  Goshen.  Re- 
turning to  New  England,  he  was,  in  1825,  settled  in  Hebron,  Conn.,  and 
in  1830,  at  Colchester,  Conn.,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  life,  and  died 
Dec.  31,  1861,  aged  80.  He  graduated  at  Williams'  College  in  1802,  and 
was  tutor  for  one  year ;  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Sumner,  of  Westfield, 
Mass.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  appearance  and  address,  and  a  teacher  of 
high  order  —  a  Puritan  of  the  Puritans  ;  "  an  industrious,  earnest,  cheerful 
man,  full  of  joy  in  his  life  of  active  service  to  God  and  mankind." 

He  was  born  Sept.  12,  1781  ;  married,  March  12,  1808,  Clarissa 
Morse,  daughter  of  Jacob  Morse,  of  Westfield ;  she  died  at  Colchester, 
Dec.  20,  1821,  aged  49;  and  he  married  (2d)  at  Middletown,  Conn., 
Widow  Rhoda  Matson,  daughter  of  Israel  Newton.  She  died  Dec.  18, 
1843,  aged  58;  and  he  married  (3d)  widow  Olivia  (Bridges)  Brooks,  b. 
March  24,  1808. 

CHILDREN    BY    FIRST    WIFE. 
I.  Clarissa  Morse,  b.  at  Winsted,  June  24,  1809;   m.,  May  4,  1837,  Rev. 
Jason  Atwater,  a  grad.  of  Yale  in  1825,  and  pastor  at  Middlebury,  Conn., 
where  she  d.  Feb.  13,  1844. 
II.  Elizabeth,  b.  June  5,  and  d.  June  8,  1812. 

III.  Lyman,  b.  in  Guilford,  Feb.  20,  and  d.  July  21,  1815. 

Hermon  Munson,  from  Middlebury,  Conn.,  is  on  the  list  of  this,  and 
several  following  years.  He  moved  into  Barkhamsted,  after  his  marriage, 
and  lived  on  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  about  half  a  mile  east  of  the 
town  line,  until  his  death,  April  7,  1854,  aged  72.  He  married,  Jan.  1, 
1810,  Polly,  daughter  of  Benoni  Bronson  of  Winchester.  She  died  May 
9,  1849,  aged  60,  and  he  married  (2d),  Mrs.  Smith.     He  had 

children  by  his  first  wife. 

I.  Mart,  who  d.  unmarried,  Jan.  30,  1831,  aged  21. 
II.  Sidney,  of  Minnesota. 

III.  Emerett,  m.,  Nov.  — ,  1837,  Henry  E.  Rockwell ;  d.  Aug.  22, 

1852,  aged  36. 
IV   Abigail,  of  Minnesota. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  397 


1809. 

Deacon  James  H.  Alvord*  moved  from  East  Hampton,  Conn., 
this  year,  and  soon  after  built  the  house  at  the  north  corner  of  North  Main 
street  and  the  lane  leading  west  of  the  center  burying  ground,  where  he 
lived  the  remainder  of  his  days  a  quiet,  industrious,  and  exemplary  life, 
devoted  to  the  wise  training  and  educating  of  a  large  family,  and  the  up- 
building of  the  Church,  of  which  he  was  an  office  bearer  from  1836  to  his 
death.  He  was  born  in  Chatham,  Conn.,  Aug.  8,  1781  ;  married  Oct.  11, 
1804,  Lucy  Cook,  born  Aug.  7, 1784.  He  died  July  29, 1868.  She  died 
Sept.  11,  1850. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Clarissa  Pitkin,  b.  Aug.  7,  1805;  resides  in  Winsted. 
II.  John  Watson,  b.  April  18,  1807;  began  life  as  a  merchant's  clerk  in 
Hartford,  Ct ,  in  1828,  and  during  the  next  year  becoming  convinced  that 
he  must  preach  the  gospel,  declined  an  offer  of  partnership,  and  in  1830 
began  his  preparation,  studying  at  Oneida  Institute,  Lane  Seminary,  and 
Oberlin,  where  he  graduated  in  1836,  and  was  ordained  the  same  year. 
He  preached  one  year  at  Maumee  City,  O.,  and  since  that  has  preached  at 
Barkhamsted,  and  Stamford,  Conn.,  and  at  South  Boston,  Mass. ;  has 
been  District  Secretary  of  American  Tract  Society,  Boston  ;  Inspector 
of  Schools  and  Finances  for  the  Freedmen,  under  Maj.  Gen.  Howard; 
and  since  1809,  Pres.  of  the  Freedmen's  Savings  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany at  Washington,  where  he  now  resides. 

He  m.  June  3,  1845,  Myrtilla  Mead  Peck,  b.  Greenwich,  Conn.,  Oct. 
11,  1819,  daughter  of  Obadiah  and  Lisette  (Mead)  Peck. 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Mary  Anna,  b.  Granville,  Ct.,  July  21,  1846;  d.  Boston,  Mass. 
Aug.  18, 1847. 

2.  Julia  Mead,  b.  Boston,  Aug.  8,  1847;  m.  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
Dec.  15,  1870,  John  L.  Cole,  and  has  a  son,  Dorr  Edward,  b.  Dec. 
29,  1871. 

*His  father,  Ruel  Alvord,  son  of  Seth  and  Elizabeth  (Spencer)  Alvord,  was  cousin 
to  Deacon  Eliphaz  Alvord,  who  has  already  been  noticed.  He  married,  Nov.  15,  1774, 
Hannah  Hall.  He  settled  in  Chatham,  Conn.,  where  he  died,  March  27,  1810,  in  his 
60th  year.     She  died,  Aug.  3,  1830,  aged  77  years. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  John,    b.  Chatham,  Oct.  14,  1775;  d.  at  sea,  Nov.  11,  1800. 
II.  Sibtl,  b.         "  May  30,  1777;  m.  Parmenas  Watson. 

III.  Mart,  b.         "         March  14,  1779;  m.  March  14,  1802,  Elisha  Rowley, 

b.  C,  March  14,  1780;  they  settled  in  Winchester  in  1805. 

IV.  James  Hall,  b.  Chatham,  Aug.  8,  1781. 

V.  Lucy,  b.  Durham,  Conn.,  May  14,  1785 ;  m.  Sept.  30,  1806,  Chaun- 

cey  Brooks;  settled  in  Winchester,  where  she  d.  Sept.  1,  1831. 
VI.  Esther,  b.  Chatham,  July  18,  1789;  d.  Aug.  28,  1835,  unmarried. 

VII.  Jabez,  b.         "  Sept.  27,  1792;  d.  Feb.  28,  1828, 

VIII.  Hannah,         b.        "         March  1,  1795;  d.  Aug.  17,  1832,         " 


398  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

3.  Charles  Stewart,  b.  Boston,  March  3,  1849;  d.  Boston,  Jan.  3, 

1853. 
4    John  Watson,       b.  Boston,  Nov.  20,  1852;  d.  Greenwich,    Conn., 

May  8,  1853. 

5.  George  Lewis,      b.  Groton,  Mass.,  Aug.  2,  1854;  d.  Groton,  Oct. 
21,  1855. 

6.  Samuel,  b.  Newton  Centre,  Mass.,  Feb.  23,  1857. 

7.  James  Hall,  b.  Newton  Centre,  Mass.,  April  23,  1858 ;  d.  New- 
ton Centre,  March  19,  1861. 

8.  John  Watson,      b.  Newton  Centre,  Jan.  25,  1861. 

III.  Mary  Cook,  b.  W.,  Feb.  26,  1809;  d.  Feb.  12,  1830. 

IV.  Susan  B.,       b.  Feb.  12,  1811 ;  m.  May  30,  1838,  Asahel  M.  Rice,  of  W., 

has  one  daughter,  Harriet  M.,  b.  March  24,  1848. 
V.  Richard,       b.  March  8,  1813  ;  d.  Dec.  1,  1818. 
VI.  Catharine,   b.  Feb.  12,  1815. 
VII.  James,  b.    "      10,  1817;  d.  March  17,  1820. 

VIII.  Charles,  b.  Aug.  16,  1819;  m.  June  5,  1844,  his  cousin,  Melissa  Wat- 
son, b.  Jan.  4,  1818,  daughter  of  Parmenas  and  Sibyl  (Alvord)  Wat- 
son ;  has 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Lucy  Cook,  b.  June  5,  1846. 

2.  Theodore  Watson,  b.  April  11,  18-18. 

3.  Clara  Melissa,  b.  July  25,  1850. 

4.  Jabez,  b.     "     15,  1858. 

IX.  Amanda  Malvina,  b.  Aug.  20,  1821  ;  m.  Aug.  31,  1841,  John  Hinsdale.      . 
X.  James  Richard,       b.  Oct.  7,  1823;  m.  Dec.  3,  1849,  Mary  Eliza  Landon, 
b.  in  Poultney,  Vt,  Sept.  12,   1824,  daughter  of  Rev.  Seymour  and 
Phebe  (Thompson)  Landon. 

children. 

1.  Louise  Landon,        b.  Sept.  5, 1852  ;  d.  Jan.  4,  1870. 

2.  Charles,  b.  March  20,  1854. 

3.  Seymour  Landon,    b.  Aug.  6,  1856. 

4.  Elliot  Beardsley,       b.  Aug.  2, 1859;  d.  Aug.  19,  1859. 

5.  James  Richard,         b.  April  3,  1860;  d.  .1865. 

XI.  George,  b.  Aug.  23,  1825;  m.  June  1,  1863,  Elizabeth  Peck  Hubbard,  b. 
Sunderland,  Mass.,  May  19,  1830,  daughter  of  Ashley  and  Betsey  (Dole) 
Hubbard  ;  has  been  clerk  in  the  Navy  Department,  Washington  ;  Cash- 
ier of  Hurlbut  Bank,  West  Winsted  ;  is  now  in  the  printing  business  in 
Winsted ;  no  children. 
XII.  Jabez,  b.  Feb.  3,  1828  ;  a  machinist ;  a  soldier  of  the  w  of  1861,  and 
Postmaster  of  Winsted  ;  unmarried. 


1810. 

Jesse  Byington  came  to  Winsted  this  year,  and  in  the  following 
year  built  the  Evert  Beviiis  house,  on  the  west  side  of  North  Main  street. 
He  also  built  a  nail  factory  on  the  water  privilege  of  the  Winsted  Manu- 
facturing Company  (long  since  burned  down),  in  which  the  nails  were  cut, 
and  another  shop,  opposite  his  house,  where  the  nails  were  headed  by  hand- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  399 

blows.  He  employed  a  large  number  of  hands,  and  did  a  prosperous 
business  until  about  1815,  when  he  abandoned  the  business.  He  died  Sept. 
12,  1831,  aged  46.  He  married  about  the  time  of  his  coming  to  Winsted, 
and  had  two  daughters,  Jane  and  Finette.  Jane  was  of  Torrington, 
and  Finette  of  New  Haven,  in  1839. 

William  Gouchek,  an  iron  refiner,  lived  in  Winsted  from  1809  to 
about  1825.  He  had  among  other  children,  Samuel,  who  went  to  En- 
field and  died  there;  Polly,  married,  Jan.  13,  1833,  Legrand  Hubhell, 
who  was  killed  in  October,  1838,  by  the  bursting  of  a  grindstone,  aged  32, 
and  Hiram,  now  (1872)  living,  a  bachelor,  in  Winsted.  His  wife  died 
December,  1833. 

Joshua  Hewitt  came  to  Winsted  in  his  boyhood,  and  came  of  age 
this  year.  He  worked  as  a  shoemaker  a  few  years,  and  then  became  an 
iron  refiner,  which  trade  he  pursued  until  about  1835.  He  built  the 
house  on  Spencer  street,  at  the  foot  of  Cobble  Hill,  in  1850,  in  which  he 
afterwards  lived  until  his  death,  April  13,  1864,  aged  73.  He  married, 
April  24,  1808,  Polly  Williams.     She  died  April  14,  1842,  aged  55. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Sally,  b.  July  8,  1809;  m.  Squire  Sackett. 

II.  Homer,  b.  January  14,  1811  ;  d.  November  2,  1831,  unmarried. 

III.  Maria,  b.  ;  m.  August  23,  1837,  Francis  Brown.     Child: 

Sarah,  b.  ;  m.  Charles  Perry. 

IV.  Abigail,  b.  ;  in.  Daniel  Brown. 

V.  Lucia,  b.  ;  m.  August  16,  1838,  Justin  Hodge,  Captain 

of  Volunteers  in  Mexican  War,  and  Colonel  of  Volunteers  in  War  of 
the  Rebellion.     Child  :  Thadeus  Kosciusko. 
VI.  Harriet,  d.  January  24,  1821,  aged  one  year. 

VII.  Julia  Ann,  d.  December  3,  1821,  a^ed  one  year. 

VIII.  Henry  Hiram,  b.  September  24,    1822;    m.   (1st),    October  24,  1848, 

Marietta  T.  Coe.     She  d.  August  14,  1851,     Child:  Marietta,  b.  Aug. 
12,  1851  ;   (2d),  October  12, 1852,  Amanda  M.  Coe.     Child  :  Henrietta, 
b.  December  14,  1853. 
IX.  Sylvia,  b.  May  — ,  1824  ;  m.  August  5,  1844,  John  B.  Bishop. 

X.  Edward  (twin),  b.  May  — ,  1826;  m.  Laura  Andrews;  m.  (2d),  Mary 

Wheeler. 
XL  Edwin  (twin),  b.  May — ,  1826;  m.  Charlotte  Wilbraham. 

XII.  Charlotte,  d.  January  31,  1830. 

Isaac  Johnson  from  Rhode  Island,  lived  in  an  old  barrack  house  at 
the  north  corner  of  North  Main  and  Hinsdale  streets.  He  died  Novem- 
ber 6,  1829,  aged  50,  leaving  sons  and  daughters — among  them  — 

Isaac,  now  of  Barkhamsted. 
The  wife  of  Jonas  Le  Roy  of  W. 
Lodoisica,  wife  of —  Scovill  of  Litchfield. 


400  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Selden  Mitchell,  son  of  Joseph,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He 
built,  and  occupied  until  after  1820,  the  house  on  the  south  side  of  Main 
street,  now  (1872)  owned  by  Sheldon  Kinney,  Sen.,  and  had  a  wagon 
maker's  shop  in  the  rear  basement.  He  moved  to  Colebrook  River 
about  1821.     No  record  of  his  family  is  found. 

William  Murray,  son  of  David,  an  early  settler,  lived  in  Win- 
chester from  this  year  to  about  1840.  He  married  Ann  Hewitt,  sister  of 
Joshua,  was  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  and  afterwards  a  carpenter.  No 
record  is  found  of  his  family. 

John  Rohrabacher,  an  iron  refiner,  came  from  Ancram,  N.  Y., 
this  year,  and  lived  on  the  north  side  of  Lake  street,  immediately  above 
the  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  bridge,  until  his  removal  to  Cortland 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  1820. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Electa,        m.  Andrew  Brusie  of  Virgil,  N.  Y. 
II.  Betsey,        d.  August  10,  1817,  aged  13. 
III.  Isaac,  and  others. 

John  Storer,  a  joiner,  married,  January  7,  1808,  Eunice,  daughter 
of  John  Church,  and  had  by  her, 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Simeon,         b.  September  30,  1808,  now  an  inhabitant  of  this  town. 
II.  David,  b.  December  3,  1810. 

III.  Eliza,  b.  November  4,  1812  ;  m.  July  3,  1834,  Samuel  D.  Sheldon. 

About  1820  Mr.  Storer  joined  the  Shaker  community,  at  Tyringliam, 
Mass. 

Riley  Whiting,  son  of  Christopher,  an  early  settler  of  the  town, 
this  or  the  preceding  year  became  a  resident  of  Winsted.  He  is  noticed 
and  his  family  record  given  in  connection  with  his  father,  under  date 
of  1799. 

1801  to  1821. 

We  compile  a  summary  of  buildings  erected,  roads  opened,  and  institu- 
tions established  within  the  limits  of  the  borough  of  Winsted  from  1800 
to  1811,  as  follows  : — 

1800. 

The  original  store  of  Bissell  Hinsdale,  on  the  site  of  Camp's  brick 
block,  enlarged  about  1812,  and  removed  about  1848.  It  now  constitutes 
two  tenant  houses  on  the  west  side  of  Main  street,  next  south  of  Monroe 
street  bridge. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  401 


1802. 


The  dwelling  house  of  Deacon  Alpha  Rockwell  was  built  on  the  site  of 
the  Beardsley  house,  and  was  taken  down  and  re-erected  on  the  east  corner 
of  High  and  Union  streets,  in  1849,  by  John  Westlake.  The  scythe  estab-  ■ 
lishment  of  James  Boyd,  near  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Meadow  streets, 
was  erected  in  1802,  rebuilt  about  1833,  and  in  1853  was  converted  by 
Louis  R.  Boyd  into  a  manufactory  of  planters'  hoesr 

1803. 

The  dwelling  house  on  Main  street,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  John 
T.  Rockwell,  was  erected  by  James  Boyd,  and  occupied  by  him  and 
his  widow  until  1853. 

The  "Woodford  homestead,  at.  the  corner  of  Main  and  Coe  streets,  was 
erected  by  John  Sweet. 

The  Hosea  Hinsdale  homestead,  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  Spencer 
streets,  erected  by  James  Shepard. 

The  original  tavern  building,  on  the  site  of  Hicks'  Hotel,  east  corner 
of  Main  and  North  Main  streets,  erected  by  Benjamin  Jenkins. 

Merritt  Bull  erected  a  scythe  establishment  on  the  pond  stream 
adjoining  Meadow  street  bridge,  which  was  rebuilt  by  Rockwell  and 
Hinsdale  about  1832,  and  has  recently  been  purchased  by  the  Winsted 
Hoe  Company  for  plating  of  hoes  and  forging  chisels. 

Hosea  Hinsdale  and  James  Shepard  erected  a  tannery  on  the  site  of 
the  fish  pond  recently  excavated  by  John  T.  Rockwell,  near  the  parting 
of  Main  and  Spencer  streets.  The  original  building  ceased  to  be  used  as 
a  tannery  about  1851,  and  was  torn  down  about  1870. 

The  gambrel-roofed  store  on  Main  street,  occupied  by  T.  Baird,  near 
the  corner  of  North  Main  street,  was  erected  by  Philemon  Kirkum  in 
1804. 

1805. 

Joseph  Mitchell  built  a  one-story  house  on  or  near  the  site  of  Joseph 
H.  Norton's  dwelling,  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street,  which  was  torn 
down  by  Henry  B.  Crowe  about  1851. 

In  the  same  year,  the  two-story  house  on  the  west  side  of  North 
Main  street,  nearly  opposite  the  west  wing  of  the  clock  factory  dam,  was 
built  by  Samuel  Hoadley. 

1806. 

The  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main  sti  ^et,  now  owned  and  occupied 
by  Ezra  Baldwin,  was  built  by  Joseph  1.  Cummings  and  Benjamin 
Jenkins. 

51 


402  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

1807. 

Philemon  Kirkum  built  a  small  house  on  tlie  east  side  of  Main  street, 
which  was  torn  down  by  Dr.  James  Welch  to  make  room  for  his  present 
residence. 

•     The  late  homestead  of  Reuben  Cook,  on  North  Main  street,  was  built 
by  Benjamin  Hoadley. 

The  original  west  village  district  school  was  burned  down  at  the  close 
of  1806,  and  a  new  one  was  erected  this  year  on  the  same  ground,  and 
with  slight  improvement  on  its  predecessor.  It  continued  in  use  as  a 
school  liouse  until  about  1840,  when  it  was  removed  to  make  room  for 
the  long  and  unsightly  building  erected  in  its  place,  which  has  recently 
been  superseded  by  the  new  graded  school  edifice  on  Hinsdale  street. 

James  Boyd  and  Horace  Higley  erected  a  saw  mill  on  the  site  of  the 
New  England  Pin  Company's  Works,  near  the  Naugatuck  Depot,  and 
also  the  bridge  communicating  therewith  from  Main  street ;  and  in  1808 
they  erected  an  iron  forge  on  Main  street,  directly  opposite  the  Clarke 
house.  It  was  kept  up  as  long  as  the  manufacture  of  refined  bar  iron 
continued  remunerative,  and  was  sold  in  1845  to  parties  who  erected  the 
Pin  Company's  building. 

1808. 

The  first  Methodist  meeting  house  was  built  on  the  east  side  of  Spen- 
cer street,  immediately  north  of  the  school  house,  and,  within  a  few 
years,  has  been  converted  into- a  double  tenement  house.  Prior  to  the 
building  of  this  house,  the  Methodists  had  worshiped  in  the  adjoining 
school-house.  Their  number,  though  limited,  included  a  highly  respect- 
able class  of  our  inhabitants. 

In  those  days,  the  Methodist  and  Congregational  religionists  had  little 
more  sympathy  or  intercourse  with  each  other  than  the  old  Jews  and 
Samaritans.  The  circuit-rider  came  on  his  rounds  and  declaimed  against 
steeple  meeting  houses,  pitch-pipe  singing,  and  the  doctrine  of  Election. 
The  membership  kneeled  on  the  floor  in  prayer,  and  gave  vent  to  their  de- 
votional feelings  by  the  loud  "  Aniens,"  or  the  Gloria  Patri.  The  women 
eschewed  ribbons,  curled  hair,  and  gay  dresses.  Tlie  old  men  —  and  some 
of  the  young  ones  —  wore  straight-bodied  coats  ;  —  and  both  sexes  wore 
a  vinegar  aspect. 

The  "Presbyterians,"  —  as  they  were  termed,  —  on  the  other  hand 
looked  on  the  Methodists  as  interlopers  and  fanatics,  who  had  come  in  to 
disturb  the  peace  of  the  Standing  Order  as  by  Saybrook  platform  estab- 
lished. The  Methodists  were  all  Democrats  ;  the  Standing  Order  were 
mainly  high-toned  Federalists  of  Pharisaical  tendencies.  The  two  had 
apparently  no  mutual  sympathies,  and  never  inter-communed  with  each 
other. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  403 

Time  and  circumstances  have  worn  away  the  prejudices  and  softened 
the  asperities  of  the  two  denominations.  Intermarriages  have  led  to 
mutual  forbearance.  The  temperance  movement  brought  the  best  men 
and  women  of  the  two  orders  into  co-operation ;  and  the  an  ti- slavery 
movement,  fearlessly  advocated  by  the  living  Christianity  of  both  churches, 
was  the  death  blow  to  sectarianism. 

1809. 

Joseph  Miller,  Esq.,  erected  his  dwelling-house  on  the  northerly  side  of 
Main  street,  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Mrs.  Parke  ;  and  Solomon 
Rockwell  and  Brothers  erected  an  iron  store  on  the  lot  next  north  of  the 
Beardsley  House,  which  was  torn  down  about  1860. 

The  Rockwell  Brothers  erected  an  iron  forge  on  the  site  of  the  table 
cutlery  works  on  the  lake  stream,  immediately  below  Hulbert's  iron 
works.  It  was  discontinued  as  a  forge  about  1850,  and  converted  into 
a  cutlery  establishment  by  the  Eagle  Cutlery  Company. 

1811. 

Reuben  Cook,  of  Winsted,  Russell  Bunn  &  Co.,  and  Charles  Seymour, 
of  Hartford,  erected  an  iron  forge  on  Still  River,  below  the  Winsted 
Manufacturing  Company's  Scvthe  Works,  which  subsequently  became  the 
sole  property  of  Mr.  Cook,  and  was  carried  on  until  the  organization  of 
the  Cook  Axle  Company  about  1850,  where  the  present  brick  factory  on 
the  premises  was  erected. 

After  the  burning  down  of  the  west  village  district  school-house  in  1807, 
there  was  a  general  desire  to  erect  a  new  building  of  sufficient  capacity 
for  a  graded  school,  to  meet  the  growing  wants  of  the  community.  Plans 
were  proposed  and  debated ;  — jealousies  arose,  and  the  project  fell 
through.  The  house  erected  was  contracted  and  shabby.  The  new  vil- 
lagers, with  limited  outside  aid,  set  about  providing  better  facilities  for 
the  education  of  their  growing  families,  and  this  year  erected  the  building 
on  Main  street,  next  north  of  Forbes'  furniture  establishment,  for  a  gram- 
mar school.  It  was  arranged  with  an  upper  room  for  the  advanced 
scholars  and  a  lower  room  for  the  younger  class ;  and  was  opened  by 
Doctor  Lyman  Strong  as  principal,  and  his  sister-in-law,  Miss  Eliza 
Morse,  as  assistant  teacher.  The  enterprise  was  a  decided  success.  The 
teachers  not  only  attracted  the  scholars  of  the  village  but  numbers  from 
adjoining  towns.  Doctor  Strong  removed  to  Guilford  in  1810,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Curtis  Warner,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  who  continued  his  faith- 
ful and  acceptable  labors  until  his  sickness,  which  terminated  in  death  in 
1813.  He  was  succeeded  by  our  late  fellow  citizen,  Nathaniel  B.  Gay- 
lord,  who  taught  one  or  two  seasons  with  eminent  success. 

Other  teachers  followed,  of  varied  qualifications,  until  the  children  of 
most  of  the  projectors  of  the  school  had  completed  their  academic  edu- 


404  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

cation,  and  several  of  them  had  entered  college.  From  1817  to  1835  the 
sessions  of  the  school  became  irregular,  and  the  attendance  so  limited,  that 
the  school  was  abandoned  and  the  building  appropriated  to  other  uses. 

Great  as  were  the  benefits  of  this  school  to  those  who  attended  itr  the 
cause  of  general  education  would  have  been  far  more  effectually  promoted 
by  combining  the  energies  of  the  whole  community  in  the  organization 
and  support  of  such  a  graded  school  as  had  been  projected  and  defeated. 

The  failure  of  that  project  at  so  early  a  day  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
when  it  is  considered  that,  with  the  clearer  light  thrown  on  the  subject  by 
modern  educators,  and  the  universal  attention  directed  to  it,  repeated 
efforts  at  reform  have,  during  the  past  fifteen  years,  been  frustrated ;  and 
that  effective  measures  of  improvement  have  only  been  initiated  during 
the  last  five  years. 

In  1808  the  homestead  of  the  late  James  H.  Alvord,  deceased,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  East  village  park,  was  erected,  and  was  finished  the  fol- 
lowing year. 

Elizur  Hinsdale  erected  the  original  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main 
street,  now  owned  by  Philo  G.  Sheldon,  which  he  afterwards  enlarged  to 
its  present  dimensions,  and  occupied  until  ahout  1820. 

1809. 

In  1809,  Selden  Mitchell  built  the  house  on  the  south  side  of  Main 
street,'  now  owned  and  occupied  by  Sheldon  Kinney,  senior,  and  during 
the  same  or  following  year,  Jesse  Byington  built,  on  the  west  side  of 
North  Main  street,  the  house  subsequently  owned  by  Evart  Bevins  and 
Edward  G.  Whiting,  and  now  the  homestead  of  George  B.  Owen. 

In  1810,  Asahel  Miller  built  the  house  now  owned  by  Thomas  F. 
Davis,  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street,  above  George  Dudley's  tannery ; 
and  Riley  Whiting  built,  on  the  east  side  of  Still  River,  the  house 
recently  owned  and  occupied  by  Rollin  L.  Beecher. 

The  Pratt  street  road  was  laid  out  and  opened  in  1810.  As  laid  out, 
it  crossed  Mad  River  immediately  east  of  the  Foundry  and  Machine 
Company's  Works,  and  extended  about  one  mile  southward  to  its  present 
termination,  but  when  made  it  was  found  best  to  cross  the  river  by  the 
depot  bridge,  then  recently  erected  by  Mr.  Boyd  for  the  convenience  of 
his  iron  works,  and  to  run  by  an  easier  grade  to  where  the  surveyed  line 
crossed  Prospect  street. 

Nearly  cotemporaneous  with  the  opening  of  Pratt  street  road,  the 
ancient  road  along  the  line  of  Hinsdale  street  was  discontinued,  it  being 
considered  no  longer  of  public  convenience-  and  necessity  after  the 
opening  of  the  Green  Woods  turnpike,  and  the  diversion  of  travel  from 
the  Old  Country  road  over  Wallen's  Hill.     The  wisdom  of  this  measure 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


405 


proved  short-sighted,  for  about  1835  it  was  relaid  and  opened  at  a  heavy 
expense  to  the  town. 

The  assessment  list  of  1810  comprises  the  following  items: 


103 

Polls  between  21  and  70, 

11 

18    " 

», 

119 

Oxen,   - 

- 

388  Neat  Cattle, 

102 

" 

- 

78 

Horses, 

5 

" 

- 

2 

" 

298  Acres  Land, 

- 

1046 

it        (t 

51 

" 

- 

2226 

"        " 

2123 

"        " 

. 

1782 

" 

2 

Chaises, 

. 

6 

a 

13 

Silver  Watches, 

- 

2. 

Brass  Clocks, 

36 

Wooden    " 

- 

4  Fire-places, 

18 

a 

- 

64 

it 

69 

" 

- 

2 

Stores, 

Money  at  interest, 

Assessments  on  trade: 

at 


$60.00 

30.00 

10.00 

7.00 

3.34 

10.00 

7.00 

3.34 

1.67 

1.34 

.84 

.34 

.17 

.09 

30.00 

20.00 

10.00 

20.00 

7.00 

5.00 

3.75 

2.50 

1.25 

275.00 
1417.00 


Net  amount  after  deducting  abatements,  13,474.03 

Net  amount  of  Old  Society,  -  -  17,398.32 

Total  amount  of  whole  town,  -  -       $30,872.35 


Highway  tax,  3  per  cent,  in  labor, 
Town  tax,        5      "        "      cash, 


$  906.17 
1544.72 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

NEW  COMERS.— FAMILY  RECORDS.— WAR  OF  1812;   ITS  EFFECT  ON  BUSINESS,  &c. 

1811  to  1821. 

We  note  among  the  new  comers  of  the  year  1811  as  follows: 
Andrew  Brusie,  an  iron  refiner  from  Ancram,  N.  Y.,  first  appears 
on  the  tax  li-st  of  this  year.  He  resided  in  the  West  Village  until  his 
removal  to  Virgil,  Cortland  Co.,  N.  Y.,  about  1830,  where  he  erected  and 
carried  on  an  iron  forge  for  several  years,  and  is  believed  to  be  still  living. 
He  married  Electa,  daughter  of  John  Roherbacher,  and  had  children. 

Russell  Page,  a  tailor  from  Che-hire,  this  year  bought  the.  house  that 
stood  on  the  site  of  James  T.  Norton's  present  residence  where  he  lived 
and  worked  at  his  trade  until  1814.     He  had  a  wife  but  no  children. 

Charles  C.  Caul,  an  iron  refiner,  this  year  came  from  Ancram, 
N.  Y.,  and  worked  mainly  for  the  Rockwell  Brothers  until  his  death,  about 
1830.  He  had  a  wife,  and  children — Aaron,  Hiram,  Amelia,  Andrew, 
and  Nelson.  Aaron  became  a  physician  and  formerly  practised  in  Cort- 
land Co.,  N.  Y.     Amelia  married  a  Schermerhorn. 

Eleazer  Hawley,  from  Norfolk,  a  clock  maker,  is  first  on  the  list  of 
this  year.  He  lived  and  raised  a  family  in  a  now-abandoned  house  at  the 
top  of  the  hill,  above  the  Woodruff  tannery,  near  the  crossing  of  the  Old 
Country  and  North  Main  Street  roads.  He  died  April  1,  1839,  aged  47, 
leaving,  among  other  children,  Romulus  and  George,  none  of  whom  re- 
main in  the  town. 

John  Maltbie  came  into  the  society  a  single  man,  and  married,  in 
1812,  Deborah,  daughter  of  Reuben  Scovill,  and  had  children  whose 
names  are  not  ascertained.  He  bought,  in  1814,  the  place,  as  is  believed, 
now  owned  bj'  Jonathan  Gilbert,  on  South  Street,  where  he  died  Aug.  17, 

1827,  aged  42. 

Darius  Turrell,  a  clock  maker,  lived  in  the  Stephen  Rowley  house 
on  North  Main  street  until  about  1 840.  He  had  daughters,  Betsey  A.  and. 
Ann,  and  may  have  had  other  children.     His  first  wife  died  in   March, 

1828,  aged  30. 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  407 

Samuel  Williams,  a  forge  man  from  Ancram,  N.  Y.,  lived  in  Win- 
steel,  near  Hulbert's  forge,  from  1811  until  about  1840,  and  raised  a  fam- 
ily of  children,  among  them  two  son?,  Samuel  and  John.  He  served  in 
the  war  of  1812. 

1812. 

Daxiicl  Albko  learned  the  tanner's  trade  in  Winsted,  and  came  of 
age  this  year.  He  lived  in  the  town  until  about  1836.  He  married  in 
February,  1811,  Nancy  Westlake,  and  liad  several  children — among 
them,  Edward  and  Henry.     He  was  living  at  Windsor  Locks  in  1871. 

Nathan  Champion  came  from  Middlesex  County  this  year,  and 
began  casting  clock  bells,  to  which  he  afterwards  added  other  castings, 
and  was  the  only  iron  founder  in  the  town  until  after  1833.  He  owned 
and  occupied  during  his  later  life,  the  dwelling  on  North  Main  street, 
next  north  of  the  new  graded  school  building.  He  died  at  a  good  old 
age,  early  in  1868,  after  a  blameless  and  exemplary  life. 

His  wife,  Mary,  died  August  28,  1843,  aged  60.  They  had  a  son, 
Henry  S.,  now  living  in  Bridgeport;  and  daughters,  Sarah  C,  who 
married  September  24,  1840,  William  R.  Richardson  of  Bristol;  Julia, 
who  died  October  18,  1826;  Lucy  A.,  who  married,  January  20,  1836, 
Lucius  Skinner,  and  Lucinda,  recently  married. 

William  Green  from  Salisbury,  a  forgeman,  came  to  Winsted  this 
year,  and  worked  during  most  of  his  after  life  in  Cook's  Iron  Works,  in 
the  east  village.  He  raised  a  family,  some  of  whom  now  reside  here, 
and  died  in  the  town. 

Christopher  Lyon,  a  joiner,  became  a  resident  this  year.  He  built 
and  occupied  until  his  death,  the  house  on  North  Main  street  now 
occupied  by  Roswell  Pond.  He  married  Clarissa,  daughter  of  Theodore 
Hoskin.  He  died  August  5,  1844,  aged  56,  and  she  died  February  22, 
1867,  aged  77.  They  had  a  daughter,  Roxana,  married,  October  19, 
1824,  Aaron  W.  Crane,  and  another  daughter,  Eunice,  married  October 
2,  1839,  Benjamin  Johnson. 

George  Sage,  a  mason,  this  year  became  an  inhabitant  of  the 
Society,  and  lived,  until  his  removal  to  the.  west  about  1828,  on  the 
east  side  of  South  street,  now  Torrington  line.  No  record  of  his  family 
is  found. 

1813. " 
William  Caul,  an  iron  refiner,  from  Ancram,  N.  Y.,  came  to  Winsted 
this  year,  and  worked  in   the  different  forges  most  of  the  intervening 
time,  until  his  death,  at  the  Insane  Retreat,  Hartford,  in  June,  1828. 


408   •  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

He  married  —  Culver,  and  had  children :  James  M.,  William,  Ann 
E.,  who  married,  June  2,  1847,  Frederick  Murray,  and  another  daughter, 
who  married  Ilervey  V.  Blake. 

David  Marble,  from  Sutton,  Mass.,  a  mason,  came  here  this  year. 
In  1816  he  built  the  Wm.  S.  Holabird  house,  at  the  north  end  of  the 
east  village  park,  and  there  resided  some  five  years,  when  he  deserted  his 
wife,  and  went  to  Louisiana,  and  probably  died  there.  He  married, 
December  15,  1814,  Pamela  Wheeler,  who  is  now  (1872)  living.  They 
raised  no  children. 

Joseph  W.  Hurlbut,  son  of  Martin  of  Winchester,  appears  on  this 
year's  list.  He  inherited  the  farm  of  his  father,  on  the  east  side  of  Long 
Lake,  on  which  he  still  resides;  has  been  an  honored  deacon  of  the 
Congregational  Church  since  1836.  He  married,  April  25,  1817,  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Stephen  Merrill  of  Barkhamsted.     She  died  Oct.,  1864. 

CHILDREN. 
I.  James  Martin,  b.  January  5,  1818;  d.  August  14,  1847,  unra. 

II.  Joseph  Merrill,         b.    September   28,  1824;    m.  June   2,   1869,   Anna 
Augusta  Field. 

III.  Warren  Phineas,       b.  January  4,  1827;  resident  of  Winsted. 

IV.  William  Flowers,      b.  January  27,  1835;   a  member  of  the  Litchfield 

County  bar,  and  now  resident  in  Winsted. 

Doctor  Henry  Noble  from  Vermont,  a  physician,  came  here  this 
or  the  preceding  year,  as  a  practitioner.  He  married  the  same  year, 
Susan,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Jenkins,  who  died  January  14,  1815,  aged 
22,  when  he  left  the  state.  By  his  wife  he  had  one  son,  James 
Dwight,  baptized  November  6,  1814;  supposed  to  be  still  living. 

George  Roberts  from  Torringford,  became  a  resident  this  year. 
He  lived  during  his  later  years  on  the  east  side  of  the  Still  River,  in  the 
first  house,  north  of  Green  Woods  turnpike  bridge,  where  he  died  in 
1867  or  1868,  when  past  seventy  years  of  age.  He  married  —  Judd, 
who  died  before  him.  They  had  a  son,  Edward  J.,  and  two  or  three 
daughters. 

Horace  Reynolds,  a  blacksmith,  came  here  this  year,  and  resided, 
with  his  family,  mainly  in  the  east  village,  until  his  removal  to  Illinois 
about  1835.  He  was  for  some  years  a  partner  with  Thomas  R.  Bull  in 
the  old  Jenkins  Scythe  Works,  on  the  site  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing 
Co.'s  Works,  and  then  owned  and  occupied  the  Byington  house  on  North 
Main  street.     He  had  a  wife  and  children,  of  whom  we  find  no  record. 

1814. 
Samuel  Bartlett,  a  native  of  Cohassett,  Mass.,  came  from  Malone, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  409 

N.  Y.,  to  Winsted,  and  built  and  occupied  until  his  removal  from  the 
town,  the  Widow  Marble  house,  on  the  east  side  of  the  east  village  park. 
He  removed,  with  his  family,  to  Wayne  County,  Pennsylvania.  His 
wife  was  .sister  to  Benjamin  Jenkins.  His  children,  resident  with  him 
here,  were  his  son,  Arah,  and  his  daughters,  Rhoda,  Amanda,  and 
others  whose  names  are  not  remembered. 

James  C.  Cleveland,  son  of  Rufus  of  Barkhamsted,  first  appears  on 
this  year's  list.  He  was  for  many  years  a  clockmaker  in  the  employ  of 
Riley  Whiting.  In  1816  he  built  the  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  east 
village  park,  which  he  has  continued  to  occupy  to  the  present  time 
(1872).  He  married  (1st),  Belinda  Miller,  by  whom  he  had  a  son, 
Charles,  who  died  unmarried ;  (2d),  Sally  Taylor,  who  died  childless, 
December  27,  1819,  aged  28;  (3d),  Lucy  Northrup,  still  living  (1872), 
by  whom  he  had  Jane,  born  July  21,  1821,  who  married,  May  11, 
1842,  Charles  H.  Blake. 

Lewis  McDonald  from  Waterbury,  a  shoemaker,  lived  in  Winsted 
from  1813  to  1818,  when  he  moved  westward,  and  in  1871  was  living  in 
Illinois.     He  married,  about  1817,  Betsey,  daughter  of  Asher  Rowley. 

Joel  Miller,  son  of  Asahel  of  Winchester,  an  ingenious  mechanic, 
and  an  exemplary  and  earnest  Christian,  lived  in  Winsted  until  his 
death,  about  1820.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Grove  Pinney,  Esq.,  of 
Colebrook  ;  had  no  children. 

Dr-  Luman  Wakefield,  born  in  Colebrook,  August  29,  1787,  studied 
medicine  with  Dr.  Aaron  Moore,  and  this  or  the  preceding  year  commenced 
practice  with  his  teacher  in  Winsted.  Dr.  Moore  dying  in  1813,  he  suc- 
ceeded to  an  extensive  practice,  which  he  retained  and  enlarged  until  he 
became  disabled  for  active  professional  duties  by  a  slow  palsy  which  ter- 
minated his  life,  March  20,  1850,  at  the  age  of  63.  He  owned  and  lived 
in  a  house  on  the  site  of  Charles  B.  Hallett's  present  residence,  on  the 
east  side  of  the  east  village  park,  which  was  burned  down  shortly  after 
his  decease.  He  was  a  man  of  equable  temperament,  and  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  human  nature,  which  gave  him  a  controlling  influence  in  the 
community,  and  secured  to  him  the  strong  attachment  of  many  friends. 
As  a  successful  practitioner,  he  was  aided  by  sound  judgment  and  close 
observation,  more  than  by  high  scientific  attainments.  He  was  a  supporter 
of  good  order,  a  decided  friend  and  advocate  of  the  temperance  reform, 
and  in  later  life  became  a  consistent  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
He  was  born  at  Colebrook,  Aug.  29,  1787 ;  m.  Betsy,  daughter  of  Elijah 
Rockwell,  Esq.,  of  Colebrook,  born  Feb.  18,  1789.  She  died  Oct.  23, 
1831. 

52 


410  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia  W.,  b.  Oct.  1,  1815  ;   m.,  May  23,  1839,  Eli  T.  Wilder,  Esq. 

II.  Elizabeth  A.,  b.  m.,  Oct.  1,  1831,  Normand  Adams. 

III.  Lucy  O,  b.  March  24,  1820;  m.,  May  28,  1840,  Win.  H.  Phelps. 

IV.  John  Luman,  b.  May  25,  1823  ;  grad.  M.  D.  Yale  College,  1847. 

V.  James  Beach,     b.  March  21,  1825 ;  grad.  A.  B.  Trinity  College,  Hartford. 

A  judge  of  supreme  court  in  Minnesota. 
VI.  Mary  II.,  b.  Sept.  7,  1827;   m.,  Sept.  21,  1852,  Richard  H.  Yale;  d. 

at  New  Orleans,  La.,  Sept.  22,  1858. 

He  married   (2d),  March  12,  1840,  Ann   (Tolbert),  widow  of  Ambrose 
Fyler;  she  d.  Sept.  24,  1867,  aged  75. 

Lucius  Clarke,  son  of  Captain  Lemuel,  came  with  his  father  from 
Whately,  Mass.,  in  1807,  and  appears  on  this  year's  tax  list.  In  1813 
or  1814,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Nathaniel  B.  Gaylord  in  mercan- 
tile business,  which  was  continued  until  his  removal  to  Monroe  Co.,  N.  Y., 
about  1818,  where  he  went  into  trade,  flast  at  Carthage,  at  the  foot  of  the 
Genesee  Falls,  and  then  in  the  village  of  Rochester.  He  returned  to 
Winsted  in  1824,  and  in  company  with  Samuel  Boyd,  opened  anew  store 
on  the  site  of  Woodford's  Block  in  the  West  Village.  In  1827,  he  bought 
the  Hinsdale  store,  on  the  site  of  Camp's  Block,  in  which  he  traded  until 
his  removal  to  Massachusetts,  in  1834;  whence  he  returned  in  1841,  and 
purchased  of  the  widow  of  Riley  Whiting  the  clock  factory  in  the  East 
Village  with  which  he  was  connected  in  business  until  1845,  when  he 
purchased  real  estate  on  the  flat,  between  the  East  and  West  Villages,  and 
thereafter  contributed  more  largely  than  any  other  person  to  the  building 
up  of  that  section  of  the  now  consolidated  borough.  He  was  the  prime 
mover  and  one  of  the  most  efficient  promoters  of  the  measures  which  se- 
cured the  extension  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  from  Waterbury  to  Win- 
sted. He  was  an  upright  and  correct  man  of  business,  energetic  and  hard- 
working, but  versatile  to  a  degree  that  impeded  the  complete  success  of 
some  of  his  enterprises.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  right  minded,  public  spirited, 
and  deservedly  popular.  He  served  as  state  senator  in  1846,  and  died 
Dec.  29,  1863,  aged  73.  His  family  record  is  given  in  connection  with 
that  of  his  father,  Capt.  Lemuel  Clarke. 

Alpha  Rowley,  son  of  Ebenezer  of  Winchester,  appears  on  the  list 
of  this  year.  He  became  the  owner  of  his  father's  farm  on  South  street 
in  1835,  and  there"  resided  until  his  removal  to  western  New  York  in 
1838.  He  studied  law  for  a  time,  but  was  never  called  to  the  bar  except 
as  a  defendant.  He  died  in  September,  1872,  while  an  inmate  of  the 
Utica  Insane  Hospital. 


^s^ice^4/  ^^l^^ 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  411 

1815. 

Halsey  Bailey,  a  blacksmith  from  Barkhamsted,  lived  in  Winsted 
from  1814  to  1829,  when  he  moved  to  central  New  York.  He  married, 
,  ,  Mira,  daughter  of  Ebenezer  Rowley. 

Silas  Burton,  son  of  John  of  Winchester,  first  appears  on  the  list  of 
this  year.  He  married  Lucia,  daughter  of  Asahel  Miller,  and  lived  here 
until  1818,  when  he  removed  to  Erie,  Pa. 

Ourin  Cleveland,  son  of  Rufus  of  Barkhamsted,  a  school-master, 
lived  in  the  town,  mainly  in  Winsted,  from  1815  to  about  1830.  He  had 
a  wife  and  family  of  children,  one  of  whom  became  the  second  wife  of  the 
late  Grant  Thorburn. 

Shubael  Crowe,  from  New  Hartford,  this  year  built,  in  company 
with  Horatio  G.  Hale,  of  Burlington,  a  carriage  maker's  shop  on  the  site 
of  John  T.  Rockwell's  tannery,  which  they  carried  on  about  two  years, 
when  he  left  the  town. 

Reuben  Hall,  a  shoemaker  from  New  Haven,  came  to  Winsted  this 
year.  In  company  with  David  Edwards,  he  built,  and  for  several  years 
occupied  the  house  nearly  opposite  the  old  Methodist  meeting-house 
building.  He  removed  to  Fayetteville,  N.  C,,  about  1825,  returning  in 
1831,  and  continued  his  resideuce  here  until  his  removal  to  Ohio  in  1835. 
If  living  he  now  resides  in  Illinois.  He  was  a  man  of  kindly  nature,  a 
pillar  and  class  leader  of  the  Methodist  Church,  a  neighbor  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  order.  No  record  of  his  family  is  found.  His  wife  was  a 
Ward  from  Cornwall.  They  had  a  son,  Truman  B.,  who  married;  May 
21,  1836,  Fanny  M.  Wood;  and  one  or  more  daughters. 

David  Munson,  from  Colebrook,  removed  to  the  farm  bordering  on 
Colebrook  line,  lately  owned  by  George  A.  Marvin,  deceased,  and  occu- 
pied it  until  his  removal  to  the  West,  about  1830. 

Ansel  Shattuck,  about  this  time,  built  a  small  house  on  the  west  side 
of  South  street,  in  which  he  lived  until  1829.  No  record  of  his  family  is 
found. 

1816. 
Sheldon  Kinney,  from  Washington,  Conn.,  this  year,  or  earlier,  came 
to  Winsted,  and  carried  on  the  tailoring  trade  for  ten  or  fifteen  years.  He 
built  and  occupied,  until  1825,  the  house  next  north  of  the  East  Village 
meeting-house,  after  which  he  removed  to  Colebrook  for  a  few  years  ;  and 
on  his  return  bought  the  house  on  the  south  side  of  Main  street  in  which 
he  now  (1872)  resides.     He  has  sons,  Francis,  Sheldon,  Jr.,  of  Windsor, 


412  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

and  George  W.,  who  married,  Dec.  4,  1849,  Betsey  C.  Brown;  and  a 
daughter,  Charlotte  M.,  who  married,  May  19,  1856,  Charles  H.  Knapp. 

Capt.  Stephen  Fyler,  son  of  Stephen  of  Torrington,  this  year  bought 
the  farm  on  South  street  recently  owned  in  part  by  his  son,  Albro  Fyler, 
on  which  he  lived  until  his  death  on  the  21st  of  April,  1853,  at  the  age 
of  seventy -three.  He  was  descended,  in  the  sixth  generation,  from  Lieut. 
Walter  Fyler,  who  came  from  England  to  Dorchester  on  the  ship  Mary 
and  John,  in  1630,  through  his  son  Zerubabel,2  born  Windsor,  Dec.  23, 
1644,  and  his  son  Zerubabel,3  born  Windsor,  Dec.  25,  1674,  and  his  son 

Silas,4  born  Windsor, ,  1710,  and  his  son  Stephen,5  born  May 

27,  1755.  He  (Stephen,  Jr.)  was  born  Torrington,  March  6,  1780; 
married,  October,  1803,  Armira  Wilson,  of  Torrington  ;  he  died  April  21, 
1853 ;  she  died  Dec.  27,  1866,  aged  87. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Hilemon,  b.  Aug.  8,  1804;  m.,  April  23,  1850,  Charlotte  Hamilton. 

II.  Sophronia,       b.  Oct.  9,  1806;  m.,  July,  1832,  William  San  ford,  who  died 

Nov.  7,  1838.     Child  :  Jane,  m.,  Oct.  15,  1860,  George  M.  Wentworth. 

Children:  1.  George  S.,  b.  Feb.  20,  1864;  2.  Frank  L.,  b.  Sept. 

20,  1866;  3.  Minnie,  b.  Aug.  12,  1868,  d.  Sept.  2,  1868;  4.  Arthur 

M.,  b.  Sept.  22,  1869,  d.  Aug.  9, 1870;  5.  Alice  M.,b.  Jan.  29, 1871. 

III.  Albro,  b.  m.,  June  23,  1850,  Jane  E.  Kinney. 

IV.  Mason  Wilson,  b.  Oct.  7,  1810;  m.,  Munson. 

Harry  Bishop,  Leveritt  Bishop,  and  Seth  Bishop,  brothers,  from 
Litchfield,  came  to  Winsted  this  season.  Harry  owned  a  place  on  Wal- 
len's  Hill,  in  which  he  lived  until  about  1830,  and  afterwards  moved  to 
Colebrook.  Leveritt  died  here  August  1,  1852,  aged  67.  He  had  two 
sons,  Edward  and  William,  formerly  residing  here,  and  perhaps  other 
children. 

Seth  Bishop  married, , ,  Minerva,  daughter  of  Nathan 

Wheeler,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  Seth,  Jr.,  now  (1872)  living  at  Collins- 
ville,  and  a  daughter,  Minicrva  W.,  who  married,  April  22,  1841,  Wil- 
liam S.  Bunnel,  now  residing  in  Winsted.  Minerva,  wife  of  Seth,  Sen., 
died  July  1,  1826,  aged  35.     He  now  (1872)  resides  in  Barkhamsted. 

Jehial  Coe,  son  of  Jonathan,3  came  of  age  this  year  and  first  lived  on 
Spencer  Hill  for  a  few  years,  and  has  since  lived  on  his  father's  farm  on 
Coe  street  to  the  present  time  (1872).  His  family  record  is  already 
given  in  connection  with  that  of  his  forefathers. 

Willard  Holmes,  son  of  Joseph,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  re- 
sided with  his  father  (on  Spencer  street)  until  his  death,  and  continued  to 
occupy  the  paternal  homestead  until  the  morning  of  Feb.  22,  1857,  when 
he  was  burned  up  with  his  house  while  attempting  to  save  his  papers  from 
the  flames. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  413 

He  was  a  man  of  superior  culture,  of  strong  mind  and  sincere  piety. 
He  formed  his  opinions  deliberately  and  independently,  and  carried  tliem 
out  with  unswerving  rectitude.  Modest  and  retiring  in  his  disposition,  he 
would  hardly  have  been  known  beyond  the  circle  of  his  immediate  neigh- 
bors, but  for  his  early  advocacy  of  the  cause  of  the  slave,  and  his  fearless 
persistency  amid  reproach  and  contumely,  in  asserting  the  radical  princi- 
ples of  liberty  and  duty.  His  family  record  is  given  in  connection  with 
that  of  his  father. 

Henry  B.  Crowe,  from  New  Hartford,  succeeded  his  brother  Shubael 
in  the  part  ownership  of  the  carriage  shop  in  the  West  Village,  and  after 
some  years  became  owner  of  the  Joseph  Mitchell  place  in  the  East  Village, 

where  he  died  after  1856.    He  married, , ,  Nancy,  daughter 

of  Amasa  Mallory,  Sr.,  and  had  a  highly  respected  family  of  children,  of 
whom  we  have  no  record  except  the  baptism  of  Henrt,  Luther,  Jane, 
and  James  on  the  4th  of  July,  1828. 

1817. 

Chester  Soper,  from  Windsor,  a  clothier,  this  year  came  to  Winsted 
and  bought  the  clothier's  works  in  the  East  Village,  erected  by  Ansel 
Wilson,  and  the  house  that  then  stood  on  the  site  of  James  T.  Norton's 
present  residence.  He  converted  the  clothier's  works  into  a  Woolen  Mill, 
which  he  carried  on  until  about  1838:  soon  after  which  he  removed  to 
Windsor,  and  has  since  died.  His  wife  was  a  Welles  from  Wethersfield. 
They  had  no  children. 

1818. 
Wheelock  Thayer  came  from  Vermont  this  year  and  commenced 
work  as  a  scythe  maker  in  the  West  Village.  In  1820,  he  became  con- 
nected with  James  Boyd  in  the  scythe  business,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Boyd  &  Thayer,  which  was  continued  until  1832,  when  he  built  the  scythe 
works  on  Mad  river  now  owned  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Bachellor, 
which  he  continued  to  operate  until  a  few  years  before  his  death.  He 
bought  the  "  Deacon  Rockwell  house,"  then  on  the  site  of  the  Beardsley 
house  in  1830,  in  which  he  resided  until  his  purchase  of  the  house  now 
owned  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Bachellor,  in  which  he  resided 
until  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  sanguine  temperament  and  indomi- 
table energy.  By  industry,  frugality,  and  judicious  investments,  he  rap- 
idly accumulated  a  large  estate.  Democratic  in  politics  and  a  univer- 
salist  in  doctrine,  he  advocated  the  faith  that  was  in  him  with  untiring 
zeal,  and  exerted  a  powerful  influence  in  the  community :  an  influence 
that  favored  the  temperance  reform  and  recognized  the  colored  man  as 
a  human  being  endowed  with  the  rights  of  "Ufe,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness." 


414  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

With  failing  health  he  retired  from  active  business  in  1854,  and  died 
Sept.  23,  1857,  aged  67. 

He  was  born  in  Norlhbridge,  Mass.,  May  10,  1790,  and  married,  Nov. 
28,  1816,  Clarissa  Fuller,  born  at  Brookfield,  Mass.,  May  9,  1795,  who 
died  Feb.  16,  1829. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Julia  Ann,  b.  at  Weston,  Mass.,  Aug.  17, 1817 ;  m.  Aug.  3,  1835,  William 
G.  Bachellor,  who   d.  Dec.  15,  1844,  aged   33.     Children:    1.  Wheelock 
Thayer;  2.  William  G. 
II.  Charlotte,  b.  July  22,  1819;  d.  July  28,  1821. 
III.  Harriet,       b.  July  22, 1822 ;  m.  Sept.  10, 1840,  Seth  L.  Wilder ;  d.  childless 
Sept.  10,  1840. 
He   died  June   23,  1857.     He  married  2d,  Nancy  Joslin,  who  died 
childless,  February  26,  1855,  aged  71. 

Daniel  G.  Tuttle,  from  Torringford,  this  year  built  the  house  on 
South  street,  bordering  on  Torrington  line,  lately  owned  by  his  son-in- 
law,  Lucius  J.  Woodford,  —  which  he  occupied  until  his  death,  March  4, 
1844,  at  the  age  of  58.     He  married,  Clarissa,  daughter  of 

Daniel  C.  Hudson  of  Torrington. 

children. 
I.  Fanny  M.,  m.  Dec.  31,  1835,  Charles  Seldon. 
II.  Catharine,  m.  Lucius  J.  Woodford;  d.  Jan.  5,  1872. 

III.  George  H. 

IV.  Lamphier  B.,  m.  Sept.  14, 1841,  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Jehicl  Coe. 
V.  James  H.,  m.  May  26,  1841,  Cordelia,  daughter  of  Erastus  Woodford. 

VI.  Ruth  O.,  d.  Nov.  4,  1859,  aged  36. 

Jesse  Williams,  from  Colebrook,  resided  here  some  three  years  of 
his  minority,  and  appears  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  purchased  the 
Eben  Coe  house,  on  Spencer  street,  in  which  he  now  resides.  It  may 
safely  be  said  that  no  man  in  the  town  has  exceeded  him  in  hard  and  diffi- 
cult labor.  If  there  was  an  ugly  job  to  be  done,  he  was  the  man  to  do  it 
effectually,  with  a  calculating  head  and  a  giant's  strength.  Labor  seemed 
never  to  weary  him,  nor  age  to  impair  his  physical  powers,  until  partial 
blindness  within  the  past  three  years  has  compelled  him  to  hold  up  and 
look  back  on  a  life  well  spent,  in  the  enjoyment  of  health,  and  a  compe- 
tency of  worldly  goods.  As  a  Constable  and  Sheriff's  Deputy  he  was  pre- 
pared for  every  emergency.  For  some  forty  years  he  has  been,  and  con- 
tinues to  be,  the  honored  Tyler  of  St.  Andrew's  Lodge. 

He  married  (1st),  Sept.  14,  1825,  Roxana  Hurlbut,  who  died  Sept. 
9,  1832,  aged  37.  He  married  (2d),  May  4,  1833,  Mabel  Wright,  of 
Cornwall. 

CHILDREN    BT    FIRST    WIFE. 
I.  Henry,         b.  Dec.  25,1826. 
II.  Sylvia,       b.  Jan.  28,  1829;  m.  Rev.  Wm.  B.  Osborn. 

III.  Annie  R.,    b.  Jan.  — ,  1831 ;  m.  Lyman  J.  Parsons. 


e/^r^. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  415 

CHILD    BT    SECOND    WIFE. 
IV.  Jane,  b.  April  — ,  1835;  m.  Henry  Case. 

1818. 

Nisus  Kinney,  a  native  of  Colebrook,  was  brought  up  in  the  family 
of  Grinnell  Spencer.  He  appears  on  the  list  of  this  year  and  still  re- 
sides in  the  town.  He  built  the  house  on  the  west  side  of  Spencer  street, 
a  little  north  of  Amos  Pierce,  from  which  he  moved  after  a  few  years  to 
the  old  Elihu  Rockwell  house,  still  further  north,  where  he  resided  until 
about  1860.  He  lived  in  Torrington  from  1864  to  1868,  and  has  since 
resided  here. 

He  married  Sally,  daughter  of  Adin  Wakefield,  of  Colebrook,  who 
died  Sept.  28,  1856,  aged  57.  They  had  a  son,  Andrew  ;  and  daughters, 
Sarah  J.,  who  died  July  22,  1848,  aged  17.  Jane  E.,  who  married,  June 
23,  1850,  Albro  Fyler ;  Harriet,  who  married,  Jan.  14,  1851,  Lucius  L. 
Culver;  and  Susan  W.,  married,  Dec.  25,  1861,  Luther  G.  Hinsdale; 
and  they  may  have  had  other  children. 

1819. 

Silas  Hoskin,  son  of  Theodore,  appears  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He 
owned  and  occupied,  from  1824  to  his  death,  Sept.  9,  1870,  at  the  age  of 
72,  the  Benjamin  Whiting  place  on  Coe  street.  He  married,  Oct.  13, 
1823,  Priscilla,  daughter  of  Ransfoid  Bailey,  of  Groton,  Conn. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Ransford  Bailey,  b.  June  24,  1825;  d.  Oct.  17,  1828. 
II.  Truman  Silas,         b.  March  23,  1827. 

III.  Theodore  Bailey,  b.  April  26,  1829. 

IV.  Thomas  Coe,  b.  March  15,  1831. 
V.  Erastus,                    b.  April  9,  1833. 

VI.  Chas.  Sherman,       b.  Feb.  4,  1835. 
VII.  George,  b.     "     5,  1837. 

Elias  Rowley,  son  of  Asher,  is  on  the  list  of  this  year.  He  first 
occupied  his  father's  homestead  on  South  street,  and  about  1845  erected 
his  present  residence  on  the  Wolcottville  road,  south  of  the  buryino- 
ground.     (See  his  family  record  in  connection  with  that  of  his  father.) 

Nelson  Wilson,  son  of  Abijah,  Jr.,  appears  on  the  list  of  this  year, 
After  marriage  he  lived  until  1830  on  Spencer  street,  and  thereafter, 
while  he  remained  in  the  State,  on  Coe  street,  adjoining  the  Cole- 
brook line.     After  1845  he  removed  to  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  where 


416  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

he  died  Nov.  21,  1851.     He  married,  Wealthy,  daughter  of 

Jonathan  Coe,  Esq.,  by  whom  he  had 

CHILDKEN. 

I.  George  C,  m.                               Caroline  Miles;  d.  March 

8,  1854,  aged  33. 

II.  Charles  C,  d.  May  20,  1847. 

III.  Harriet  E.,  m.                                Alexander  C.  Thompson  ; 

d.  Jan.  7,  1855,  aged  23,  childless. 

IV.  Henry  W.,  d.  Oct   19,  1836. 

Norman  Spencer,  from  New  Hartford,  served  his  apprenticeship  as 
a  tanner  with  Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale,  and  thereafter  owned  and  carried  on 
the  tannery  built  by  Horace  Ranney,  near  the  Cook  Forge,  on  North 
Main  street,  until  1834,  when  he  removed  to  Michigan,  and  died  there. 

He  married,  about  1820,  Nancy  Hinsdale,  sister  of  Col.  Hosea,  by 
whom  he  had  several  children,  —  among  them  Richard,  Avho  returned  to 
Winsted  after  his  father's  removal,  and  resided  here  until  about  1855. 

During  this  decade  our  second  war  with  England  occurred.  The 
dominant  sentiment  of  our  people  was  opposed  to  the  war,  though  it  had 
many  and  ardent  supporters  among  us.  Party  spirit  raged  with  a 
bitterness  never  exceeded  in  subsequent  periods.  Singularly  enough,  the 
Federalists  were  the  states'-rights  party  of  that  period.  They  loved  the 
English  and  hated  the  French.  They  found  unconstitutional  encroach- 
ments in  almost  every  measure  of  the  national  administration.  They 
discouraged  enlistments  into  the  army,  and  insisted  on  the  entire  control 
of  the  drafted  militia  by  state  officers,  and  in  order  to  sustain  this  asserted 
right,  the  governor  of  this  state  went  to  New  London  when  the  militia 
were  called  to  the  defence  of  that  place  in  order  to  out-rank,  as  captain- 
general,  the  United  States  officer  then  and  there  in  command. 

The  state  flag  was  then  the  supreme  object  of  Federal  worship. 
Liberty  poles,  bearing  aloft  the  stars  and  stripes,  were  repeatedly  cut 
down  by  unknown  parties.  On  a  training  day  in  1814,  on  the  east 
village  green,  the  national  flag  was  unexpectedly  hoisted  on  a  newly- 
erected  liberty  pole  during  the  parade  of  a  company  of  recently-organ- 
ized state  troops,  and  an  infantry  and  a  cavalry  company  of  militia. 
The  captains  of  the  three  companies  ordered  the  flag  to  be  taken  down. 
The  sturdy  Democrats  rallied  around  it,  with  the  revived  and  concen- 
trated spirit  of  '76.  The  three  companies  were  formed  in  line,  and 
marched  up  to  the  pole  to  disperse  its  defenders.  A  melee  was  brought 
on  by  one  of  the  defenders,  Eli  Marshall  by  name,  seizing  with  the  grip 
of  a  bull  dog  the  throat  of  the  axman  who  was  about  to  cut  down  the 
pole.  It  took  some  minutes  to  detach  the  democratic  fingers  from  the 
federal  throat,  and  at  this  crisis,  the  fence  passing  near  the  foot  of  the 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  417 

pole,  and  loaded  with  lookers-on,  came  down  with  a  crash  that  induced  a 
momentary  panic  of  the  contending  parties,  and  a  partial  breaking  of  the 
military  ranks.  Though  no  one  was  hurt  by  this  catastrophe,  the  white 
feather  became  manifest,  and  the  military  force  becoming  essentially  disor- 
ganized, was  marched  off  without  the  honors  of  war,  and  the  star- 
spangled  banner  continued  to  wave  until  sunset. 

A  review  of  the  dissensions  of  that  period,  and  the  results  growing  out 
of  them,  is  highly  instructive. 

The  war,  though  perhaps  unwisely  declared,  and  feebly  carried  on, 
until  the  latest  campaigns,  was  successfully  closed.  Our  navy  acquired 
immortal  honor,  and  our  army,  long  mismanaged  and  badly  officered, 
finally  retrieved  its  credit.  The  final  disaster  fell  on  the  party  which, 
though  perhaps  rightly  opposed  to  the  declaration  of  war,  not  only  failed 
to  stand  by  the  government  in  carrying  it  on,  but  arrayed  itself  against 
all  its  measures,  and  almost  paralyzed  its  energies.  It  bore  a  load  of 
popular  odium  that  in  a  few  years  so  utterly  broke  it  down  that  no 
"departure"  could  retrieve  it.  The  lesson  is  an  instructive  one  to 
modern  politicians. 

The  number  of  soldiers  recruited  in  this  town  for  the  regular  army  was 
very  limited.  Most  of  them  entered  a  regiment  that  served,  without  a 
battle  or  skirmish,  at  New  London  through  the  whole  war.  The  only 
two  officers  commissioned  from  this  town,  Colonel  Samuel  Hoadley  and 
Captain  Riley  Sweet,  belonged  to  this  regiment.* 

A  few  Winsted  soldiers  were  enlisted  into  the  25th  U.  S.  Regiment, 
that  was  cut  to  pieces  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  and  but  few,  if  any  of 
them,  ever  returned. 

Detachments  of  militia  were  from  time  to  time  drafted  to  serve  at 
New  London,  and  Captain  Luther  Hoadly  was  called  out  to  command 
one  of  the  detached  companies,  and  died  in  the  service.  One  of  the  ten 
companies  of  state  troops,  as  they  were  called,  organized  by  the  state 
legislature,  and  composed  of  about  equal  numbers  of  Winchester,  Bark- 
hamsted,  and  New  Hartford  men,  was  also  called  out  for  service  at  New 
London. 

Prior  to  the  war,  our  manufacturing  interests  were  in  a  healthy  and 
prosperous  conditiou,  and  the  growth  of  our  two  villages,  though  slow, 
was  healthy.  The  war  stimulated  manufacturing  to  a  high  degree  of 
activity  by  its  high  tariff  of  duties,  and  the  almost  entire  exclusion  of 
British  manufactured  goods.  Old  establishments  were  enlarged,  and 
pushed   to  their  utmost  capacity,  and  many  new    manufacturing  enter- 

*  The  late  General  Edmund  Kirby  of  the  U.  S.  Army  received  his  Ensign's  com- 
mission while  a  clerk  in  Winsted,  and  served  on  the  Canada  frontier  with  distin- 
guished honor.     He  belonged  in  Litchfield. 

53 


418  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

prises  were  started  and  pushed  forward  without  experience  or  economy. 
Prices  of  farm  products  and  manufactured  articles  were  enormously 
inflated  by  the  suspension  of  specie  payments,  and  the  enormous  issues  of 
bank  bills.  Our  community  shared  largely  in  the  apparent  prosperity 
induced  by  these  causes,  and  suffered  proportionally  by  the  collapse 
induced  by  the  return  of  peace,  attended  as  it  was  by  the  contraction  of 
bank  issues  preparatory  to  a  return  to  specie  payments,  the  paying  off  of 
improvident  indebtedness,  and  the  flooding  of  the  country  with  British 
fabrics,  at  prices  below  the  cost  of  the  raw  materials  used  by  our  own 
infant  establishments. 

The  results,  though  less  ruinous  to  Winsted  than  to  many  other  manu- 
facturing communities,  were  seriously  felt  for  many  succeeding  years. 
The  wire  factory  in  the  east  village,  employing  a  large  number  of  hands, 
was  at  once  and  forever  abandoned.  Two  establishments  for  making 
hand  and  machine  cards  soon  followed.  The  cut-nail  factory  of  Mr. 
Byington,  then  employing  more  men  than  any  other  establishment  in 
town,  soon  after  went  down.  The  woollen  factory  of  the  Rockwell 
Brothers  continued  to  run,  though  at  a  heavy  loss,  through  long  years  of 
depression.  Only  two  of  the  scythe  establishments  moved  forward. 
The  iron  works,  then  the  heaviest  interest  in  the  place,  were  saved  from 
utter  prostration  by  a  limited  sale  to  the  government  of  iron  for  gun- 
making  at  the  Springfield  Armory.  Cheese,  the  staple  farm  product, 
went  down  from  ten  to  five  cents  per  pound,  and  other  articles  in  the 
same  proportion.  One  "  breathing  hole  of  hell,"  in  the  form  of  a  whisky 
distillery,  of  fungous  growth,  had  just  begun  its  polluting  career  on  the 
slope  of  Wallen's  Hill,  above  the  clock  factory,  which,  by  the  mercy  of 
God,  was  so  utterly  prostrated  that  not  a  trace  of  its  existence  is  left. 

"The  cold  summer"  of  1816  added  to  the  gloom  of  this  period.  The 
spring  was  cold  and  backward,  and  the  summer  cold  and  dry.  Frosts 
prevailed  in  every  month  of  the  year.  The  mowing  lands  yielded  less 
than  half  an  average  crop.  Scarcely  an  ear  of  corn  in  the  town  came  to 
maturity.  Potatoes  were  few  and  small,  and  dairy  products  were  as 
scant  in  quantity  as  low  in  price.  Much  apprehension  prevailed  of  a 
famine  winter,  which  was  measurably  averted  by  a  provident  planting  of 
turnips,  when  it  was  perceived  that  other  crops  were  to  fail.  This  crop 
was  large,  and  thereby  the  lack  of  hay  was  partly  made  good  in  winter- 
ing such  stock  as  was  not  killed  or  sold  off  in  the  pi-eceding  fall. 

This  cause,  combined  with  the  prostration  of  our  manufacturing 
interest,  drove  large  numbers  of  farmers  and  artisans  to  seek  means  of 
support  in  the  new  settlements  of  the  west.  Not  until  1820  did  business 
begin  to  assume  a  lively  aspect,  and  prosperou  j  growth  become 
manifest. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  419 

The  dwellings  and  other  buildings  erected  within  the  borough  limits 
during  this  decade  were  as  follows : — 

1811. 

The  iron  forge  of  Reuben  Cook  -  &  Co.,  on  the  site  of  the  present 
works  of  Charles  and  John  R.  Cook,  together  with  two  or  three  forge- 
men's  houses. 

The  scythe  shop  built  by  Mr.  Jenkins  on  the  site  of  the  Strong 
Manufacturing  Co.'s  Works,  east  village. 

A  clothier's  shop  on  the  site  of  the  Winsted  Carriage  Company's 
buildings,  recently  burned  down. 

The  Wakefield  homestead  (burned  down),  on  the  site  of  C.  B. 
Hallett's  present  residence. 

1812. 
The  Luther  Hoadley  dwelling,  north  of  the  R.  L.  Beeeher  house,  and 
nearly  opposite  the  clock  factory. 

The  Jesse  Williams  homestead,  on  Spencer  street,  built  hy  Eben  Coe. 

1813. 

The  Bissell  Hinsdale  house,  built  on  the  site  of  the  Second  Congrega- 
tional Church,  and  about  1855  moved  by  Dr.  James  Welch  to  the 
adjoining  lot  on  the  north. 

The  Rockwell  grist  mill  and  woollen  factory  buildings  on  Lake  street, 
burned  up  in  1835,  and  not  rebuilt. 

The  grammar  schoolhouse  on'  Main  street,  next  north  of  Forbes' 
furniture  store. 

A  wire  factory  was  erected  by  Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  and  James 
Boyd,  on  the  west  wing  of  the  clock  factory  dam,  one  of  the  first  in  the 
United  States  wherein  the  wire  was  broken  down  from  the  rod,  and 
reduced  to  the  finest  fibre.  While  the  war  with  England  continued  it 
prospered,  but  it  had  to  be  abandoned  when  peace  was  restored,  and 
foreign  wire  began  to  be  again  imported. 

1814. 

The  Solomon  Rockwell  house,  corner  of  Lake  and  Prospect  streets. 

The  widow  Marble  house,  on  east  side  of  east  village  park,  built  by 
Samuel  Bartlett. 

The  Hulsey  Burr  scythe  shop,  on  the  site  of  works  on  North  Main 
street,  now  owned  by  Frederick  Woodruff. 

The  Oliver  Loomis  house  on  Main  street,  built  by  Romanta  Woodford. 

The  oil  mill  on  Mad  River,  near  the  south  wing  of  Clifton  mill  dam, 
torn  down  about  1830. 


420 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


1815. 

The  James  C.  Cleveland  house,  on  east  side  of  east  village  park,  built 
by  Mr.  Cleveland  and  Arah  Bartlett. 

A  carriage  works,  on  the  site  of  John  T.  Rockwell's  tannery,  built  by 
Shubael  Crowe,  and  converted  into  a  store  by  Coe  &  Hubbell,  about 
18J0,  and  since  removed. 

The  Widow  David  Coe  house,  ou  Spencer  street,  nearly  opposite  the 
old  Methodist  meeting-house,  built  by  Reuben  Hall. 

The  James  Boyd  &  Son  iron  store,  on  Main  street,  now  remodeled  as 
a  furniture  store,  occupied  by  S.  B.  Forbes  &  Co. 

A  whisky  distillery,  on  Wallen's  Hill  road,  some  eighty  rods  east  of 
the  clock  factory. 

1816. 

The  "  Holabird  House,"  opposite  the  Episcopal  Church,  now  owned 
by  Henry  Bills,  was  built  by  David  Marble. 

The  house  of  A.  L.  Weirs,  next  north  of  the  east  village  Congrega- 
tional meeting-house,  was  built  by  Sheldon  Kinney,  sen. 

By  the  return  of  peace,  the  reduction  of  tariff  duties,  and  the  renewed 
importation  of  foreign  fabrics,  almost  every  branch  of  domestic  manufac- 
ture was  prostrated ;  and  as  a  consequence,  building  operations  in  a  great 
measure  ceased  during  the  remainder  of  this  decade.  The  only  building 
erected  in  the  interval  seems  to  have  been  a  tannery  erected  by  Horace 
Ranney  at  the  south  corner  of  North  Main  and  Cook  streets,  which  was 
abandoned  as  a  tannery  before  1860,  since  which  the  main  building  has 
been  converted  into  a  double  tenement  house. 

The  system  of  taxation  having  been  radically  changed  in  1819,  we  com- 
pile for  comparison  abstracts  of  the  Assessment  Lists  of  1810  and  1818, 
as  follows : 


1810. 

1820. 

ITEMS. 

No. 

Amount. 

No. 

Amount. 

Polls  between  21  and  70,  at  $60.00 
"           "        18     "    21    "     •         .         .         30.00 

Oxen,                                   "...     10.00 

Neat  cattle,  "  .  .  7.00 
"         "                               "...       3.34 

Horses,  "...  10.00 
"...       7.00 

Acres  of  land,  "  .  .  .  1.67 
"  "  "  "...  1.34 
"  "  "  "  .  .  '  .  84 
"  "  "  "...  34 
"  "  "  "...  17 
"      "       "                        "...         09 

103 

11 

119 

388 

102 

78 

2 

298 

1,046 

51 

2,226 

2,123 

1,782 

83 

10 

88 

349 

38 

66 

2 

388 

1,164 

63 

2,716 

2,016 

1,718 

AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


421 


Chaises, 

Silver  watches, 
Brass  clocks, 
Wooden  clocks, 
Fire  places,  or  smokes, 


Stores, 

u 

Money  at  interest, 
Assessments  of  trades, 
Bank  stock, 


at 


Net  amount  after  deducting  abatements, 
Net  Amount  of  Old  Society, 


Highway  tax  (in  labor),  3  per  cent., 
Town  tax  (current  expenses),  5  percent., 


30.00 

20.00 

10.00 

20.00 

7.00 

5.00 

3.75 

2.50 

1.25 

20.00 

10.00 


275.00 
1,417.00 


13,474.03 
17,398.32 


$30,272.35 

926.17 
1,543.62 


,469.79 


2 

6 

2 

1 

67 

6 

33 

81 

151 

3 

1 

250 


250.00 
1,860.00 
2,500.00 

16,292.68 
18,057.64 

$34,350.28 

1,030.51 
1,717.51 

$2,748.02 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

NEW  COMERS— FAMILY  RECORDS— GRAMMAR  SCHOOL. 
1821    TO    1831. 

The  year  1821  opened  with  renewed  activity,  indicating  a  decided  ren- 
ovation of  prosperous  business.  Debts  had  been  liquidated ;  the  banks 
had  resumed  specie  payments,  and  expanded  their  issues  ;  and  such 
branches  of  manufacturing  as  could  be  made  remunerative,  in  competition 
with  foreign  fabrics,  were  resumed  and  actively  prosecuted. 

From  this  time  forward  our  increasing  population  was  largely  made 
up  of  individuals  and  families  holding  only  temporary  residences  among 
us,  while  the  ranks  of  leading  business  men  were  largely  filled  by  the  de- 
scendants of  our  pioneers.  To  enumerate  all  the  new  men  coming  on  the 
stage  will  no  longer  be  attempted  ;  and  our  notices  will  be  confined  to 
those  who  became  permanent  or  long  continued  residents. 

Stephen  Rowley,  farmer  and  land  surveyor,  a  native  of  Torrington, 
this  year  came  to  Winsted  from  Colebrook,  and  owned  the  Abijah  Wil- 
son, Jr.,  farm,  on  the  old  North  road,  until  1842,  when  he  bought  and 
occupied  until  his  death,  in  1856,  a  house  on  the  east  side  of  North  Main 
street,  next  south  of  Lucius  Griswold's.  He  died,  childless,  leaving  a 
widow,  Roxy  (Whiting),  now  (1872)  living. 

Horace  W.  House,  from  Windsor,  came  to  Winsted  in  1821,  and 
engaged  in  trade  and  manufacturing  with  N.  B.  Gaylord.  He  built  the 
brick  house  on  Main  street,  now  owned  by  Normand  Adams,  in  1823, 
which  he  occupied  until  his  removal  back  to  Windsor  in  1828,  where  he 
died,  childless,  about  1870. 

1822. 

Elisha  A.  Morgan,  from  New  London  County,  bought  in  1822, 
the  William  E.  Cowles  farm,  on  Colebrook  line,  which  he  exchanged  for 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  423 

the  Higley  Tavern  in  the  West  village,  in  1827,  and  lived  there  until  his 
removal  out  of  the  St^te  in  1829.     He  had  a  wife,  hut  no  children. 

Riley  Smith,  son  of  Theodore  and  Rhoda,  this  year  bought  his  home- 
stead on  the  old  north  road,  above  the  Woodruff  tannery,  on  which  he 
resided  until  his  death,  June  5,  1865,  aged  70.  He  married,  Nov.  9, 
1826,  Emily  Cadwell,  of  W.,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons,  James  R.,  and 
Hiram  C,  now  (1872)  resident  in  Riverton.  She  died  Sept.  15,  1855, 
aged  54,  and  he  married  (2d),  Dec.  25,  1865,  Sarah  Loomis,  of  Windsor, 
who  died  childless,  Dec.  25,  1865.     He  died  June  14,  1865,  aged  68. 


1823. 

Samuel  Boyd,  son  of  James  and  Mary,  of  Winchester,  in  1823 
erected  the  original  store  on  the  site  of  Woodford's  brick  block,  and  en- 
tered into  trade  in  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Lucius  Clarke,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Clark  &  Boyd.  In  1824  he  built  the  E.  S.  Woodford 
homestead.  Tn  1827,  Mr.  Cl.irke  withdrew,  and  soon  after  Samuel  W.  Coe 
was  associated  with  him  for  two  or  three  years,  after  which  E.  W.  Bronson 
came  into  the  concern,  which  turned  its  attention  to  the  manufacture  of 
hoes,  shovels,  and  other  tools.  The  busiuess  was  wound  up  in  1833,  and 
Mr.  Boyd  removed  to  New  Orleans,  where  he  resided  until  1850  ;  soon  after 
which  he  went  into  the  hardware  business  in  New  York,  and  subse- 
quently became  an  Appraiser  in  the  Custom-House,  which  office  he  still 
holds.    His  family  record  is  given  in  connection  with  that  of  his  father. 


1824. 

Asaph  Pease,  originally  from  Sandisfield,  came  to  Winsted  from 
Colebrook  in  1824,  and  owned  and  occupied  until  1848  the  old  Doolittle 
house,  on  the  east  side  of  North  Main  street,  opposite  the  clock  factory 
dam,  and  which  was  subsequently  taken  down  and  re-erected  on  a  new 
street  turning  westerly  from  North  Main  street.  In  the  latter  year  he 
moved  to  New  Britain,  where  he  died  Dec.  12,  1856,  aged  80,  his  wife 
surviving  him.  He  married,  Feb.  4,  1805,  Clotilda  Hoyt,  born  June  1, 
1777. 

CHILDREN. 

I.  Leumas,  b.  Colebrook,  May  9,  1806  ;  d.  aged  2  years. 

II.  Mary  Clotilda,     b.  "         Nov.  15,  1808. 

III.  Leumas  Hoyt,         b.  "  Jan.  20,  1811  ;  graduate  of  Williams  Col- 

lege, 1835;  minister  of  the  gospel,  now  (1872)  located  at  New  Orleans 
as  Chaplain  of  Seamen's  Friend  Society;  unmarried. 


424  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

IV.  Julius  Walter,    b.  Colebrook,  May  19,  1814;  m.  April  1,   1849,  Mary 
Hotchkiss.     Has 

CHILDREN. 

1.  Lctimas  Hoyt,        b.  Jan.  20,  1845. 

2.  Martha  Francis,     b.  Nov.  28,  1845. 

3.  Julius  Hotchkiss,  b.  July  7,  1849;  d.  Sept.  13,  1847. 

4.  Julius  Hotchkiss,  b.  Nov.  22,  1848. 

5.  William  Walter,    b.  Nov.  3,  1850. 

6.  Mary  Emily,  b.  Dec.  24,  1854;  d.  Aug.  28,  1855. 

7.  Clarence,  b.  Feb.  24,  1857  ;  d.  Jan.  6,  1858. 

8.  Charles  Wiard,     b.  June  18,  1859  ;  d.  Sept.  28,  1859. 
V.  Lucy  Jemima,   b.  April  10,  1817. 

VI.  Laura  Peksis,  b.  April  22,  1824;  m.  Everett  C.  Holmes. 

Hon.  William  S.  Holabird,  a  native  of  Canaan,  Conn.,  studied 
law  with  Hon.  W.  M.  Burrall,  attended  the  law  lectures  of  Judge  Gould 
at  Litchfield,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  about  1820,  and  soon  after  com- 
menced practice  at  Colebrook,  Conn.,  —  whence  he  moved  to  Winsted 
in  1824,  and  soon  after  secured  a  large  practice  and  high  standing  at 
the  bar. 

He  held  the  appointment  of  District  Attorney  for  four  years  under 
President  Jackson,  and  was  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the  State  in  1842 
and  1844;  besides  which  he  held  the  offices  of  Postmaster  and  Assignee 
in  Bankruptcy. 

He  was  a  man  of  commanding  person  and  pleasing  address ;  as  a  law- 
yer he  was  adroit  rather  than  learned — thorough  in  preparing  his  cases, 
quick  to  discern  the  weak  points  of  his  adversary,  and  energetic  beyond 
most  men  in  carrying  forward  his  cases  to  a  final  issue.  The  same  quali- 
ties were  prominent  in  his  political  career,  but  his  success  as  a  lawyer  was 
more  decided  than  as  politician.  About  1850  he  withdrew  from  legal 
practice  and  devoted  himself  to  financiering  with  decided  success.  He 
died  May  22,  1855,  at  the  age  of  61.  He  married,  in  182G,  Adaline, 
daughter  of  Abijah  Catlin,  of  Harwinton,  who  died  Nov.  10,  1859,  aged 
59.     They  had 

CHILDREN. 
I.  John  Catlin,  who  graduated  at  Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  and  d. 

in  California  unmd.,  May  28,  185.3,  aged  24  years  4  months. 
II.  Adaline,  m.  Henry  B.  Horton;  d,  April  3,  1856,  aged  24  years  3  months, 
leaving  one  child,  William  Holabird. 

III.  Edward,  m.,  Dec.  16,  1860,  Sarah  A.  M.  Howe;  d.  May  26,  1862,  aged  28. 

IV.  Anne,  d.  July  27,  1859,  single,  aged  22. 

V.  Louise,  d.  July  8,  1842,  aged  2  years  and  9  mouths. 

VI.  William  Swift,  m.  May  6,  1863,  Mary  I.  Bell.     He  d.  Oct.  23,  1866,  aged 

24.     She  d.  May  5,  1871,  aged  28.     Child.  William  Swift. 
VII.  Louise,  m.  Oct.  14,  1868,  aged  23,  Henry  C.  Wicker,  of  Chicago. 

William  O.  Talcott,  M.  D.,  from  Killingworth,  came  here  as  a  med- 
ical practitioner  in  1825,  and  resided  in  the  widow  Marble  house,  on  the 


s-t^ 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  425 

east  side  of  the  East  Village  park  until  his  death,  Oct.  2f>,  1831,  at  the 
age  of  37.  He  was  a  skillful  and  faithful  physician  of  pleasing  manners, 
social  nature  and  high-toned  character.     His  death,  hy  hemorrhage  of  the 

lungs,  was  sudden,  and  deeply  lamented.      He  married  Elizabeth  M. , 

by  whom  he  had  a  daughter,  Elizabeth  Olmsted,  baptized  Nov.  0,  1831. 

Oliver  Loomis,  from  Torrington,  purchased,  in  1827,  the  farm  between 
the  two  lakes,  on  which  he  lived  until  1844,  when  he  removed  to  his  re- 
cent homestead  on  Main  street,  above  Dudley's  tannery,  where  he  died 
childless,  Feb.  7,  1872,  aged  85  years,  leaving  a  property  of  nearly  ten 
thousand  dollars  to  the  use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  which 
he  was  a  zealous  and  exemplary  member. 

Alanson  Loomis,  son  of  Abiel,1  of  Winchester,  in  1827  bought  the 
tannery  and  house  adjoining  it  on  the  west,  which  had  been  previously 
owned  by  his  father,  which  he  occupied  until  his  sale  of  the  same  to 
George  Dudley  in  1832,  when  he  moved  to  Sandisfield,  Mass.,  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  returned  to  Winsted  and  bought  and  occupied  the  Ebene- 
zer  Rowley  farm  in  1S45,  soon  after  which  he  removed  to  Fulton,  Oswego 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  where  he  now  (1872)  resides.  His  family  record  is  given  in 
connection  with  that  of  his  father,  Abiel  Loomis,  Sen. 

Henry  L.  Gaylord,  originally  from  Torrington,  came  here  in  1828, 
and  was  first  associated  in  trading  and  hardware  manufacturing  with  his 
brother,  Nathaniel  B.  Gaylord,  and  afterwards  with  Chester  Soper  in 
woollen  manufacturing.  He  owned  and  occupied  the  brick  house  on  Main 
street,  East  Village,  now  owned  by  Normand  Adams.  He  removed  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1837,  where  he  died  not  far  from  1850,  leaving  a 
widow  and  one  son,  now  living.  He  was  a  man  of  high-toned  character 
and  sterling  worth. 

Luman  Hubbell,  son  of  Silliman,  of  Winchester,  a  dyer  by  trade,  and 
for  several  years  a  resident  of  Massachusetts,  purchased  in  18.8,  the 
tavern  property  between  Camp's  block  and  the  Woodford  block,  and  be- 
came a  permanent  resident.  He  first  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  dye- 
stuffs  ;  ajid  in  1831,  in  company  with  Samuel  W.  Coe,  he  went  into  the 
country  store  and  produce  business  in  a  building  then  standing  on  a  part 
of  the  site  of  J.  T.  Rockwell's  tannery  on  Main  street.  Here  they  pros- 
ecuted a  large  business  until,  in  1 845,  they  erected  the  building  known  as 
the  Coe  store,  on  Main  street,  opposite  the  Beardsley  house.  The  build- 
ing was  nearly  completed  when  Mr.  Hubbell  was  suddenly  taken  sick  and 
died  within  a  week,  on  the  day  that  had  been  fixed  for  removing  their 
goods  and  opening  their  bu^ness  therein. 

Mr.  Hubbell  was  a  man  of  great  promptitude  and  activity,  a  kind 
54 


426  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTEK, 

neighbor  and  sympathizing  friend,  who  visited  the  sick  and  bereaved,  and 
aided  the  destitute  and  unfortunate.  In  all  measures  of  public  improve- 
ment, he  was  among  the  foremost.  His  family  record  is  given,  in  con- 
nection with  that  of  his  father. 

The  following  dwellings  and  other  buildings  were  erected  in  Winsted 
during  the  decade  from  1821  to  1831. 

1821. 

The  Frederick  Woodruff  tannery  on  North  Main  street  was  erected  by 
Horace  Ranney,  and  was  successively  owned  from  1824  to  1831  by  Caleb 
Lewis,  and  then  by  Eli  Foster,  Ichabod  Wood,  Miles  C.  Burt  and  James 
Arault,  who,  in  1841,  sold  it  to  Mr.  Woodruff,  who,  in  1869,  sold  it  to 
George  Dudley  &  Son,  the  present  owners. 

A  forging  and  drafting  shop  was  erected  by  James  and  James  M.  Boyd, 
in  1822,  on  Lake  street,  at  the  joining  of  the  Lake  stream  and  Mad 
river,  which  was  taken  down,  and  the  present  brick  machine  shop  was 
erected  on  its  site  by  John  Boyd  in  1853. 

1822. 
The  Norinand  Adams  house  was  built  by  Horace  W.  House. 

1823. 

A  bark  mill  and  tannery  was  built  by  Hosea  Hinsdale  on  the  site  of 
John  T.  Rockwell's  tannery. 

1824. 
The  brick  house  on  North  Main  street  recently  owned  by  the  widow 
and  legatees  of  Stephen  Rowley,  deceased,  was  erected  by  Joseph  B. 
Lewis,  and  was  occupied  by  him  until  he  left  the  town  in  1834. 

The  brick  basement  wooden  house  next  south  of  the  above  was  built 
the  same  or  the  following  year  by  Darius  Turrill  and  occupied  by  him 
until  his  removal  from  the  town  about  1840. 

1825. 

The  E.  S.  Woodford  house  at  the  corner  of  Main  and  High  streets 
was  built  by  Samuel  Boyd  and  occupied  by  him  until  his  removal  to  New 
York  in  1834. 

Wheelock  Thayer  built  the  small  brick  tenement  next  south  of  the 
Woodford  place  now  occupied  by  Martin  Bradford. 

The  small  brick  tenement  in  front  of  J.  T.  Rockwell's  tannery  on  Main 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  427 

street  was  built  by  Hosea  Hinsdale  and  Ichabod  Loomis,  and  was  occupied 
in  part  by  Col.  Hinsdale  as  a  leatber  store,  and  in  part  by  Mr.  Loomis  as 
a  liquor  grocery,  the  first  of  these  establishments  in  the  town.  It  was 
burned  out  in  1827,  leaving  the  walls  so  little  injured,  notwithstanding  the 
explosion  of  a  keg  of  powder,  that  it  was  rebuilt  without  taking  down  the 
walls. 

The  house  near  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  recently  owned  by  Benjamin  F. 
Perry,  was  built  by  William  Dexter,  who  occupied  it  until  his  removal 
to  Illinois  in  1836. 

1827. 

The  '•  Upper  Forge,"  on  the  site  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany's Lake  street  grinding  works,  after  running  thirty-three  years,  was 
re  built  in  1827  by  James  Boyd  &  Son,  and  operated  until  about  1855, 
when  the  manufacture  of  bar  iron  ceased  to  be  remunerative  in  the  old 
way  of  working. 

The  original  house  on  the  site  of  Edward  R.  Beardsley's  residence  on 
Main  street,  was  built  for  a  tenant  house,  and  now  stands  within  the 
same  enclosure,  it  having  been  removed  by  the  late  Seth  L.  Wilder  to  its 
present  site. 

1828. 

Samuel  Boyd  erected  the  tenant  house  on  Main  street,  between  the 
residences  of  Mrs.  Parke  and  Mrs.  Eleazer  Andrews. 

1829. 

Horace  Higley  built  the  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street,  now 
owned  by  Albert  N.  Beach,  which  he  occupied  until  his  removal  to 
Painesville,  Ohio,  in  1837.  This  was  the  second  dwelling  erected  on  the 
section  known  as  the  "  Flat"  which  then  intervened  between  the  east  and 
west  villages,  and  is  now  occupied  by  nearly  a  hundred  stores  and  dwell- 
ings.   . 

1830. 

A  wooden  dwelling  and  brick  blacksmith  shop  on  the  south  side  of 
Main  street,  nearly  opposite  Walnut  street,  were  erected  by  Martin  Dens- 
low.  The  blacksmith  shop  has  since  been  converted  into  a  dwelling; 
and  next  east  of  the  wooden  dwelling  a  brick  dwelling  was  erected  the 
same  year  by  Horace  Skinner. 

The  dwelling  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street,  and  now  owned 
by  George  Taylor,  was  erected  in  1830  by  William  Benham ;  and  the 
next  dwelling  on  the  west,  was  erected  the  same  year  by  Daniel  D. 
Lamb. 

The   Samuel   Smith  house,  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street,  was  also 


428  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

erected  in  1830  by  Orentus  Bronson,  who,  in  succeeding  years,  although 
a  cripple,  creeled  about  twenty  dwellings  in  various  parts  of  the  village, 
almost  unaided  by  any  assistant  help. 

The  Congregational  Church  in  the  East  village  was  remodeled  in  1828 
by  removing  the  high  tub-like  pulpit  and  its  pendulous  sounding-board, 
and  substituting  modern  slips  for  the  ancient  square,  pen-like  pews,  with 
high  paneled  sides.  The  new  pulpit  was  placed  at  the  east  end  of  the 
audience  room,  and  the  floor  had  an  ascending  grade  from  the  east  to  the 
west  end.  The  building  retained  its  original  position  on  the  green  until 
184S,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  present  site,  and  so  remodeled,  without 
and  within,  as  not  to  retain  a  single  feature  of  its  original  construction. 

In  1828  the  brick  store  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  North  Main  streets, 
now  occupied  by  L.  R.  Norton  &  Company,  was  erected  by  an  association 
of  some  fifteen  individuals  for  an  Academic  School,  which  was  first  opened 
therein  by  Rev.  Sardis  B.  Morley,  a  graduate  of  Williams  College,  as- 
sisted by  Miss  Treat,  of  Hartford,  who  afterwards  became  his  wife. 

The  school  was  continued  as  a  public  academy,  under  a  succession  of 
teachers,  until  1830,  when  the  building  was  purchased  by  Mr.  Henry  E. 
Rockwell,  who  continued  the  school  as  a  private  enterprise  until  1817, 
when  he  erected  a  new  and  more  commodious  building  on  Seminary  Hill, 
north  of  High  street,  now  occupied  as  a  double  dwelling,  and  recently 
owned  by  W.  K.  Peck,  Esq. 

Mr.  Rockwell  discontinued  his  school  in  1S50,  and  soon  after  removed 
to  Massachusetts,  and  subsequently  engaged  in  phonetic  reporting  and 
various  educational  pursuits. 

He  is  gratefully  remembered  by  a  hrge  portion  of  our  middle  aged 
business  men  as  a  faithful  and  earnest  teacher,  and  by  the  whole  com- 
munity as  a  quiet,  public  spirited  citizen.  His  George  Washington  head 
was  as  cordially  greeted  as  that  of  any  other  of  the  returning  pilgrims  to 
our  late  Centennial  Commemoration. 

In  connection  with  Mr.  Rockwell  it  is  fitting  to  notice  his  cotemporary, 
Elder  Miles  Grant,  who  for  some  four  or  five  years  taught  the  west 
village  district  school,  with  an  ability  and  success  never  excelled  in  our 
annals.  To  the  sincere  regret  of  parents  and  scholars,  and  of  the  whole 
community,  a  sense  of  duty  constrained  him  to  leave  a  calling  for  which 
he  was  eminently  fitted,  and  to  devote  him-elf  to  the  Master's  service  in 
another  sphere  of  labor.  Highly  esteemed  and  loved  as  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  he  has  no  more  cordial  friends  than  his  Winsted  pupils,  now  in 
the  active  stage  of  life,  who  owe  (o  him  a  training  far  beyond  what  is 
ordinarily  secured  in  a  district  school. 

In  1830,  George  Taylor  took  a  lease  from  James  Boyd  of  the 
land  and  water  power  on  which  the  Elizur  Hinsdale  Axe  Factory  had 
stood,  and  erected  a  small  machine  shop,  now  constituting  a  part  of  the 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


429 


present  Foundry  &  Machine  Company's  building.  Mr.  Tajlor  has  been 
connected  with  the  establishment  in  all  its  changes,  up  to  the  present 
time.  Under  the  firm  of  Taylor  &  Whiting,  woollen  machinery  of 
superior  quality,  and  in  large  quantities,  was  manufactured.  The 
foundry  was  erected  about  1850. 

We  compile  abstracts  of  the  polls  and  taxable  property  of  the  Society 
on  the  lists  of  1820  and  1830,  showing  the  increase  or  decrease  in  the 
respective  items  during  the  decade  as  follows  :  — 


1820. 

1830. 

No. 

Amount. 

No. 

Amount. 

Houses  and  two-acre  lots,         .         .         .         . 

105 

54,524 

118 

48,204 

Acres  of  land,         ...... 

81  »3 

149,739 

7090 

108,200 

Manufactories,         ...... 

10 

5,(125 

18 

15,000 

Grist  mills  and  saw  mills,        .        .        .        . 

5 

3,475 

4 

1.050 

Stores, 

4 

2,400 

7 

2,750 

Clocks  and  watches,        .         .         .         .         . 

70 

3G1 

142 

578 

Horses,            J         .         .         .         .         .         . 

G4 

2,095 

118 

4,395 

Neat  cattle,      ....... 

048 

8,825 

802 

10,319 

Riding  carriages,     ...... 

13 

470 

5 

210 

Bunk  stocks,   ....... 

2,800 

300 

Turn jiikc  stock,       ...... 

424 

424 

Money  at  interest,   ...... 

3,040 

8,034 

Slieep,     ........ 

803 

1,120 

Polls  taxable,           ...... 

10S 

192 

These  abstracts  are  rendered  nearly  useless  for  comparison  by  the 
arbitrary  changes  in  the  valuation  of  houses,  lands,  neat  stock,  &c,  from 
.year  to  year,  according  to  the  wisdom  or  caprice  of  the  assessors. 

In  the  item  of  dwelling  houses,  while  the  number  is  increased  by  the 
erection  of  some  twenty  new  buildings,  the  total  amount  of  assessment  is 
reduced  $6,2G0;  whereas,  if  the  standard  of  valuation  had  been  uniform, 
the  totals  would  have  shown  an  increase  of  $G,751.  So  also  in  the  valu- 
ation of  lands,  if  the  standard  had  been  kept  up,  and  the  same  number  of 
acres  assessed  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  the  decade,  the  ajnrrecrate 
would  have  been  the  same  in  the  first  and  last  years,  instead  of  showing 
a  diminution  of  $41,473.  So  also  in  the  valuation  of  neat  stock,  the 
reduction  of  the  value  of  cows  from  $13  to  $11,  and  of  other  cattle  in  the 
same  proportion  made  an  aggregate  reduction  of  $1,578. 

With  these  equalizations  of  the  two  lists,  we  shall  find  an  increase  of 
the  taxable  property  of  the  society  of  $15,925,  while  the  increased  num- 
ber of  polls,  when  brought  up  to  the  valuation  of  1820,  would  have  added 
to  the  list  of  1830  an  increase  of  $27,'J32,  thus  making  the  whole  increase 
of  the  decade  $43,897,  or  an  increase  of  $4,31)0  per  year. 


CHAPTER     XXIX. 

GROWTH  OF  VILLAGES.— BOROUGH   OF  CLIFTON.— POST-OFFICES.— NEW  BUILDINGS 

AND  FACTORIES. 

1831    to   1841. 

We  have  thus  far  traced  the  early  growth  of  Winsted  with  a  minuteness 
of  detail,  the  further  prosecution  of  which  would  be  equally  tiresome  to 
compiler  and  reader ;  and  have  reached  a  period  when  the  public  records 
cease  to  furnish  family  statistics  in  an  available  form  for  compiling,  owing 
to  the  neglect  of  the  old,  and  the  imperfection  of  the  new  system  of  reg- 
istration. We  propose,  therefore,  in  the  further  prosecution  of  our  Annals, 
to  allude  only  to  the  origin  and  growth  of  public  institutions  and  private 
enterprises  of  special  public  interest. 

Up  to  1 832,  the  Green  Woods  turnpike  along  Mad  river,  the  road  along 
the  west  side  of  Still  river,  and  the  road  along  the  Lake  stream,  now  re- 
spectively known  as  Main  street,  North  Main  street,  and  Lake  street,  fur- 
nished nearly  all  the  building  ground  as  yet  required,  and  would  have 
supplied  the  demand  for  another  decade,  had  the  land  owners  been  dis- 
posed to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  increasing  population. 

The  first  movement  for  expanding  our  borders  was  made  by  an  associ- 
ation of  young  men,  who,  in  1832,  purchased  a  line  of  fifteen  building 
lots  and  the  land  for  a  highway  in  front  of  them,  from  Lake  street  to 
Pratt  street,  which  they  named  Prospect  street.  After  making  and  open- 
ing the  road  at  their  own  expense,  they  applied  to  the  town  authorities  to 
accept  it  as  a  public  highway.  It  was  an  unprecedented  case.  Conserv- 
atism became  alarmed.  It  required  some  finessing  to  induce  the  town  to 
accept  the  gift ;  and  when  accepted,  the  enterprise  had  so  much  fogyism 
to  encounter,  that  it  proved  a  poor  investment.  At  the  end  of  three 
years,  only  three  houses  had  been  erected  on  the  street,  and  it  was  ten 
years  before  the  unoccupied  lots  could  be  sold  at  first  cost. 

During  the  same  year  Wheelock  Thayer  erected  the  scythe  works  on 
Mad  river  now  owned  by  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Bacheller,  and  operated  by 
the  Thayer  Scythe  Company;  and  Samuel  Boyd  erected  the  Clifton  Mill 
works,  now  owned  by  the  Winsted  Hoe  Company,  in  which  he  manufac- 
tured shovels,  hoes,  and  carpenters'  tools  for  two  or  three  3  ears,  and  was 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  431 

succeeded  by  the  Clifton  Mill  Company,  who  converted  the  original  build- 
ing into  a  flouring  mill  and  erected  lhe  three-story  building  for  the  manu- 
facture of  bolts  and  nuls.  The  establishment  was  sold  in  1870  to  the 
Winsted  Hoe  Company,  and  is  now  used  for  making  planters'  hoes  and 
carpenters'  tools. 

In  1833,  on  application  of  inhabitants  of  the  West  Village,  the  General 
Assembly  granted  a  borough  charter  to  comprehend  the  part  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Winsted  lying  west  of  the  second  tier  line.  Conservatism  again 
took  the  alarm,  and  at  the  first  meeting  for  choice  of  officers,  a  ticket  was 
elected  not  favorable  to  the  objects  contemplated  by  the  charter.  A  small 
tax  was  laid  for  purchasing  a  fire  engine  and  organizing  a  fire  company. 
Payment  of  the  tax  was  refused  by.  some  of  the  tax  payers,  and  there 
was  not  found  sufficient  vitality  in  the  corporate  body  to  enforce  the  pay- 
ment. The  bantling  had  a  paralyzed  existence  of  two  or  three  years,  and 
then  expired.  Its  primary  object  was,  to  secure  an  efficient  fire  organiza- 
tion ;  but,  behind  this  there  was  a  plan  for  securing  a  second  post-office  in 
place  of  the  original  office,  which  had  been  recently  transferred  to  the 
East  Village,  the  two  villages  being  then  distinct  communities  separated 
from  each  other  by  a  wide  space  of  land  not  then  obtainable  for  building 
purposes. 

In  this  connection  a  sketch  of  post-office  changes  and  the  almost  per- 
petual dissensions  growing  out  of  them,  which  have  given  to  our  commu- 
nity an  evil  fame,  seems  appropriate  as  an  element  of  our  history.  In- 
deed, to  ignore  them  would  be  like  performing  the  play  of  Hamlet  with 
Hamlet  himself  left  out. 

There  was  a  time,  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  the  present  generation, 
when  the  post-office  department  was  conducted  without  reference  to  party 
politics;  when  the  post-master  general  was  not  a  cabinet  officer;  when 
the  ruling  question  in  the  appointment  of  a  deputy  post-master  was — is 
he  honest,  capable,  and  acceptable  to  the  community ;  when  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  public  and  of  the  department  were  the  sole  considerations 
applied  to  questions  of  location  of  offices.  These  principles  were  recog- 
nized and  acted  on  not  only  in  the  days  of  "Washington  and  Jefferson,  but 
onward  through  the  administrations  of  Monroe  and  the  second  Adams. 

About  180G,  the  only  post-office  in  Winchester  was  held  by  a  zealous 
Democrat  in  the  Widow  Hall  house,  on  the  turnpike  beyond  the  eastern 
border  of  the  present  borough  of  Winsted.  The  West  Village  had  then 
become  a  business  centre,  and  also  more  central  to  the  whole  town  than 
any  other  point  on  the  mail  route.  On  a  representation  of  these  and 
other  considerations  to  Post-master  General  Granger,  a  removal  of  the 
office  to  the  West  Village  was  ordered,  and  a  high-toned  Federalist  was 
appointed  to  the  place  of  his  democratic  predecessor. 


432  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

It  is  a  rule  with  scarcely  an  exception,  that  when  rival  villages  exist 
in  close  vicinity  to  each  other,  a  feeling  of  jealous  rivalry  grows  with  their 
growth;  and  if  they  are  both  within  the  same  post-office  delivery,  this 
feeling  is  liable  to  become  highly  intensified.  To  this  rule  Winsted  has 
been  no  exception.  Prior  to  and  during  the  War  of  1812,  the  Federal 
element  predominated  in  the  West  Village,  and  the  democratic  in  the  East. 
Efforts  were  made  from  time  to  time  to  change  the  politics  of  the  post- 
master and  the  location  of  the  office,  without  avail,  until  the  resignation 
of  the  Federal  incumbent  in  1830,  when,  on  an  ex-parte  hearing  of  an 
application  from  the  East  Village,  an  unexpected  appointment  was  made, 
and  the  location  of  the  office  transferred  to  that  section.  A  second-class 
earthquake  could  scarcely  have  produced  a  greater  sensation.  The  West 
Village  at  once  sent  a  deputation  to  Washington,  accompanied  by  a  Hart- 
ford Times  editor,  and  on  a  second  ex-parte  hearing,  the  department 
ordered  the  office  to  be  re  opened  in  the  West  Village ;  but  it  couldn't  be 
made  to  stay  there.  Within  six  months,  on  another  ex-parte  hearing,  the 
department  ordered  it  back  to  the  East  Village.  Remonstrances  flowed 
in  so  thickly,  that  in  about  a  year  an  oily-tongued  official,  rejoicing  in  the 
name  of  Barnabas  Bates,  was  sent  to  investigate  the  case.  Nearly  three 
days  were  devoted  by  him  to  a  public  hearing  of  the  contending  parties. 
He  reported  to  the  department,  in  substance,  that  both  parties  ought  to 
have  it;  but  as  they  couldn't,  it  had  better  be  located  at  an  intermediate 
point,  half  a  mile  distant  from  each  village  centre,  where  next  to  nobody 
then  wanted  it,  and,  as  a  consequence,  it  rested  in  the  East  Village  until 
after  the  Harrison  campaign,  when,  under  a  new  po-t-master,  it  again  re- 
turned to  the  We4  Village,  leaving  a  branch  office  for  receiving  and  de- 
livering letters  in  the  East.  Two  years  after,  under  Capt.  Tyler's  accidental 
re'gn,  the  office  went  back  to  the  East  Village,  and  the  branch  office  to 
the  West,  and  so  continued  through  the  administration  of  President  Polk. 

By  this  time  the  nomination  of  postmasters  within  a  congressional  dis- 
trict had,  by  usage,  become  the  unquestioned  prerogative — not  to  say-per- 
qui-ite — of  the  sitting  members.  Our  member  acted  honestly  and  wisely 
by  obtaining  the  establishment  of  a  new  office  in  the  West  Village,  and 
leaving  the  old  office  where  it  then  happened  to  be,  and  appointing  two 
new  postmasters.  With  this  arrangement  the  land  had  rest  for  some 
years ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  each  village  had  encroached  on  the  inter- 
mediate vacant  space.  The  Naugatuck  Railroad  was  opened  in  1849,  and 
the  two  villages  became  one.  But  this  one  village  had  three  sections  in- 
stead of  two — the  East,  the  West,  and  the  Flat.  The  Flat,  being  the 
central  point  and  the  railroad  terminus,  naturally  looked  to  a  speedy  pre- 
ponderance over  the  other  sections.  A  consolidated  post  office  seemed 
easy  of  attainment.  Senator  Dixon,  like  Barkis,  "  was  willing  "  and  ready 
to  help  by  "  ways  that  are  dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain, "  and  represen- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  433 

tative  Hubbard  was  befogged ;  and  like  a  thunder  clap  in  a  clear  sky  the 
announcement  came  that  the  West  office  was  defunct,  and  the  East  office 
was  transferred  to  the  Flat !  Fearful  was  the  indignation  of  the  outlying 
East  and  West  enders.  Their  reciprocal  heart  burnings,  the  growth  of  a 
half  century,  dissolved  into  thin  air.  The  whilom  combatants  became 
loving  friends  and  turned  their  combined  batteries  upon  the  new  victor. 
The  Department,  finding  itself  in  a  quandary,  sent  another  political  seer, 
named  Nehemiah  D.  Sperry,  to  look  into  the  matter,  and  see  what  was 
expedient  to  be  done  in  the  premises.  Nehemiah  heard  the  parties  pub- 
licly and  privately,  by  daylight  and  with  a  dark  lantern.  He  too  got  into 
a  quandary,  and  betook  himself  to  secret  negotiations  and  quack  nostrums. 
The  result  was,  a  restoration  of  the  two  offices,  a  very  imperfect  healing 
of  the  new  sore,  and  a  general  impression  that  Nehemiah  was  a  wonderful 
negotiator.  The  two  offices  remained  as  they  were  until  a  new  muddle 
grew  out  of  the  manipulations  of  a  defeated  candidate  for  congress  in  the 
fourth  district,  who  got  the  Republican  nomination,  but  could  not  get  votes 
enough  to  elect  him.  His  successful  Republican  colleagues,  sorrowing  for 
his  defeat,  conceded  to  him  the  bestowment  of  the  post-offices  in  the  dist- 
rict. Our  people  were  not  suited  with  his  nominations  for  the  twin  post- 
offices,  and  some  twenty-five  or  thirty  of  them  went  to  Washington,  and 
had  a  boisterous  hearing  before  the  gentlemanly  P.  M.  G.  Cresswell,  who 
appointed  two  meritorious  soldiers  to  the  places,  which  they  now  hold. 

It  would  be  a  wrong  conclusion  to  draw  from  this  detail  of  sectional 
squabbles,  that  our  community  is  wholly  given  up  to  them,  or  that  the  feel- 
ings engendered  are  very  deep  or  bitter.  The  question  at  issue  once  set- 
tled, general  good  feeling  is  soon  restored,  and  the  combatants  return  to 
their  business,,and  with  accustomed  energy  and  cordiality  unite  in  pro- 
moting unsectional  measures  of  improvement  or  benevolence. 

In  1833  the  old  Jenkins  &  Boyd  scythe  shop  was  torn  down,  and  a  new 
establishment  was  erected  by  parties,  soon  after  incorporated  as  the  Win- 
sted  Manufacturing  Company.  This  concern,  under  the  able  and  efficient 
agency  of  the  late  John  Camp,  Esq.,  until  his  death  in  1862,  has  prose- 
cuted the  business  of  scythe-making  to  the  present  time  with  uninter- 
rupted success,  making  large  dividends  and  sustaining  a  high  reputation 
for  good  workmanship  and  upright  dealing.  Mr.  Camp  died  of  a  hemor- 
rhage of  the  lungs,  August  19,  1862,  aged  sixty-one  years,  leaving  a  name 
honored  for  integrity,  public  spirit,  and  private  benevolence. 

George  Dudley,  a  native  of  Bloomfield,  after  a  residence  of  several 
years  in  the  east  part  of  Winsted,  purchased  the  Loomis  tannery  on  Main 
street  in  1832,  and  soon  after  went  into  tanning  skivers  or  split  sheep 
skins,  imported  from  England,  and  prepared  for  book-binding  and  other  pur- 
poses, a  branch  of  the  business  which  has  proved  highly  remunerative  to 
55 


434  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

those  prosecuting  it  with  skill  and  energy.  Mr.  Dudley,  after  various 
enlargements  of  his  works,  erected  his  present  main  building  about  1856. 
having,  two  or  three  years  earlier,  put  up  his  two  large  dryiug  houses  on 
Meadow  street. 

The  present  Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  Main  street  was  erected  in 
1833,  under  the  supervision  of  nine  trustees,  of  better  capacity  for  man- 
aging dairy  farms  than  for  contracting  and  supervising  the  building  of  a 
church  edifice.  Many  repairs  and  improvements  of  the  building  have, 
from  time  to  time,  been  made,  the  last  of  which  was  the  taking  clown  of 
the  insignificant  spire,  and  replacing  it  with  one  of  symmetrical  propor- 
tions, creditable  to  the  society,  to  the  village,  and  to  Rev.  Mr.  Simonson, 
who  supervised  the  work. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  decade,  from  1837  to  1840,  one  of  our 
periodic  business  revulsions  occurred,  which,  in  a  great  measure,  checked 
the  growth  of  the  place  for  the  time  being.  The  accession  of  inhabitants 
and  of  new  dwellings  had  been  rapid  during  the  five  preceding  years. 

Among  the  more  permanent  inhabitants  of  the  society  not  already 
named,  who  came  in  during  this  decade,  were  Orentus  Bronson,  James 
Birdsall,  Elliot  Beardsley,  George  Taylor,  Doctor  James  Welch,  James 
Humphrey,  Asa  Parke,  Alvin  Gilbert,  Ambrose  Whiting,  Horatio  L.  Wet- 
more,  Anson  Foskett,  David  N.  Beardsley,  Elisha  Kilborn,  William  G. 
Batcheller,  Caleb  J.  Camp,  Seth  L.  Wilder,  Normand  Adams,  Willard  S. 
Wetmore,  John  G.  Wetmore,  and  Chester  Went  worth. 

The  assessment  list  of  1840  comprises  the  following  items: 

176  Houses,          ......  $79,850 

Land,       ------  127,026 

19  Factories,       -            -            -            -            -            -  24,500 

4  Grist  and  Saw  Mills,      -  3,425 

7  Stoves,           --....  3;600 

Clocks  and  Watches,      -            -            -            -  1,134 

104  Horses,           ------  4;g69 

838  Neat  Cattle,         -----  11,392 

4  Carriages,      -     ,                    -             -             -             -  325 

Bank  Stock,        -----  2,500 

Money  at  interest,     -----  14,053 

152  Taxable  Polls,   -----  3,040 

Total,  ....        275,714 


CHAPTER     XXX. 

new  streets  and  factories— winsted  bank— hurlbut  bank— naugatuck  rail- 
road—episcopal church— new  burying-ground. 

1841  to  1851. 

In  the  year  1840  the  meadow  land  between  the  two  villages,  north  of 
Mad  River,  and  the  upland  around  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  station  and 
eastward,  came  into  the  hands  of  a  new  owner,  and  was  opened  to  sale  for 
building  purposes.  On  the  meadow  between  the  west  line  of  the  Clarke 
house  property  and  the  tier  line  near  Clifton  Mill  Bridge,  and  extending 
northward  so  as  to  embrace  Elm  street,  High  street,  Wheeler  street,  most 
of  the  Green  Woods  Agricultural  Park,  the  whole  of  Center  street,  and 
the  part  of  Main  street  between  the  points  first  indicated,  was  used  solely 
for  farming  purposes,  with  only  one  dwelling  on  the  whole  area.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  a  road,  since  named  Willow  street,  turned  easterly, 
along  the  rear  of  the  Clifton  Mill  property,  and  joined  the  Burrville  road, 
on  which  but  three  houses  had,  as  yet,  been  erected.  Opposite  the  Clarke 
house,  between  the  road  and  river,  stood  an  ancient  forge  with  its  large 
coal  houses,  and  a  small  forgeman's  house,  and  across  the  river,  a  dilapi- 
dated saw-mill  and  three  forgemen's  houses  on  and  near  the  site  of  the 
New  England  Pin  Company's  factory. 

The  lots  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street  were  laid  out  and  mainly 
taken  up  in  1841  and  soon  after  built  upon  by  new  comers,  who  here 
found  eligible  openings,  not  before  obtainable,  at  moderate  prices.  A  new 
life  and  energy  became  apparent.  New  enterprises  were  projected  and 
prosecuted,  and  old  ones  were  stimulated  to  new  vigor.  Old  indebted- 
nesses were  paid  off,  and  the  system  of  doing  business  with  accommoda- 
tion paper  discounted  at  the  Hartford  banks  and  renewed  at  maturity, 
which  had  long  prevailed,  was  gradually  abandoned. 

About  1845  the  Methodist  parsonage  and  the  house  now  owned  by 
Rufus  E.  Holmes  were  erected  by  Charles  B.  Weed,  on  the  north  line  of 
High  street.     The  line  of  the  street  had  been  agreed  on  by  the  proprietors 


436  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

of  the  lands  through  which  it  ran,  but  no  action  was  had  by  the  town  until 
August  22,  1846,  when,  on  report  of  the  Selectmen,  a  survey  of  the  pro- 
posed road  along  the  line  of  High  street  to  Elm  street,  and  thence  south- 
erly to  Main  street  at  the  Clarke  House,  was  accepted  and  approved  by 
the  town;  but  on  the  26th  of  October  following  the  town  voted  to  dis- 
continue it,  and  a  resort  to  the  County  Court  became  necessary  to  estab- 
lish it.  The  lots  were  speedily  taken  up,  and  it  has  proved  a  favorite 
section  of  the  borough. 

In  1815  the  new  burying-grouud,  south  of  the  east  village,  was  pur- 
chased and  opened.  It  had  been  laid  out  in  lots  some  years  earlier.  The 
grave  of  a  daughter  of  Harmon  Munson,  who  died  June  28,  1831,  was  the 
first  that  was  opened  in  it.  It  was  enlarged  to  its  present  dimensions  in 
1871. 

In  1846  "  the  Home  Company,"  a  joint  stock  concern,  now  extinct, 
erected  the  factory  building  now  owned  by  the  New  England  Pin  Com- 
pany and  went  into  the  manufacture  of  doeskin  cloths.  The  company 
had  no  previous  experience  in  this  line  of  manufacture  ;  their  successive 
foremen  proved  incompetent,  and  the  enterprise  shared  the  fate  of  all 
previous  attempts  at  woolen  manufacture  in  Wiusted.  The  property  was 
subsequently  purchased  by  Anson  G.  Phelps,  who,  in  1855,  sold  it  to  the 
New  England  Pin  Company,  its  present  owners. 

The  Winsted  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  was  chartered  in  1848. 
The  bill  for  its  charter  was  in  the  first  instance  rejected  by  the  Assembly 
at  the  instance  of  the  Hartford  bankers ;  but  it  was  at  once  discovered 
that  the  rejection  was  operating  a  change  of  views  of  Litchfield  County 
members  on  the  Air  Line  Bridge  question,  then  before  the  Ass.sembly ; 
the  Hartford  members  obtained  a  reconsideration  of  the  adverse  vote ; 
and  in  six  hours  after  its  rejection  the  charter  had  passed  both  houses. 

The  location  and  control  of  this  institution  was  a  matter  of  deep  inter- 
est to  the  two  outside  sections  of  Winsted.  Plotting  and  counter-plotting 
were  resorted  to.  The  commissioners  distributed  the  stock  in  the  interest 
of  the  east  section,  which  secured  five  of  the  directors  and  allowed  to  the 
west  section  only  two.  Then  came  the  presidential  question.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  dominant  party  were  not  agreed  as  to  which  of  their  directors 
should  control  the  institution.  One  of  them  controlled  directly  or  indi- 
rectly six  hundred  out  of  the  one  thousand  shares  of  the  stock,  yet  he 
failed  of  an  election  by  reason  of  two  eastern  votes  being  cast  for  a  west- 
ern candidate.  This  result  was  followed  in  a  few  days  by  the  transfer  of 
six  hundred  shares  of  stock  to  western  parties,  and  soon  afterwards  by 
other  transfers,  which  vacated  the  seats  of  two  of  the  eastern  directors, 
whose  places  were  tilled  by  directors  in  the  western  interest. 

Soon  after  this,  the  banking,  office  was  opened  in  a  room  of  the  Beards- 
ley  House,  with  George  Dudley  as  President,  and  E.  S.  Hamilton  as 
Cashier. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  437 

The  banking  house,  now  the  property  of  the  Winsted  Savings  Bank, 
was  erected  in  1851.  The  profits  of  the  first  six  months'  business  were 
swallowed  up  by  the  failure  of  one  customer  residing  out  of  the  State. 
By  experience  and  caution,  the  bank  thereafter  in  a  great  measure 
escaped  similar  losses,  and  did  a  prosperous  business  until  Nov.  9,  1861, 
when  its  vault  was  broken  open  by  burglars,  who  earned  off  cash  assets 
to  the  amount  of  $60,100,  only  about  $18,000  of  which  were  finally  re- 
covered, at  a  cost  of  over  $2,000.  This  calamity,  by  impairing  its  capi- 
tal, prevented  its  reception  as  a  National  Bank ;  in  consequence  of  which, 
and  the  heavy  tax  on  circulation  of  State  banks,  its  business  was  there- 
after prosecuted  at  great  disadvantage,  and  it  was  closed  and  the  charter 
surrendered  Sept.  1,  1867. 

Notwithstanding  this  loss,  and  disadvantage,  the  institution  had  been 
so  carefully  and  judiciously  managed  that  the  stock-holders  received  on 
the  final  liquidation  $113  on  each  $100  of  their  stock.* 

The  Huilbut  Bank  was  organized  in  June,  1857,  under  the  provisions 
of  the  General  Banking  Law  of  1852,  and  under  the  presidency  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Phelps,  Esq.,  its  organizer,  who  controlled  its  operations  until 
his  death  on  the  25th  day  of  August,  1864,  at  the  age  of  about  46. 

The  directors  of  the  bank,  by  vote  on  record,  Resolved  "  that  we  are 
fully  sensible  of  the  loss  to  this  institution  of  an  able  financier,  whose 
faithfulness  and  diligence  in  managing  the  affairs  of  the  bank  are  fully  ap- 
parent in  its  success,  and  the  character  it  has  sustained  at  home  and 
abroad  for  its  soundness  and  prosperity.  We  also  feel  deeply  his  loss  in 
common  with  this  community,  as  an  honest  and  capable  adviser,  a  genial 
companion,  and  highly  esteemed  citizen." 

The  bank  was  organized  with  a  capital  of  $130,000,  which  was  in- 
creased in  1854  to  $200,000 ;  to  which  has  since  been  added  a  subscrip- 
tion of  stock  to  the  amount  of  $5,000  by  the  American  Deaf  and  Dumb 
Asylum. 

It  was  reorganized  as  a  National  Bank  immediately  after  the  passage 
by  Congress  of  the  National  Banking  Law ;  and  since  the  death  of  Mr. 
Phelps  has  been  successfully  and  profitably  managed  by  officers  trained 
by  him. 

The  Naugatuck  Railroad,  from  Derby  to  Plymouth,  was  chartered  in 
1845.  In  1847  the  company  was  allowed  an  extension  of  one  year  for 
commencing  its  road  and  expending  thereon  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  ;  and  were  authorized  to  extend  its  line  to  Winsted.  Prior  to  the 
awarding  of  the  contracts  and  extending  the  line  to  Winsted,  it  had  been 
transferred   to  Alfred   Bishop,  of  Bridgeport,  and   his  associates,  who  in 

*  It  should  have  been  noted  that  the  capital  stock  of  the  bank  was  enlarged  in  1854 
to  $300,000. 


438  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

consideration  of  a  bonus  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  and  payment  of  the 
land  damages  along  its  line  to  Waterbury,  by  the  citizens  interested  in  its 
completion,  contracted  to  build  the  road  and  open  it  to  that  point  in  1849. 
Soon  after  the  extension  to  Winsted  was  authorized,  Mr.  Bishop  pro- 
posed to  so  extend  it,  on  being  secured  another  cash  bonus  of  $30,000, 
and  a  right  of  way  from  Waterbury  northward.  The  proposition  was 
unlooked  for,  but  was  promptly  responded  to.  A  meeting  of  citizens  in- 
terested along  the  line  was  immediately  called,  and  a  division  of  responsi- 
bility was  agreed  upon,  by  which  the  citizens  of  Winsted  assumed  half 
the  bonus  and  the  securing  the  whole  right  of  way  and  depot  grounds 
within  the  town  of  Winchester;  and  the  citizens  of  Wolcottville  and 
Plymouth  agreed  to  assume  the  other  half  of  the  bonus  and  the  whole  ex- 
pense of  the  remaining  land  tiile. 

A  spirit  of  liberality,  before  unprecedented,  prevailed.  Men  gave 
their  thousands  who  had  never  before  given  a  hundred  for  any  public  ob- 
ject. The  subscription  was  speedily  filled  up, —  when  the  chronic  sec- 
tional disease  of  our  community  broke  out  on  the  question  of  locating  the 
terminus  ,  —  whether  it  should  be  on  the  East  village  green,  on  the  Flat, 
or  in  the  West  village.  There  wa^  a  backing  down  of  a  portion  of  sub- 
scriptions, which  rendered  a  new  subscription  necessary  on  the  basis  of 
locating  the  terminus  on  the  Flat  where  the  depot  now  stands.  A  re- 
assessment of  the  adhering  subscribers  was  jjroposed  and  speedily 
adopted.  About  five  thousand  dollars  was  assumed  by  adhering  sub- 
scribers to  make  good  the  withdrawn  subscriptions,  and  the  contract  with 
Mr.  Bishop  was  thereupon  perfected. 

The  iron  horse  paid  his  first  visit  to  the  Winsted  depot,  Sept.  21,  1S49. 
The  first  passenger  train  came  up  on  Saturday  the  22d,  and  returned  on 
the  following  Monday.  The  population  of  the  whole  town  at  that  period 
was  less  than  2,100.  In  1860  it  was  3,550.  As  the  population  of  the 
Old  Society  remained  stationary,  or  decreased  during  the  intervening 
period,  we  may  safely  estimate  the  increase  of  WTinsted  population  during 
the  eleven  years  after  the  opening  of  the  railroad  at  1450,  —  or  Go  per  cent. 

The  number  of  taxable  polls  in  the  town  in  1849  Avas,         -  -     438 

In  1860,  it  had  increased  to     -  -  -  -  -  853 

Showing  a  gain  in  eleven  years  of  94|  per  cent. 

This  increased  value  of  property  is  not  to  be  wholly  assigned  to  Win- 
sted Society,  as  it  results  partly  from  the  greatly  increased  valuation  of 
wood  lands  throughout  the  whole  town. 

Mr.  Bishop,  the  projector  and  builder  of  the  road,  died  before  its  com- 
pletion. He  was  a  man  of  far  seeing  and  comprehensive  views,  —  of 
quiet  energy,  and  liberal   spirit.     He  looked  to  ultimate  results  rather 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  439 

than  to  immediate  gains,  and  believed  in  a  policy  of  promoting  the  growth 
of  manufacturing  and  commercial  business  along  the  whole  line  of  the 
road,  to  be  affected  by  low  freights  on  raw  materials  going  from  tide- 
water to  the  interior,  and  thereby  increasing  the  relurn  freights  of  manu- 
factured articles.  His  successors  entertained  more  conservative  views. 
They  looked  to  immediate  results,  not  by  fostering  the  interests  of  the 
business  sections  remote  from  tide-water,  but  by  imposing  high  fares  and 
indiscriminating  tariffs  of  freights,  —  so  high  as  to  discourage  new  manu- 
facturing enterprises.  This  policy  was  peculiarly  unfavorable  to  Winsted 
by  reason  of  her  manufactures  being  mainly  of  heavy  iron  hardware, 
requiring  iron,  steel,  coal,  grind-stones,  etc.,  to  be  brought  from  tide- 
water. 

The  result  was,  for  several  years,  a  most  unsatisfactory  income  to  the 
company  from  the  northern  section  of  the  road.  The  main  cause  of  this 
did  not  so  impress  itself  upon  the  comprehension  of  the  directors  of  the 
road  as  to  induce  any  change  of  policy.  Nevertheless,  our  business, 
though  sadly  retarded,  could  not  but  be  benefited  by  a  small  reduction  of 
freights  and  fares  below  the  cost  of  transportation  by  teams  to  and  from 
Hartford  on  the  east,  and  the  Housatonic  Railroad  on  the  west. 

The  unprofitableness  of  the  road  until  a  recent  period,  grew  in  part  out 
of  its  cheap  original  construction.  A  large  portion  of  the  stone  masonry 
and  bridges  have  required  rebuilding  not  only  once,  but  in  not  a  few 
cases,  oftener.  The  track  has  had  to  be  raised  or  changed  in  many 
places,  and  no  inconsiderable  damages  have  been  paid  for  accidents  grow- 
ing out  of  imperfect  construction  and  repairs.  To  the  stockholders,  it  has 
eventually  become  a  profitable  pecuniary  investment;  —  whether  more  or 
less  so  by  reason  of  its  enormous  freight  charges  and  penurious  manage- 
ment, is  a  question  on  which  there  may  be  a  diversity  of  opinion. 

The  first  stated  worship  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  Win- 
sted was  begun  in  1817,  by  Rev.  II.  Frisbie,  and  some  funds  were  then 
raised  for  a  church  edifice.  During  the  following  year  arrangements  were 
made  for  building  a  church  and  a  location  was  agreed  on.  The  present 
Episcopal  Church  was  soon  after  contracted  for  and  was  completed  in 
October,  1848;  and  on  the  27th  day  of  that  month  the  parish  of  St. 
James  was  legally  organized  by  choice  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Coe,  Jr.,  Rector, 
James  R.  Coe  and  Uriel  Spencer,  Jr.,  Wardens ;  and  Dr.  John  L.  Wake- 
field, Hon.  Wm.  S.  Holabird,  and  Alexander  Durgin,  Vestrymen.  The 
church  was  consecrated,  the  same  autumn.  Rev.  Jonathan  Coe,  Jr.,  was 
succeeded  in  1854  by  Rev.  James  W.  Coe,  who  officiated  for  one  year. 
In  1856  Rev.  James  R.  Coe,  brother  of  the  first  Rector,  was  chosen  Rec- 
tor, and  officiated  as  such  until  1860,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
David  H.  Short,  who  remained  about  two  years,  after  which  the  parish 


440  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

was  for  some  time  supplied  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Berry,  D.D.,  of  Litchfield.  In 
1866  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Williams  was  chosen  Rector,  and  served  two  years  ; 
and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Wm.  H.  Lewis,  Jr.,  who  remained  until  May, 
1870,  when  Rev.  D.  P.  Sanford,  the  present  Rector,  took  charge  of  the 
parish.  The  location  of  the  church,  influenced  by  the  liberal  subscrip- 
tions of  individuals  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  has  been  deemed  ill-judged, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  essentially  retarded  its  growth.  Endeavors  have 
been  made  to  obtain  its  removal  to  a  more  central  point,  intermediate  be- 
tween the  east  and  west  sections,  but  as  yet  without  success. 

Meadow  street  was  laid  out  in  the  fall  of  1849  by  Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale 
and  Samuel  Boyd,  who  owned  the  adjoining  lands  and  laid  them  out  in 
building  lots  of  five  rods  front  and  eight  rods  depth.  The  northern  por- 
tion of  the  land  had  been  the  home  meadow  of  Col.  Hinsdale,  and  the 
southern,  the  home  meadow  of  James  Boyd,  then  recently  deceased. 
Buildings  began  at  once  to  be  erected  on  these  lots,  and  they  were  nearly 
all  taken  up  and  improved  within  five  years.  Monroe  street  was  also  laid 
out  and  opened  by  Mr.  Boyd  the  same  year. 

We  note,  among  our  prominent  citizens  who  died  during  this  decade, 
the  following : 

Capt.  Zebina  Smith,  February  4,  1842,  aged  82. 

Capt.  Grinnell  Spencer,  March  5,  1843,  aged  74. 

Theodore  Hinsdale,  Esq.,  Nov.  27,  1841,  aged  40. 

Rev.  Daniel  Coe,  Jan.  12,  1847,  aged  64. 

James  Boyd,  Feb.  28,  1849,  aged  78. 

Rev.  James  Beach,  June  10,  1850,  aged  70. 

Jonathan  Coe,  May  31,  1849,  aged  79. 

Luman  Hubbell,  Oct.  1846. 

Gideon  Hall,  Sr.,  Feb.  23,  1850,  aged  75. 

Dr.  Luman  Wakefield,  March  20,  1850,  aged  63. 

Nath.  B.  Gaylord,  1849. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


441 


"We  compile  abstracts  of  the  Assessment  Lists  of  1840  and  1850,  show- 
ing the  increased  quantity  and  amount  of  property  during  the  decade  as 
follows : 


List  of  1840. 

List  of  1850. 

Increase. 

Dwelling  houses,         .... 

176 

$79,850 

an 

$161,880; 

135 

82,030 

Acres  of  land,    ..... 

8,168 

127,026 

8,477 

184,103 

309 

57,077 

Mills,  factories,  and  stores, 

30 

31,525 

39 

65,605 

9 

34,080 

Horses, 

104 

4,869 

177 

9,135; 

73 

4,266 

Neat  cattle, 

838 

11,392 

1,201 

15,397 

363 

4,005 

Investments  in  trade  and  manufactures, 

8,225 

76,790 

68,565 

Bank  stocks,         ..... 

•    2,500 

71,430! 

68,930 

Bailroad  bonds,        .... 

5,400; 

5,400 

Money  at  interest,         .... 

14,053 

74,294! 

60,241 

Taxable  polls,           .... 

152 

383 

231 

Total  amount  of  taxable  property  on 

the  two  assessment  lists,  . 

459,649 

669,999 

209,350 

Population  of  town, 

1,667 

2,179 

512 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  abstracts  that  the  dwellings  had  nearly 
doubled,  in  number,  and  more  than  doubled  in  value  during  the  ten 
years  ;  —  that  the  value  of  factories,  stores,  etc.,  had  more  than  doubled ; 
that  the  bank  stocks  had  increased  more  than  twenty-fold,  and  money  at 
interest  more  than  five-fold. 

The  population  of  the  Old  Society  remained  stationary  or  decreased 
during  the  decade,  so  that  the  srain  was  altogether  in  Winsted. 


56 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

1841  to  1851. 

mechanics  and  laborers.— roman  catholic  church.— sayings  and  building 
association.— new  streets. 

The  elements  of  the  steady  and  prosperous  growth  of  Winsted  have 
been,  first  of  all,  business  men  not  only  of  energy,  but  of  sound  moral 
and  religious  principle ;  second,  the  manufacture  of  such  articles  of  prime 
necessity  as  require  skillful  and  hard-working  artizans ;  third,  a  variety  of 
moderately-sized  establishments,  conducted  by  actual  resident  owners; 
fourth,  a  mutual  sympathy  of  employers  and  employed,  combined  with  a 
desire  on  all  hands  for  the  moral  improvement  of  the  community. 

The  original  iron  workers  —  forgemen,  as  they  were  termed  —  came 
from  Ancram,  N.  Y.,  and  from  the  Jerseys.  They  were  mainly  of  Low 
Dutch  descent,  working  hard  at  irregular  hours,  blowing  up  their  fires  at 
from  two  to  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  completing  their  day's  work  soon 
after  noon,  and  spending  the  rest  of  the  day  in  fishing  and  drinking. 
This  was  the  general  characteristic,  but  there  were  some  of  them  who 
broke  loose  from  these  habits,  and  became  thrifty  men  and  good  citizens. 

The  iron  masters  discovered  the  evils  of  rum  selling  and  rum  drinking 
years  before  the  general  temperance  movement  began,  and  applied  the 
remedy  in  part,  abandoning  the  sale  of  liquors,  and  getting  rid  of  their 
most  intemperate  workmen. 

The  early  scythe  makers  were  mainly  Down  Easters,  of  industrious, 
thrifty  habits,  and  good  morals.  Their  successors  have  maintained  their 
characteristics,  and  constitute  a  large  class  of  our  most  respectable 
citizens  and  property  owners.  The  same  qualities  characterize  our 
tanners,  clockmakers,  hoemakers,  machinists,  and  other  handicraftsmen. 
In  no  other  manufacturing  place  in  the  state  are  as  large  a  portion  of 
the  mechanics  owners  of  comfortable  homesteads,  to  say  nothing  of 
savings  bank  deposits  and  ten  per  cent,  bonds,  as  in  Winsted.  We  are 
most  fortunately  exempt  from  overshadowing  cotton  mills,  print  works, 
paper  mills,  and  other  establishments  mainly  sustained  by  the  bone  and 
muscle  of  poor  children,  imported — with  their  degraded  parents  —  in 
box  cars  from  the  cities,  and  uncared  for  by  their  absentee   employer, 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  443 

save  in  securing  from  them  the  largest  amount  of  labor,  at  the  lowest 
cost. 

The  diversity  of  our  manufactures  is  a  special  source  of  prosperity. 
The  depression  of  one  or  two  branches  does  not  paralyze  the  community 
nor  crowd  the  poor  house. 

Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad,  the  number  of  resi- 
dents of  foreign  birth  was  very  limited.  Some  of  the  railroad  laborers 
remained  after  the  road  was  finished,  and  their  friends  and  relations 
joined  them.  Others  followed  them  by  the  new  channel  of  access  to  this 
before  secluded  region.  All  of  them  found  ready  employment  in  a  sober 
and  temperate  community,  as  yet  uncontaminated  by  a  vicious  class. 

It  is  a  prevailing  habit  to  carp  about  the  faults  and  vices  of  our  foreign 
laborers  and  domestics.  The  first  question  is,  what  could  we  have  done 
without  them  in  our  rapidly  enlarging  community,  in  which  every  native 
born  robust  man  coidd  have  found  better  employment  than  precarious 
day  labor,  and  every  healthy  intelligent  girl  could  go  into  a  school  or 
factory,  where  higher  wages  could  be  earned,  and  better  dresses  worn 
than  at  domestic  service.  Better,  it  doubtless  might  have  been,  that  the 
good  old  time  had  continued,  when  a  trade  required  from  five  to  seven 
years  apprenticeship,  instead  of  six  months  as  at  present ;  when  the 
young  farmer's  son  worked  out  by  the  month  to  earn  his  first  investment 
in  land,  and  the  smart  farmer's  daughter,  besides  doing  the  household 
drudgery,  spun  her  two  runs  of  yarn  each  day,  and  went  to  conference  or 
singing  school  at  night,  on  a  stipend  of  four-and-sixpence  a  week  ;  but 
those  times  had  been  played  out  long  before  the  advent  of  Patrick  and 
Bridget.  It  was  Patrick,  with  his  unreasoning  muscle,  who  brought 
the  railroad  to  our  doors,  and  then  cheerfully,  though  unskillfully,  took  up 
and  carried  forward  the  lost  art  of  hard  drudgery,  which  the  discontented 
and  fretful  employer,  not  owning  a  gang  of  fat  healthy  negroes,  could 
obtain  from  no  other  earthly  quarter.  It  was  Bridget  who  became  the 
angel  of  the  kitchen  —  an  imperfect  angel  to  be  sure  —  but  considerably 
more  charming  than  the  slatternly  home-raised  hired  help;  the  remnant 
of  her  race,  who,  in  later  times,  shirked  the  hardest  drudgery  of  the 
kitchen  on  her  careworn  mistress,  and  combed  out  her  carroty  locks  in 
the  parlor  in  presence  of  the  mistress's  guests. 

There  is  a  prevailing  tendency  to  berate  the  Irish  beyond  reason. 
Glaring  faults  they  have,  as  a  result  of  grinding  oppression  and  cruelty 
to  which  they  and  their  fathers  have  been  subjected  for  centuries.  They 
have  also  virtues,  which  are  to  be  developed  only  by  patience  and  con- 
siderate kindness.  They  are  ignorant,  and  must  be  enlightened  by 
education  and  moral  culture.  They  are  among  us  and  of  us,  and  they 
bid  fair   to  outnumber   us   in   hall  a   century,   unless    the  Yankee  race 


444  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

becomes  more  prolific  in  the  future  than  in  the  present  era  of  barrenness 
among  native  women. 


Roman  Catholic  worship  was  first  instituted  in  Winsted  in  1851,  by 
Rev.  James  Lynch,  from  Birmingham,  in  the  sclioolhouse  of  the  west 
district,  which  was  attended  by  about  forty  Catholics.  Land  for  a  church 
lot  was  secured  the  same  year,  and  in  1852  Rev.  Thomas  Quinn 
entered  on  his  pastoral  duties,  and  commenced  the  erection  of  St. 
Joseph's  Catholic  Church.  Until  its  completion  mass  was  celebrated  on 
the  sabbath  in  Camp's  Hall.  Rev.  Philip  Gilleck  succeeded  Father 
Quinn  in  1853,  and  supervised  the  completion  of  the  church  so  far  as  to 
render  it  suitable  for  divine  worship.  The  Rev.  Thomas  Henricken,  now 
Bishop  of  the  Diocese  of  Rhode  Island,  succeeded  Father  Gilleck  in 
1854,  and  in  1855  was  transferred  to  Waterbury,  when  Rev.  Richard 
O'Gorman  succeeded  him  in  the  pastorate.  He  was  succeeded  in  1856 
by  Rev.  Lawrence  Mangan,  and  he  in  1860  by  Rev.  Daniel  Mullen, 
who  was  soon  after  transferred  to  the  chaplaincy  of  the  9th  Regiment, 
Connecticut  Volunteers.  He  was  succeeded  in  1861  by  Rev.  Philip 
Sheriden,  who  remained  in  the  pastorate  until  1864,  when  Rev.  Father 
Leo  da  Saracena,  of  the  Order  of  St.  Francis  d'Assissi,  who  had  succeeded 
Father  Mullen  in  the  chaplaincy  of  the  9th  Connecticut  Volunteers,  was 
appointed  to  the  pastorate  by  Bishop  McFarland  of  Hartford. 

Under  his  energetic  supervision,  the  parish  was  thoroughly  organized, 
and  ;idditional  lands  were  purchased,  with  buildings  thereon  for  a  parish 
school,  and  a  residence  for  the  sisters  of  the  third  order  of  St.  Francis,  by 
whom  the  school  was  organized,  and  has  been  successfully  conducted,  the 
number  of  children  in  attendance  being  from  fifty  to  sixty.  In  1866  he 
secured  the  purchase  of  other  adjoining  lands  for  the  institutions  of  his 
order,  on  which  he  proceeded  to  erect  the  brick  monastery  standing 
immediately  west  of  the  church,  the  church  itself  having  been  donated  to 
the  order  by  Bishop  McFarland  in  November,  1866.  In  January,  1867, 
other  land  and  buildings  were  purchased  and  fitted  up  for  the  Academy 
of  St.  Margaret  of  Cortonia,  an  institution  for  educating  young  ladies  in 
the  higher  branches.  A  fine  grove  in  the  rear  of  the  church  and 
monastery  has  also  been  purchased,  in  which  it  is  designed  to  erect  a 
future  residence  of  the  sisters  of  the  order. 

The  buildings  stand  on  a  hill  sloping  down  to  Main  street  on  the 
south,  so  elevated  as  to  command  a  splendid  view  of  the  surrounding 
village  and  valley. 

The  institution  was  incorporated  in  1866,  under  the  name  of  "  The 
St.  Francis  Literary  and  Theological  Seminary,"  and  is  now  (1872) 
conducted  by  the  following  officials : — 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  445 

st.  Joseph's  r.  o.  church. 
Pastor — Rev.  Fra.  Leo  da  Saracena,  O.S.F. 

ST.    FRANCIS'    R.    C.    LITERARY    AND    THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY. 

President — Rev.  Fra.  Leo  da  Saracena,  O.S.F. 
Vice-President — Rev.  Fra.  Isaiah  da  Scanno,  O.S.F. 
Secretary — Rev.  Fra.  Diomedes,  O.S.F. 

st.  maeoaret's  r.  c.  academy  for  young  ladies. 
Instructors — Sisters  of  St.  Francis. 

ST.   FRANCIS    R.    C.    PAROCHIAL    SCHOOL. 

Instructors — Sisters  of  St.  Francis. 

SISTERS    OF    ST.    FRANCIS'    CONVENT. 

Rev.  Mother  Josephine  Todd.* 

John  D.  Howe  and  Willard  S.  "Wetmore  having,  in  1850,  purchased 
from  the  heirs  of  Luman  Wakefield,  deceased,  two  adjoining  tracts  of 
land  on  the  west  border  of  the  east  village,  proceeded  to  lay  out  four 
streets  thereon,  and  to  divide  the  adjoining  lands  into  quarter-acre  lots. 
The  streets  laid  out  were  —  Grove  street,  running  westerly  from  the  east 
village  park,  Walnut  street,  Oak  street,  and  Chestnut  street,  running 
parallel  with  each  other,  northerly  from  Main  to  Grove  streets.  They 
were  accepted  as  highways  by  the  town  in  1851. 

An  epidemic  building  fever  set  in  about  this  time,  which  expedited  the 
rapid  sale  of  these  and  other  newly-opened  lots.  The  source  of  this 
epidemic  is  traceable  to  an  association  of  homeless  men  in  New  Haven, 
who  sought  to  aid  each  other  in  providing  homesteads  by  combining  their 
limited  resources,  and  loaning  the  same,  as  they  accrued,  to  the  members 
of  the  association  offering  the  highest  bonus,  in  addition  to  six  per  cent, 
interest  therefor,  and  applying  the  loaned  money  to  buildings  to  be 
erected  on  lots  mortgaged  to  the  association  as  security  for  the  loans. 
Each  associate  on  joining  the  institution  took  up  a;iy  number  of  shares  at 
his  option,  and  contracted  to  pay  in  monthly  installments  of  five  per  cent, 
until  the  stock  taken  was  fully  paid  up.  The  amo.uit  monthly  paid  in 
was  at  once  loaned  to  the  stockholder  who  offered  the  highest  bonus  in 
addition  to  legal  monthly  interest,  and  the  money  borrowed,  less  the 


*  The  foregoing  details  are  gathei'ed  and  condensed  from  materials  furnished  by 
Rev.  Father  Leo  da  Saracena. 


446  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTEE, 

bonus,  was  to  be  applied  to  building  a  house  on  a  lot  owned  by  the  bor- 
rower, and  mortgaged  to  the  association  for  security  of  his  loan.  The 
theory  was  that  each  stockholder  of  a  series  was  eventually  to  become  a 
borrower  of  a  sum  equal  to  the  amount  of  his  stock.  When-  this  point 
was  reached,  or  before,  the  whole  capital  of  the  series  would  be  filled  up, 
and  the  principal  of  each  borrower's  note  be  paid  by  a  surrender  of  his 
fully  paid  stock,  leaving  the  balance  of  profit,  if  any,  to  be  divided  to 
each  of  the  series  pro  rata. 

One  series  of  stockholders  being  thus  paid  off  and  discharged,  the  same 
process  of  paying  in  and  loaning  out  in  due  course  of  time  discharged 
and  paid  off  the  next  series,  the  third,  and  so  on,  as  long  as  accessions  of 
stockholders  and  borrowers  could  be  secured.  The  whole  thing  looked 
rose-colored  on  paper.  There  were  wise  financiers  who  could  mathema- 
tically demonstrate  that  however  large  the  bonuses  paid  on  loans,  both 
the  borrower  and  lender  would  be  equally  benefited. 

On  the  promulgation  of  this  financial  discovery  the  General  Assembly 
of  1850  gave  it  their  blessing  and  sanction  by  authorizing  the  establish- 
ment of  savings  and  building  associations  without  limit  of  number  or  cap- 
ital, and  with  a  perfect  abandon  of  prudential  restraints  and  prohibitions. 
The  principle  of  requiring  each  stockholder  to  become  a  borrower  was 
discarded.  The  associations  were  allowed  to  receive  deposits  from  out- 
siders, either  on  interest  or  without,  and  to  make  temporary  or  permanent 
loans  of  the  same  to  outsiders  or  members,  on  personal  or  mortgage  se- 
curities, and  at  any  rate  of  premium  added  to  interest  they  could  extort 
from  needy  borrowers. 

Institutions  under  this  law  were  speedily  organized  all  over  the  state. 
Our  community,  by  reason  of  its  chronic  local  jealousies,  could  not  work 
together  in  one  company,  and  so  formed  two :  "  The  Winsted  Saving  and 
Building  Association"  in  the  East  Village,  and  "  The  West  Winsted  Sav- 
ings Bank  and  Building  Association  "  in  the  West  Village,  which  went 
into  operation  in  May  and  July,  1852.  The  rich  and  the  poor  went  into 
money  making  and  homestead  building  with  a  rush.  The  rival  com- 
panies stimulated  each  other.  Our  moneyed  men,  who  had  before  loaned 
their  funds  on  legal  interest,  found,  in  the  workings  of  these  institutions,  a 
mine  of  legal  extortion,  of  which  they  speedily  availed  themselves.  They 
collected  in  their  six  per  cent,  loans,  and  made  these  institutions  the  dis- 
pensers of  their  funds.  The  banks  had  ceased  to  discount  accommo- 
dation paper,  and  scrimped  their  business  customers,  in  order  to  make 
western  loans  on  protected  circulation.  The  school  fund  had  very  limited 
incoming  funds,  and  could  loan  them  in  New  York  state  and  elsewhere  at 
7  per  cent.  Honest,  unsophisticated  savings  banks  were  mainly  confined 
to  the  cities.  The  poor  man  and  the  man  loaded  with  debt  had  no  other 
resource  but  these  disguised  shaving  mills.     Their  monthly  loanings  were 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS  .  447 

competed  for  with  blind  desperation,  and  were  taken  at  premiums  of  from 
20  to  33  per  cent,  over  and  beyond  legal  interest,  the  premium  being  de- 
ducted from  the  principal  in  advance,  and  the  interest  made  a  monthly 
charge. 

The  stockholder  was  bound  to  pay  in  on  the  first  of  each  month  a  five 
dollar  installment  on  each  thousand  dollars  of  his  stock.  If  a  borrower, 
he  bound  himself  to  pay  five  dollars  more  on  the  thousand  of  the  principal 
of  his  loan,  and  five  more  as  interest  thereon.  He  was  told  by  those  who 
ought  to  have  known  better  —  if  they  did  not  —  that  there  was  a  talismanic 
working  of  the  financial  scheme,  which  would  come  out  all  right  in  the 
end,  and  make  him  the  easy  owner  of  a  homestead.  This  system  of  grind- 
ing had  some  features  of  plausibility  about  it  by  which  improvident  men 
were  encouraged  to  embark  in  the  scheme,  and  induced  to  assume  monthly 
liabilities  which  they  could  not  discharge  out  of  their  monthly  earnings 
without  starving  their  families  or  running  in  debt  for  food  and  clothing. 

But  their  charters  permitted  them  to  run  another  grinding  mill  without 
restraint'  or  limitation.  They  could  receive  funds  deposited  at  a  legal  rate 
of  interest,  and  loan  them  out  on  short  paper,  secured  by  endorsers  or 
collaterals,  to  the  highest  bidder,  without  limit  of  premium.  The  pre- 
miums discounted  generally  ranged  from  one  to  two  per  cent,  a  month, 
and  in  some  cases  higher,  owing  to  the  necessities  of  borrowing  stock- 
holders to  meet  their  monthly  dues. 

The  machines,  at  the  outset,  worked  smoothly.  There  was  a  phrenzy 
of  money  making  sentiment  in  their  favor  which  silenced  criticism,  and 
put  down  all  opposition.  Series  after  series  of  stock  were  taken  up. 
First  series  shares  soon  rose,  not  in  value,  but  in  estimation,  based  on 
apparent  profits,  to  double  the  investments  paid  in.  Men  more  far-seeing 
than  avaricious  began  to  sell  their  shares  to  their  more  sanguine  associates  ; 
but  still,  little  of  friction  was  manifest.  Borrowers  still  contrived,  by  hook 
or  by  crook,  to  pay  up  their  monthly  dues.  This  went  on  for  two  or 
three  years  before  serious  discontent  became  manifest.  Some  of  the  bor- 
rowers, to  be  sure,  had  already  been  driven  to  a  forfeiture  of  their  stock 
and  a  loss  of  what  they  had  paid  in,  but  their  associates  were  slow  to  per- 
ceive that  the  same  fate  awaited  their  own  ventures.  At  length  discontent 
and  alarm  became  general.  Large  numbers  of  borrowers  ceased  to  pay 
their  monthly  dues,  and  defied  the  companies  to  collect  them.  Fore- 
closures were  resorted  to  by  the  companies,  and  on  trial  of  these  the  de- 
fendants raised  questions  as  to  the  legality  of  the  loans.  The  courts,  im- 
pressed with  the  magnitude  of  the  interests,  and  the  nicety  of  the  legal 
questions  involved,  were  slow  to  decide,  but  finally  sustained  the  legality 
of  the  loans ;  and  the  legislature  passed  an  act  affirming  past  illegal  con- 
tracts, and  limiting  the  extent  of  usurious  robbery  thereafter  to  an  equiva- 
lent of  twelve  per  cent. 


448  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

By  this  time,  the  associates,  much  reduced  in  numbers,  were  ranged  in 
two  well-defined  antagonistic  classes,  the  rich  speculators,  who  had  retained 
their  original  stock,  and  bought  in  the  stock  of  many  of  the  smaller  non- 
borrowing  associates,  and  the  rebellious  borrowers  who  had  not  yet  been 
ground  to  powder.  There  was,  moreover,  a  small  class  of  borrowers  who 
heroically  continued  to  pay  their  monthly  dues.  One  after  another  of  the 
borrowers  made  the  best  terms  they  could  with  the  speculators  and  got  rid 
of  the  concern,  rather  than  waste  their  money  in  law  suits.  The  persis- 
tent rebels  were  foreclosed.  The  surrendered  and  foreclosed  homesteads 
were  sold  by  auction,  not  to  the  public  at  large,  but  within  the  ring  of 
surviving  associates.  The  prices  realized  in  these  sales  were  uniformly 
below  the  cost  of  the  buildings,  and  many  of  them  did  not  pay  half  the 
pledged  indebtedness ;  but  they  were  mainly  bid  off  by  parties  who  could 
hold  and  rent  them  until,  on  a  change  of  times,  they  could  sell  them  at  a 
large  advance  on  the  cost. 

The  legislature,  in  the  meantime,  had  set  about  amending  the  organic 
law  by  enacting  such  provisions  as  should,  at  the  outset,  have  pi*otected 
the  borrowers  from  the  cruel  extortions  to  which  they  were  subjected. 
One  of  these  provided  that,  in  the  future,  no  association  should  be  formed 
unless  all  the  stock  should  be  owned  and  held  by  borrowers  to  an  amount 
equal  to  their  stock  when  fully  paid  in.  Another  act,  in  1868,  subjected 
the  association  to  the  scrutiny  and  supervision  of  the  bank  commissioners, 
and  utterly  abolished  the  system  of  bonuses  on  loans,  and  provided  for  an 
equitable  liquidation  of  claims,  and  a  winding  up  of  such  associations  as 
were  played  out,  and  prohibited  the  formation  of  new  ones  under  the  law 
of  1850. 

Some  of  the  associations  had  a  tenacity  of  life  and  sharp  practice  which 
defied  extinguishment  by  previous  enactments.  These,  by  a  law  of 
that  year,  were  required  to  pay  into  the  state  treasury  one-fourth  of  one 
per  cent,  annually  on  their  stocks  and  deposits;  and  by  a  law  of  18G0 
they  were  prohibited  from  receiving  deposits  after  1861. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  operations  and  results  of  these  associa- 
tions elsewhere  —  in  Winsted  they  wrere  oppressive  and  disastrous.  The 
rich  were  made  richer  and  the  poor  were  made  poorer.  More  than  a 
hundred  ill-contrived  and  poorly  built  dwellings  were  erected,  in  whole  or 
in  part,  by  means  of  funds  from  these  associations,  very  few  of  which  re- 
main in  the  hands  of  the  builders.  Our  two  associations,  so  rich  in 
promise,  and  so  baleful  in  performance,  breathed  their  last  contempora- 
neously about  1860. 

The  following  new  streets,  in  addition  to  those  already  referred  to, 
were  laid  out  and  accepted  at  the  dates  specified : — 

Meadow  street,  from  Lake  to  Main  street,  was  laid  out  in  1850,  and 
accepted  by  the  town  in  1851. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  449 

The  west  part  of  Willow  street,  which  originally  ran  over  the  site  of 
the  Naugatuck  passenger  depot,  was  moved  to  its  present  line  in  1849, 
and  the  three  houses  then  standing  on  its  south  side  were  moved  to  the 
bank  of  the  river. 

Bridge  street  was  laid  out  aud  accepted  in  1856,  and  Elm  street  was 
extended  northerly  along  the  west  border  of  the  agricultural  park  the 
same  year. 

Center  street  and  Case  avenue  were  accepted  in  June,  1853. 

Spring  street,  from  Prospect  street  west  to  the  residence  of  Mrs. 
Ellen  A.  Phillips,  and  the  part  of  Rockwell  street  running  thence  south 
east  to  Pratt  street,  were  accepted  in  October,  1853,  but  the  latter  had 
been  graded  and  built  on  some  two  years  earlier.  The  northerly  section 
of  Rockwell  street,  extending  to  Lake  street,  was  graded  and  accepted 
in  1856.  Each  of  these  three  highways,  and  the  working  of  them,  was 
granted  to  the  town  without  claim  for  compensation. 

Union  street  was  opened  and  accepted  as  a  highway  in  July,  1854. 

The  part  of  the  new  road  from  Winsted  to  Riverton,  starting  from 
near  the  east  abutment  of  the  Daniel  B.  Wilson  bridge  over  Still  River, 
and  running  northeasterly  to  Barkhamsted  line,  was  laid  out  and  accepted 
in  August,  1858. 

North  Main  street  originally  ran  north  and  south  through  the  center 
of  the  public  green  or  parade  ground  in  the  east  village.  Preparatory  to 
enclosing  this  ground  as  a  park,  the  two  streets  now  bordering  the 
enclosure  on  the  east  and  west  sides  were  laid  out  and  accepted  by  the 
town  in  1858,  and  at  the  same  time  the  central  highway  was  discon- 
tinued. The  area  was  enclosed  and  graded,  and  the  trees  and  ever- 
greens set  out  soon  afterwards  by  voluntary  subscriptions  of  citizens 
residing  in  the  vicin:+y. 


57 


450 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


We  compile  from  the  assessment  list  of  1840  the  items  and  amount  of 
taxable  property,  and  amount  thereof  in  the  Society  of  Winsted,  as 
follows : — 


No. 

Real  Estate. 

Valuation. 

176 

Dwelling  houses, 

$79,850 

At  3  per  cent. 

8,168 

Acres  land, 

127,026 

19 

Factories,         .... 

24,500 

7 

Stores,         .... 

3,600 

4 

Mills, 

Personal  Estate. 

3,425 

$238,401 
At  6  per  cent. 

$        752.03 

838 

Neat  cattle, 

11,392 

104 

Horses,    ..... 

4,869 

509 

Sheep,         .        •        .        . 

509 

4 

Carriages,         .... 

325 

199 

Clocks  and  watches,    . 
Silver  plate,      .... 
Money  at  interest, 
Bank  stock,      ... 

1,137 

50 

14,053 

2,500 

Turnpike  stock, . 

400 

$35,235 

2,514.10 

Assessments  of  business, 

247.00 

152 

Polls, 

3,040.00 

$12,553.13 

Deduct  for  indebtedness, . 

407.67 

$12,145.46 

CHAPTER   XXXII. 

From  1851  to  1861. 


1851. 


Prior  to  1851  only  three  churches  existed  in  Winsted  :  the  First  Con- 
gregational, the  Methodist,  and  the  Episcopal.  The  Congregational  house 
was  located  in  the  East  Village,  and  was  attended  by  members  from  all 
sections  of  the  society.  The  Methodist  house  was  located  in  the  West 
Village,  and  was  mainly  attended  by  residents  in  the  West  section. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  1853,  a  meeting  was  called  to  consult  in  reference 
to  the  organization  of  a  second  Congregational  church  and  society  to  be 
located  in  the  West  Village,  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  investigate 
the  subject,  and  report  to  an  adjourned  meeting  on  the  21st.  The  com- 
mittee reported  on  the  27th  that  the  large  increase  of  population,  and  the 
prospect  of  a  more  rapid  accession  in  the  future,  rendered  an  increase  of 
religious  privileges  and  accommodations  indispensable  to  the  well-being  of 
the  community ;  and  recommended  an  early  organization  of  an  Ecclesias- 
tical society,  and  the  location  and  building  of  a  house  of  worship ;  and 
thereupon  a  society  was  duly  organized  under  the  corporate  name  of  "  The 
Second  Congregational  Society  of  Winsted."  The  original  corporators 
were :  James  Humphrey,  Timothy  Hulbert,  Phelps  H.  Parsons,  James 
Cone,  John  Cone,  Elizur  B.  Parsons,  William  S.  Phillips,  and  Joel  G. 
Griswold,  not  belonging  to  the  first  society,  to  whom  were  added,  by  cer- 
tificate of  withdrawal  from  the  first  society,  John  Boyd,  John  Hinsdale, 
Moses  Camp,  Wm.  F.  Hatch,  Sherman  T.  Cooke,  Geo.  Dudley,  Caleb  J. 
Camp,  James  R.  Alvord,  John  AV.  Bid  well,  John  T.  Rockwell,  Abram  G. 
Kellogg,  James  Welch,  Elliot  Beardsley,  James  C.  Smith,  Charles  C. 
Spencer,  Joel  J.  Wilcox,  Lyman  Baldwin,  Jenison  J.  Whiting,  and  James 
Birdsall. 

The  church  with  which  the  society  was  connected  was  made  up  mainly 
of  members  of  the  First  Congregational  Church  regularly  dismissed,  and 
was  organized  with  the  advice  of  a  council  of  neighboring  churches.    The 


452  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

first  religious  services  were  held  in  Camp's  hall  late  in  November,  1853, 
and  conducted  by  Rev.  C.  H.  A.  Bulckley,  of  New  York,  who  continued 
to  supply  the  pulpit  through  the  months  of  December  and  January  follow- 
ing. On  the  8th  of  February,  1854,  a  unanimous  call  of  the  church  and 
society  was  extended  to  him  to  become  the  pastor,  on  a  salary  of  one 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  which  was  accepted  on  the  second  of  April  follow- 
ing, and  he  was  soon  afterwards  installed  by  an  advisory  council  of  neigh- 
boring churches. 

The  religious  exercises  of  the  church  continued  to  be  held  in  Camp's 
hall  until  1857.  In  the  meantime,  the  building  of  a  church  edifice  was 
delayed  by  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  an  eligible  lot  on  which  to  erect  it, 
until  March,  1856,  when  the  site  of  the  present  house  was  purchased,  on 
which  the  house  was  built  during  the  year  following,  and  was  dedicated 
September  16th,  1857. 

Mr.  Bulckley  continued  his  pastorate  of  the  church  until  May  7,  1859, 
when  his  resignation  was  accepted.  During  the  same  year  the  chapel 
immediately  north  of  the  church  edifice  was  raised  and  covered  in.  Early 
in  February,  1860,  the  steeple  of  the  church  was  blown  down,  and  nearly 
half  of  the  roof  was  crushed  in  by  its  fall.  It  was  rebuilt  and  the  chapel 
finished  the  following  season  at  a  cost  of  five  thousand  dollars,  which, 
when  added  to  the  previous  cost  of  the  buildings  and  ground,  made  up  the 
sum  of  about  twenty  thousand  dollars.  As  a  token  of  the  kindly  feeling 
subsisting  between  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  churches,  it  is  woi'thy 
of  note  that  immediately  after  the  disaster  above  mentioned  the  Methodist 
church  cordially  invited  its  unfortunate  sister  church  to  occupy  their  pul- 
pit with  its  minister,  either  one-half  of  each  Sabbath,  or  the  whole  of  each 
alternate  Sabbath,  until  its  repairs  should  be  completed.  The  First  Con- 
gregational church  in  the  East  Village  extended  a  similar  invitation. 
These  invitations  were  gratefully  acknowledged,  but  declined  in  order  that 
the  Sabbath-school  of  the  church  might  be  kept  up  by  meeting  for  wor- 
ship in  the  old  quarters  at  Camp's  Hall. 

In  August,  1860,  the  church  and  society  extended  a  call  to  Rev.  Arthur 
T.  Pierson  to  become  their  pastor,  which  was  declined.  On  the  7th  of 
September  following  an  unanimous  call  of  the  church  and  society  was  ex- 
tended to  Rev.  Hiram  Eddy,  which  was  accepted  by  him  on  Nov.  6,  I860? 
and  he  was  soon  afterwards  installed.  The  repairs  of  the  church  were 
completed  so  as  to  re-open  the  services  there  early  in  January,  1861. 
Rev.  Mr.  Eddy  having  received  from  Governor  Buckingham  the  appoint- 
ment of  Chaplain  of  the  Second  Regiment  Connecticut  Infantry,  applied 
on  June  16,  1861,  for  leave  of  absence  for  two  months,  which  was 
granted,  and  provision  made  for  the  supply  of  his  pulpit.  He  was  taken 
prisoner  by  the  rebels  on  the  retreat  from  Bull  Run,  and  went  the  round 
of  rebel  prisons,  from  Richmond  to  Columbia,  S.  C,  thence  to  Charleston 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  453 

and  back  to  Salisbury.  N.  C.,  where  he  was  exchanged,  after  an  imprison- 
ment and  the  crudest  treatment  for  fourteen  months,  when  he  returned 
and  resumed  his  parochial  duties.  In  1864  the  organ  now  in  use  was 
purchased  by  individual  subscriptions  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  1865,  Mr.  Eddy's  resignation  was  presented  to 
the  church  and  society  and  accepted.  On  the  16th  of  May,  1866,  Rev. 
Charles  Wetherby,  of  North  Cornwall,  was  called  to  the  pastorate  on  a 
salary  of  $1500,  and  a  free  parsonage,  which  he  accepted,  and  was  in- 
stalled soon  afterward.  He  continued  his  pastorate  until  October  9,  1871, 
when  he  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request. 

On  the  organization  of  the  Second  Congregational  church  in  1853, 
Rev.  Ira  Pettibone,  who  had  succeeded  the  Rev.  James  Beach  in  the  pas- 
torate of  the  First  Congregational  church,  tendered  his  resignation,  which 
was  accepted,  and  the  Rev.  II.  A.  Russell,  a  licentiate  from  the  Yale  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  was  called  to  fill  his  place,  Feb.  11,  1854,  and  was  soon 
afterwards  ordained.  He  was  dismissed  Aug.  28,  1858,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  James  B.  Pierson,  who  was  called  Dec.  30,  1859,  and 
dismissed  March  11,  1862,  after  which  Rev.  M.  McG.  Dana,  a  licentiate 
of  Union  Theological  Seminary,  supplied  the  pulpit  about  two  years,  until 
his  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Congregational  church  in  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  in  December,  1864.  The  pulpit  was  supplied  for  several 
months  by  Rev.  L.  M.  Dorman,  afterwards  settled  at  Manchester,  then 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Page  from  Durham,  for  about  one  year.  Rev.  J.  B.  R. 
Walker,  then  recently  from  Holyoke,  Mass.,  supplied  the  pulpit  from 
March,  1867,  to  April,  1869,  and  was  succeeded,  as  a  supply,  by  Rev.  H. 
E.  Cooky,  from  April,  1869,  to  April,  1870.  Rev.  Thomas  M.  Miles,  the 
present  pastor,  on  a  unanimous  call  of  the  church  and  society,  was  in- 
stalled on  the  10th  of  November,  1870. 

The  two  sections  of  Winsted  having  become  united  in  one  continuous 
village  of  as  compact  form  as  the  conformation  of  the  land  would  admit, 
many  questions  of  police  arose  which  could  not  be  satisfactorily  set- 
tled by  the  town  authorities.  Street  lines  needed  regulating  and  a  system 
of  sidewalks  to  be  established.  Fire  regulations  were  indispensable,  and 
connected  with  them,  a  water  supply  and  fire  companies.  Municipal  reg- 
ulations not  required  for  town  governments  were  needed. 

An  application  for  a  borough  charter  was  made  to  the  Assembly  in 
1858,  which  was  granted  in  June  of  that  year,  by  which  the  defunct  bor- 
ough charter  of  Clifton,  covering  only  the  West  section  of  the  village, 
was  repealed,  and  more  enlarged  powers  conferred  on  the  new  body,  which 
was  organized  by  an  election  of  the.  following  officers  on  the  second  day 
of  August  of  the  same  year : 


454  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

WILLIAM  H.  PHELPS,  Warden. 

Rollin  L.  Beecher, 
Edward  Camp, 
John  T.  Rockwell, 
Charles  Cook, 
Charles  B.  Weed, 
John  G.  Wetmore, 


)■  Burgesses. 


John  Hinsdale,  Treasurer. 
Caleb  P.  Newman,  Bailiff'. 

The  attention  of  the  Warden  and  Burgesses  was  first  directed  to  the 
improvement  of  streets,  and  the  laying  out  and  construction  of  sidewalks. 
A  careful  survey  and  plan  of  all  the  streets  within  the  borough,  as  they 
then  existed,  was  made,  and  sidewalks  were  ordered  to  be  graded  where 
immediately  required. 

One  of  the  earliest  improvements  ordered  by  the  borough  authorities 
was  the  closing  of  the  road  through  the  centre  of  the  East  Village  Green 
and  opening  parallel  streets  on  the  east  and  west  sides  thereof,  as  already 
described.  The  intervening  area  was  graded,  enclosed  with  a  stone  and 
iron  railing,  and  planted  with  maples,  elms,  and  evergreens  by  private 
subscriptions  at  an  expense  of  about  two  thousand  dollars,  receiving  the 
corporate  name  of  "  Park  Place." 

The  first  sidewalk  surveyed  was  along  the  north  and  east  side  of  Main 
street,  from  the  corner  of  Main  and  North  Main  streets  westerly  and 
northerly  to  corner  of  Main  and  Spencer  streets,  a  distance  of  one  mile 
and  twenty  rods,  which  was  ordered  to  be  graded  and  rounded  to  a  width 
of  fiye  feet.  The  portion  of  this  walk  east  of  Chestnut  street  was  origi- 
nally planked,  and  the  remaining  portion  was  flagged  with  North  River 
stone.  The  portion  originally  planked  was,  at  a  later  period,  flagged  with 
concrete.  A  plank  walk  was  early  ordered  on  the  east  side  of  North 
Main  street,  which,  after  a  few  years,  was  replaced  by  a  concrete  walk 
extending  northward  to  the  borough  line.  Another  plank  walk  was  laid 
on  Main  street  from  the  corner  of  Spencer  street  to  Dudley's  tannery,  of 
which  the  portions  on  the  east  side  have  been  replaced  by  concrete.  The 
flagged  and  concrete  walks  of  the  borough  are  believed  to  exceed  a  length 
of  three  miles,  and  are  mainly  from  five  to  six  feet  wide,  and  in  excellent 
condition. 

The  organization  of  a  fire  department  was  delayed  by  reason  of  a 
general  desire  to  obtain  a  supply  of  water  for  its  use,  by  means  of  an 
aqueduct  from  the  lake,  distributing  water  to  all  parts  of  the  borough. 
On  the  30th  of  August,  1858,  the  warden  and  burgesses  were  instructed 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  455 

"to  ascertain  whether  the  borough  has  a  right  to  draw  water  from  Long 
Lake ;  whether  the  amount  taken  through  a  six-inch  pipe  would  be 
prejudicial  to  the  manufacturing  interests  of  the  borough,  and  if  it  proba- 
bly would  be  so  prejudicial,  whether  a  reservoir  of  sufficient  capacity 
to  meet  the  wants  of  the  borough  might  not  be  constantly  filled  by  the 
waste  water  of  the  lake."  On  the  19th  of  August,  1859,  on  report  of  a 
committee  of  the  warden  and  burgesses,  a  petition  was  brought  to  the 
assembly  of  1860  for  power  to  draw  water  from  the  lake  on  such  terms 
and  under  such  limitations  as  should  be  prescribed. 

The  Assembly,  at  its  May  Session  in  1860,  granted  power  to  the 
warden  and  burgesses  to  take  water  from  Long  Lake  or  the  Little  Pond 
for  fireand  other  purposes,  and  to  raise  the  surface  of  the  water  in  said 
lake  or  pond  not  exceeding  four  feet  above  the  then  existing  high  water 
mark,  by  suitable  embankments  where  necessary,  and  such  water  to 
distribute  by  aqueducts,  &c.,  throughout  the  borough  for  all  purposes, 
with  a  proviso  that  the  water  should  be  so  taken  and  distributed  for  fire 
purposes  only,  until  the  lake  embankment  should  be  made  sufficiently 
high  to  raise  the  water  of  the  lake  at  least  three  feet  above  the  then 
existing  waste-weir  near  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  nor  until  the  water  shall 
have  risen  two  feet  above  said  waste-weir,  and  that  the  person  controlling 
the  outflow  of  water  for  manufacturing  purposes  shall  not  permit  the 
water  to  be  wasted  thereafter  in  greater  quantity  than  theretofore.  Pro- 
vision was  also  made  for  the  appointment  of  water  commissioners,  with 
requisite  powers  to  secure  the  right  of  flowage  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake  ;  to  construct  the  necessary  embankments,  to  lay  and  construct  all 
necessary  pipes  and  aqueducts,  to  regulate  the  distribution  and  use  of  the 
water,  and  establish  and  collect  water  rents  therefor.  The  borough  was 
authorized  to  raise  by  permanent  loan  a  sum  not  exceeding  $25,000,  at 
six  per  cent,  interest,  to  be  applied  to  the  cost  and  expenses  of  construc- 
tion of  the  said  water  works,  and  for  no  other  purpose  whatever. 

The  powers  granted  as  above  by  the  assembly  were  accepted  in  a 
borough'  meeting,  on  the  1st  of  August,  I860,  by  a  vote  of  217  for,  and 
68  against  the  acceptance,  and  three  water  commissioners  were  appointed, 
who  at  once  proceeded  to  carry  out  the  necessary  measures  contemplated 
in  their  appointment.  An  imperfect  embankment  at  the  outlet  of  the 
lake  was  so  far  completed  during  the  season,  that  on  the  13th  of  March, 
1861,  a  rise  of  water  to  twenty-four  and  a  half  inches  above  the  previous 
high-water  mark  was  duly  certified.  During  the  following  three  months 
the  rise  attained  a  level  of  fully  four  feet  above  the  old  high  water  mark, 
and  so  overflowed  the  frail  embankment  as  imminently  to  threaten  its 
destruction,  and  the  consequent  deluge  of  a  large  portion  of  the  village. 
During;   the    summer   and    fall   the   embankment   was    remodeled   and 


456  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

thoroughly  perfected,  so  that  no  danger  of  a  crevasse  has  since  been 
apprehended.  The  height  of  reserve  water  on  the  lake,  when  full,  is 
about  ten  feet  above  the  bottom  of  the  gates  through  which  it  is  drawn 
for  manufacturing  purposes. 

During  the  making  of  the  original  embankment  in  1860,  a  main  pipe 
of  sheet  iron,  lined  within  and  without  with  water  cement,  having  an 
interior  diameter  of  nine  inches,  was  carried  from  the  lake,  under  Lake 
street,  and  thence  under  Main  street ;  from  the  corner  of  Spencer  street 
in  a  six-inch  pijDe  of  same  materials,  to  the  corner  of  North  Main  street* 
and  thence  in  a  four  inch  pipe  under  North  Main  street  to  the  corner  of 
Wallen  street,  and  from  Lake  street  through  Meadow  street.  In  1864 
pipes  were  laid  under  Prospect  street,  and  extensions  made  in  other 
directions.  Branches  have  been  since  laid  from  year  to  year,  until 
nearly  every  street  in  the  borough,  sufficiently  below  the  level  of  the 
lake,  is  now  (1872)  supplied  with  water  for  fire  and  family  purposes,  the 
whole  length  of  pipe  of  all  sizes  amounting  to  about  six  and  a  half  miles. 
The  surface  elevation  of  the  lake  is  about  150  feet  above  the  corner  of 
Lake  and  Main  streets,  and  over  200  feet  above  the  terminus  of  pipe 
under  North  Main  street.  Experience  has  proved  that  with  the  free  — 
not  to  say  wasteful  —  use  of  the  water  thus  far  permitted,  the  size  of  the 
main  pipe  has  become  insufficient  for  fire  purposes  in  the  remote  parts  of 
the  borough,  and  that  the  sheet  iron  and  cement  pipes  are  insufficient  to 
sustain  the  pressui'e.  This  has  become  so  apparent  that  measures  have 
already  been  adopted,  and  partially  carried  out,  for  substituting  a  twelve- 
inch  cast  iron  pipe  from  the  Lake  to  Main  street,  with  the  expectation 
of  being  obliged,  at  no  distant  period,  to  substitute  enlarged  pipes  of  cast 
iron  throughout  the  borough. 

In  November,  1862,  the  Fire  Department  was  organized  by  dividing  the 
borough  into  four  fire  districts,  to  be  under  the  control  of  a  fire  warden, 
and  an  assistant  fire  warden,  in  each  district,  each  district  to  be  furnished 
with  a  hose  cart,  supplied  with  not  less  than  300  feet  of  hose,  and  other 
necessary  apparatus,  to  be  worked  by  a  volunteer  fire  company  of  ten  or 
more  members.  For  the  streets  of  the  borough  not  supplied  with  avail- 
able water,  which  could  be  thrown  upon  its  buildings  directly  from  the 
hydrants,  only  one  fire  engine  has  been  provided,  and  this  is  rarely  used. 

In  1864  the  assembly  authorized  the  establishment  of  a  police  court, 
with  power  to  determine  all  cases  for  violation  of  the  by-laws  or  ordinances 
of  the  borough,  and  also  to  have  the  same  powers  and  privileges  within 
the  borough  as  are  exercised  by  justices  of  the  peace  within  the  town, 
and  during  the  same  or  following  year,  a  borough  building,  with  a  lockup 
in  the  basement,  and  accommodations  for  borough  meetings  and  police 
courts,  was  erected  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Bridge  streets. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  457 

The  Winsted  Gas  Company,  a  private  enterprise,  was  organized  in 
1861,  with  a  capital  inadequate  to  its  successful  operation  and  extension. 
Its  operations  are  confined  to  the  portion  of  Main  street  west  of  Chestnut 
street.  The  company  greatly  needs  an  increase  of  capital,  and  an  entire 
renovation.  Its  entire  extinction,  and  the  organization  of  a  new  com- 
pany, with  greatly  enlarged  means  and  energetic  direction,  is  exceedingly 
desirable. 

The  following  manufacturing  enterprises  were  organized  or  enlarged 
during  this  decade  : — 

James  S.  and  John  T.  Rockwell  erected  the  tannery  on  Main  street, 
now  owned  by  John  T.  Rockwell,  in  1852. 

The  Eagle  Works,  a  joint-stock  company,  for  manufacturing  table 
cutlery,  erected  a  brick  factory  on  the  lake  stream  in  1852,  and  con- 
tinued its  operations  until  1856,  when  the  establishment  was  sold  to  Rice, 
Lathrop  &  Clary,  and  was  thereafter  operated  by  the  successive  firms  of 
Rice  &  Lathrop,  and  Lathrop  &  Barton.  The  original  building  was 
burned  down  in  1860,  and  two  wooden  factory  buildings  were  afterwards 
erected,  which  are  now  standing. 

The  brick  factory  on  Mad  River,  adjoining  Lake  street  bridge,  was 
erected  for  a  machine  shop  by  John  Boyd,  in  1853. 

The  Winsted  Auger  Co.,  a  joint-stock  corporation,  erected  a  factory  in 
1853,  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Coe  streets,  in  which  they  manufac- 
tured augers  until  1860,  when  it  was  sold  to  Rice  &  Lathrop,  soon  after 
which  it  was  burned  down  and  rebuilt.  It  is  now  operated  as  a  table 
cutlery  establishment  by  Wm.  P.  Lathrop. 

In  1852,  the  Cook  Axle  Company  erected  a  brick  factory  building  on 
the  site  of  the  old  Reuben  Cook  forge  in  the  east  village,  which  was 
operated  by  them  until  about  1864,  after  which  it  went  into  the  hands  of 
R.  Cook  &  Sons,  by  whom  it  has  since  been  carried  on. 

Benjamin  and  Edward  Woodall  erected,  about  1853,  a  factory  for 
making  steel  fire  irons,  on  the  site  of  Halsey  Burr's  abandoned  scythe 
works  on  North  Main  street,  which,  in  1854,  became  the  property  of 
"  The  Winsted  Shovel  and  Tongs  Company,"  a  short-lived  joint-stock 
association,  which  ceased  operations  about  1857. 

In  1854  The  Clifton  Lumber  Company  erected  the  factory  building 
nearly  opposite  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  depot  on  Willow  street,  now 
occupied  by  the  Winsted  Printing  Company,  which  was  operated  as  a 
planing  mill  and  sash  and  blind  factory,  and  propelled  by  the  first  steam 
engine  employed  in  the  borough.  The  business  not  proving  satisfactory, 
the  building  was  used  for  a  brief  period  by  the  American  Percussion 
Cap  Company,  and  in  1863  was  purchased  by  The  Borden  Condensed 
Milk  Company,  which  used  it  in  their  manufacturing  business  until  1866. 
58 


458  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

In  1859  the  Green  Wood  Agricultural  Park  Association  was  formed, 
and  during  the  next  year  purchased  the  land  for  its  park,  graded  the 
trolling  course,  and  erected  a  building  for  agricultural  exhibitions. 
Trotting  courses  were  then  at  the  spring  tide  of  popularity,  and  country 
agricultural  exhibitions  had  not  been  played  out.  More  than  one  hun- 
dred subscribers  from  wilhin  and  without  the  borough  took  stock  in  the 
concern, "many  of  them  believing  it  was  to  turn  out  a  profitable  invest- 
ment.    It  has  as  yet  made  no  dividends,  and  none  are  looked  for. 

The  Empire  Knife  Company  grew  out  of  a  small  pocket  cutlery 
concern,  established  by  Thompson  &  Gascoigne,  about  1853,  and  soon 
afterwards  transferred  to  Beardsley  &  Alvord,  who,  in  1856,  erected  the 
factory  buildings  at  the  lake  outlet,  enlarged  the  business,  and  placed 
it 'on  a  permanent  basis. 

Before  the  middle  of  this  decade  the  prosperity  of  Winsted  was  seri- 
ously retarded  by  one  of  the  periodical  revulsions  of  business  which 
follows  excessive  stimulation.  The  banks,  alarmed  by  their  over-issues, 
checked  the  high  speed  of  enterprise  by  a  sudden  application  of  the 
brakes,  which  prostrated  some  establishments  and  crippled  many  others, 
the  severest  calamities  falling  on  the  improvident  borrowers  from  the 
savings  and  building  associations,  who  were  largely  mechanics,  dependent 
on  daily  and  constant  wages  for  meeting  their  monthly  payments.  Build- 
ing of  new  houses  entirely  ceased,  and  large  numbers  of  those  already 
built  came  on  a  market  destitute  of  buyers  at  any  price.  Many  of  our 
worthy  mechanics  sought  in  other  places  and  in  other  pursuits  to  support 
their  families  and  retrieve  their  losses.  This  state  of  things  could  not- 
long  continue  in  a  community  blessed  with  the  recuperative  power  which 
has  sign-dly  characterized  our  business  interests.  The  lowest  point  of 
depression  had  been  reached,  and  signs  of  returning  prosperity  had 
become  apparent  in  1860. 

Notwithstanding  the  depression  referred  to,  the  proportional  increase 
of  population,  buildings,  manufactures,  banking  capital  and  moneyed 
investments  was  far  greater  than  in  any  preceding  decade.  The  opening 
of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  made  an  outlet  for  our  heavy  manufactured 
articles  never  before  enjoyed,  and  brought  in  a  large  number  of  new 
business  men.  The  trading  business  of  adjoining  towns  was  largely 
attracted  to  this  as  the  common  center.  Very  little  capital  was  brought 
in  from  abroad.  Its  rapid  accumulation  grew  out  of  the  profits  of  home 
business,  stimulated  by  improved  facilities. 

The  succeeding  decade,  though  showing  a  substantial  and  healthy 
growth,  will  not  exhibit  as  large  a  proportionate  increase,  owing  to 
exorbitant  freight  charges,  and  the  consequent  superior  facilities  for  the 
manufacture  of  hea\  y  goods  nearer  to  tide  water. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS. 


459 


We  compile  abstracts  of  taxable  property  and  polls  in  Winsted  on  the 
lis'.s  of  1850  and  I860,  as  follows: — 


1850. 

■  860. 

Items. 

No. 

Amount. 

No. 

Amount. 

Dwelling  houses, 

311 

$161,180 

494 

$504,330 

Acres  of  land, 

2,278 

180,103 

8,864 

188,880 

Mills,  stores,  and  factories, 

48 

66,320 

2 

196,505 

Horses,            .... 

177 

9,143 

192 

18,477 

Neat  cattle,           .... 

1,201 

15,397 

826 

18,519 

Sheep,  swine,  &c,   . 

0 

— 

294 

Coaches  and  carriages, 

5,389 

8,320 

Farming  utensils,  . 

2,957 

25 

Clocks  and  watches,    . 

899 

5,350 

Pianos  and  Melodeons,    . 

1,141 

5,927 

Household  furniture,  . 

57,810 

4.225 

Bank  and  insurance  stocks,     . 

79,07. J 

211,130 

Turnpike  stocks, 

— 

225 

Railroad  bonds, 

5,400 

19,250 

Investments  in  trade,  . 

24,450 

79,650 

"         in  manufactures,  . 

41,545 

142,545 

"         in  vessels, 

520 

200 

Money  at  interest,. . 

76,074 

107,192 

"       on  hand, .... 

— 

2,897 

Taxable  property,  . 

18,555 

825 

Taxable  polls,     .... 

383 

743 

The  population  of  the  town  had  increased  during  this  decade  from 
2,179  to  3,550,  and  Winchester  Society  having  continued  stationary,  at 
about  500,  the  increase  in  Winsted  was  1,371.  It  thus  appears  that  in 
taxable  property  and  population  Winsted  Society  had  more  than  doubled. 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION.— VOLUNTEERS  IN  THE  SERVICE.— CONTRIBUTIONS  OF 
MONEY  AND  SUPPLIES. 

1861    to    1871. 

"Proclaim  liberty  throughout  the  land  to  all  the  inhabitants. thereof" 
was  the  prophetic  inscription  on  the  bell  which,  on  the  fourth  of  July, 
1776,  announced  the  birth  of  our  nation.  Its  tones  were  freighted  with 
the  solemn  declaration  "that  all  men  are  created  equal,  and  endowed  by 
their  Creator  with  the  inalienable  rights  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness."  On  this  fundamental  principle  our  forefathers,  appealing  to 
the  Supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  their  intentions, 
severed  their  connection  with  Britain,  and  fought  to  a  triumphant  end 
the  Revolutionary  War. 

On  the  return  of  peace,  a  more  perfect  union  of  the  states,  in  order  to 
secure  unity,  justice,  domestic  tranquility,  and  the  blessings  of  liberty, 
was  found  needful,  and  the  convention  of  1787  was  assembled.  A  con- 
stitution was  framed,  nearly  perfect  in  its  distribution  of  political  powers, 
but  marred  by  compromising  the  first  principle  of  the  declaration  of 
independence  —  the  principle  of  universal  liberty. 

The  bitter  fruits  of  this  compromise  could  not  then  be  foreseen.  Slave 
labor  was  then  unprofitable  in  most  of  the  states,  and  scarcely  remunera- 
tive in  any  of  them.  The  delusion  that  slavery,  let  alone,  would  die  a 
natural  death,  was  dotingly  cherished  as  an  opiate  to  tender  consciences, 
made  restive  by  this  first  desecration  of  the  "  Higher  Law  "  of  God  and 
humanity.  The  mill  of  the  gods  ground  slow,  and  was  unheeded.  The 
cotton  gin  was  invented.  The  foundations  of  slavery  were  strengthened 
and  enlarged.  When  it  demanded  an  extension  of  its  domain  over  the 
virgin  soil  of  Missouri,  before  consecrated  to  freedom  by  a  solemn  ordi- 
nance, conscience  was  aroused,  and  resistance  was  made.  The  nation 
was  convulsed  as  never  before.  The  struggle  was  fearful,  and  was 
quieted  by  another  unholy  compromise,  making  the  parallel  of  36°  30/ 
the  dividing  line  between  the  law  of  God  and  the  enactments  of  man. 

Again   all   was    peace    and   concord.      The    eloquent    statesman    of 
Kentucky  was  baptized  "  The  Great  Compromiser,"  and  gloried  in  the 


FAMILY  RECORDS.  461 

title.  One  senator  of  freedom-loving  Massachusetts  pronounced  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  "  a  string  of  glittering  generalities,"  and 
another  —  the  very  Jupiter  Tonans  of  the  North,  the  expounder  par 
excellence  of  the  constitution  —  eloquently  adjured  his  constituents  to 
conquer  their  prejudices  and  sustain  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law. 

The  mill  of  the  gods,  though  the  sound  of  its  grinding  had  grown 
nearly  inaudible,  still  ground  on. 

As  early  as  1830  voices  crying  here  and  there  in  the  wilderness  began 
to  be  heard  protesting  against  the  abominations  of  slavery  aud  the  sub- 
serviency in  the  North  to  the  behests  of  slave  owners.  Such  utterances 
were  denounced  by  the  pulpit,  the  press,  and  the  pot-house ;  yet  they 
found  a  lodgment  in  many  thoughtful  minds  and  tender  consciences. 
The  press  began  to  teem  with  anti-slavery  publications,  and  petitions  for 
the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  district  of  Columbia  flowed  into  Congress. 
Joshua  R.  Giddings  dared  to  advocate  them  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives, 
and  old  John  Quincy  Adams  bravely  sustained  him.  The  South  impe- 
riously demanded  that  free  speech  and  a  free  press  should  be  put  down, 
and  the  right  of  petition  withheld.  The  northern  pulpit  uttered  an 
uncertain  sound.  Orviile  Dewey,  President  Lord,  and  the  Princeton 
Divines  upheld  the  institution  as  not  only  patriarchal  but  divine.  Castle 
Garden,  backed  by  the  mercantile  community  of  New  York,  proscribed 
every  trader  who  refused  to  sell  his  principles  with  his  goods.  Garrison 
was  dragged  through  the  streets  of  Baltimore  and  Boston  with  a  halter 
around  his  neck.  Lovejoy  was  shot  down  while  defending  his  free  press 
in  Illinois ;  Sumner  was  brutally  knocked  down  in  the  senate  chamber, 
and  old  John  Brown  was  hung  in  Virginia.  The  mill  of  the  gods  ground 
on  with  accelerating  motion  and  fearful  power.  Lincoln  was  elected, 
and  Sumpter  bombarded. 

Our  last  decade  opens  with  this  consummated  crisis.  It  is  our  pur- 
pose not  to  dwell  on  the  grand  national  results  achieved,  but  to  detail  the 
humble  though  creditable  contribution  of  moral  force,  men  and  means, 
made  by  this  town  to  the  common  cause,  and  to  commemorate  the  ser- 
vices of  our  noble  boys  who  responded  to  their  country's  call  and  fought 
her  battles. 

Anti-slavery  sentiment  had  become  more  pervasive  and  incisive  in  our 
town  than  in  any  other  in  Western  Connecticut  before  the  outbreak  of 
the  rebellion.  At  the  organization  of  the  Free  Soil  Party  it  commanded 
a  decided  plurality  of  all  the  votes  in  the  town,  but  the  unwise  nomina- 
tion of  Van  Buren  for  President  paralyzed  its  power  as  a  political 
organization.  Large  numbers,  thoroughly  imbued  with  anti-slavery 
sentiments,  would  not  fight  under  such  a  vulpine  leader.  They  fell  back, 
mainly  into  the  Whig  party,  and  infused  into  it  all  the  vitality  that  sur- 


462  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

vived  its  dead  issues.  The  party  died,  and  its  free  soil  element  formed 
the  germ -of  the  Republican  organization.  There  was  also  an  infusion  of 
free  soil  sentiment  in  the  Democratic  party,  surviving  the  Van  Buren 
fiasco,  which  fused  with  the  Republican  element,  and  consolidated  the 
party  that  carried  us  safely  through  the  mightiest  civil  convulsion 
recorded  in  history. 

The  bombardment  of  Sumpter  flew  over  the  telegraph  wires  on  Saturday, 
April  4,  1861,  and  electrified  the  country  to  a  degree  not  exceeded  by  the 
news  of  Bunker  Hill.  A  nation  educated  for  more  than  half  a  century  to 
peace  secured  by  successive  compromises  of  moral  principle,  and  so  pro- 
ficient in  this  teaching  tha;  the  announcement  of  a  Higher  Law  than  the 
Constitution  by  a  New  York  senator  was  denounced  as  traitorous  by  many 
of  his  compeers ;  a  nation  which'  had  long  worshipped  inoney-bafjs  as  its 
gods,  and  served  cotton  as  its  king — was  suddenly  called  to  face  the  alter- 
native of  relentless  slave  domination  for  all  future  time  or  a  war  without 
parallel  in  the  world's  annals. 

On  Sunday  the  5th,  while  yet  the  smoke  of  battle  hung  over  Charleston 
Harbor,  humble  prayer  was  ascending  to  the  God  of  Battles  from  a 
thousand  sanctuaries  throughout  the  Northern  and  Eastern  states.  Divine 
guidance  was  implored  and  granted.  Patriotism,  long  dormant  and  seem- 
ingly dead,  was  revived  and  brought  into  vigorous  power,  as  if  by  inspi- 
ration. The  news  was  communicated  to  Rev.  Mr.  Eddy  while  finishing 
his  sermon  for  the  day.  A  new  text  was  selected  and  a  new  sermon 
blocked  out  under  the  inspiration  of  the  event,  which  electrified  his 
hearers,  and  raised  them  to  the  plane  of  his  own  patriot  ardor.  The 
same  spirit  pervaded  the  other  ministers  and  congregations.  The  key  note 
was  struck  and  the  community  marched  to  the  inspiring  music.  A  citi- 
zens' meeting  was  notified  from  the  pulpits  of  three  of  our  churches  for 
that  evening.  The  meeting  was  held  in  our  largest  hall,  which  was 
crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity.  Party  prejudices  were  dissipated;  treas- 
onable utterances  were  silenced ;  factious  pretences  were  scattered  to  the 
winds.  The  fog  of  disloyalty  rose  with  the  smoke  over  Charleston  Har- 
bor, disclosing  as  clear  a  sky  and  as  pure  an  atmosphere  as  was  breathed 
by  our  Revolutionary  fathers.  The  following  address  to  Governor  Buck- 
ingham was  drafted,  and  immediately  signed  by  nearly  two  hundred  citizens. 

"  To  His  Excellency,  Wm.  A.  Buckingham,  Governor  of  the  State  of 

Connecticut : 

Sir  :  Inasmuch  as  a  spirit  of  unbridled  license  and  treasonable  disloy- 
alty at  the  South,  under  a  governmental  policy  too  mild  and  passive,  has 
now  ripened  into  open  rebellion  threatening  the  dismemberment  of  the 
republic,  and  immediate  and  utter  failure  of  the  great  American  experi- 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  463 

ment  of  a  people  ruling  itself — and  inasmuch  as  events  now  transpiring  in 
Charleston  Harbor  render  it  evident  that  the  general  government  has 
entered  upon  a  contest  requiring  the  spontaneous  and  cordial  co-operation 
of  all  loyal  states  and  citizens, — 

Therefore,  we,  the  undersigned,  feeling  that  Connecticut  is  called  upon, 
now  and  at  once,  to  proffer  its  aid  to  the  General  Government  in  defence 
of  the  Union,  the  Constitution  and  Laws,  respectfully  request  Governor 
Buckingham  to  adopt  such  measures  as  shall  afford  this  state  an  opportu- 
nity to  place  her  resources  at  the  disposal  of  the  General  Government." 

The  call  of  Lincoln  for  volunteers  speedily  followed,  and  was  promptly 
responded  to.*  Enlistment  papers  were  prepared  and  presented  at  a  pub- 
lic meeting.  Samuel  B.  Home,  an  unassuming  boy  of  scarce  eighteen 
years,  and  in  reduced  circumstances,  was  the  first  to  come  forward  and 
enroll  his  name.  He  served  out  his  three  months'  term,  and  in  October 
of  the  same  year  enlisted  as  a  private  in  company  E,  Eleventh  Infantry 
Volunteers;  was  chosen  a  sergeant,  and  rose  by  promotion  to  fir.-t  lieu- 
tenant and  captain;  was  in  twenty-five  battles  and  skirmishes  —  was  three 
times  wounded  ;  and  at  the  end  of  his  three  years  term  served  as  Provost 
Marshal  of  the  Eighteenth  Army  Corps  to  the  end  of  the  war.  On  re- 
tiring from  the  service,  he  studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Litch- 
field county  and  is  now  a  practising  lawyer  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan. 

The  following  other  Winchester  recruits  enrolled  themselves  in  the  squad 
that  formed  the  nucleus  of  Infantry  Coinp.my  B,  first  organized  in  this 
town : — 

Abram  G.  Kellogg,  Caleb  P.  Newman,  Francis  T.  Brown,  Mason 
Atkins,  Daniel  Bellows,  George  Bellows,  Jr.,  Henry  Bradley,  Frederick 
W.  Daniels,  Edward  E.  Day,  Charles  O.  Dennen,  Robert  Dempsey, 
Fernando  Gale,  Westley  Gale,  Dennis  Glynn,  Charles  Harris,  Samuel 
B.  Home,  George  L.  Leonard,  James  McCauley,  Charles  C.  Potter, 
Charles  Presber,  Henry  Roberts,  William  H.  Strong,  Joel  G.  Thorpe, 
Charles  Vogel,  Hubert  A.  Warner,  and  Henry  Williams. 

Two  other  squads  of  recruits  having  been  now  enrolled  in  New  Hart- 
ford and  Canton,  together  with  six  individuals  from  Norfolk,  two  from 
Barkhamsted,  and  one  each  from  Colebrook,  Salisbury,  Woodbury,  and 
Harwinton ;  they  were  all  united  with  the  Winchester  squad,  as  company 
B  of  the  Second  Infantry,  under  Abram  G.  Kellogg,  of  Winchester,  as 
Captain,  and  Charles  W.  Morse  and  Charles  Warren,  of  Ne.v  Hartford 
and  Canton,  as  lieutenants. 

We  copy  from  the  Winsied  Herald  of  April  26,  1861,  the  following 
account  of  the  departure  of  this  company. 

"On  Sabbath  (April  20,  1861)  the  company  attended  Mr.  Eddy's 
church,  where  a  powerful  discourse  was  preached  from  1st  Samuel  iv.  9. 
Orders  were  received  on  Sunday  evening,  instructing  the  company  to  pro- 


4(34  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

ceed  to  the  state  rendezvous  at  New  Haven  the  next  day.  We  must  be 
short  with  the  proceedings  of  Monday  —  the  suspension  of  business,  the 
thronged  streets,  the  banners  and  the  martial  strains,  the  procession  of 
adventurous  and  patriotic  youth  through  our  streets  to  the  depot  —  that 
prayer  from  the  platform  of  the  station,  listened  to  as  was  never  a  prayer 
listened  to  before  by  this  generation,  the  twice  a  thousand  faces  wet  with 
tears  which  the  manliest  sought  not  to  hide,  the  good-byes,  short,  but  too 
long  for  choking  voices  fully  to  utter,  the  huzzas,  and  then  as  the  train 
wound  slowly  around  the  hill,  the  oppressive  stillness,  broken  by  no  rude 
word,  but  only  sobs  and  low-toned  syllables  of  consolation.  There  were 
whole  chapters  in  these  scenes,  but  we  pass  them.  Every  hamlet  in  the 
whole  North,  from  Maine's  wilderness  to  the  Western  Desert,  is  witness 
of  the  same.  Northern  blood  is  up,  and  history,  faster  than  pen  can  write, 
is  making." 

"  The  trip  of  this  company  to  New  Haven,"  adds  the  Herald,  "  was  not 
calculated  to  dispirit  them.  Word  of  their  coming  had  gone  down  by  the 
morning  train,  and  receptions  the  most  enthusiastic  and  soul-stirring 
awaited  them  at  every  depot  on  the  route.  Bands  of  music  were  playing, 
salutes  firing,  banners  spanning  the  track,  wherever  the  train  halted. 
Patriotic  speeches  were  made  and  responded  to  at  the  principal  depots, 
and  the  whole  trip  was  attended  by  the  heartiest  manifestations  of  sym- 
pathetic patriotism.  At  Wolcottville  the  reception  was  specially  pleasing, 
and  a  banner  with  the  words  "  We  will  soon  follow  you,"  attested  the  fact 
that  her  young  men  will  not  allow  the  victory  to  be  won  without  assisting 
to  achieve  it.  The  boys  were  quartered  at  New  Haven  in  a  spacious 
hall  near  the  depot.  We  saw  them  safely  to  bed  and  tucked  in,  with  each 
his  mattress  and  blanket,  at  a  good  seasonable  hour  —  saw  the  ranks  num- 
bering ninety-seven  lusty  and  hearty  fellows  at  breakfast  next  morning, 
and  afterwards  on  para'de  in  front  of  the  state  house.  They  are  a  plucky 
crew,  and  if  ever  they  get  into  action  we  shall  be  willing  to  stake  the  rep- 
utation of  our  section  upon  their  good  behavior." 

The  spirit  of  enlistment  had  hardly  been  aroused  when  Company  B 
was  transferred  to  New  Haven.  Simultaneous  with  its  departure,  the 
enrollment  of  another  company  was  called  for  and  opened,  and  was  filled 
with  the  elite  of  our  young  men  in  a  single  week.  The  company  was 
organized  as  Rifle  Company  E,  2d  Connecticut  Infantry,  with  the  follow- 
ing rank  and  file: —  From  Winchester,  Captain  Sherman  T.  Cooke,  1st 
Lieutenant,  Wheelock  T.  Batcheller  ;  2d  Lieutenant,  Charles  E.  Palmer  ; 
1st  Sergeant,  Jeffrey  Skinner;  Sergeants,  James  N.  Coe,  Charles  L. 
Hosford,  Lucien  B.  Wheelock ;  Corporals,  George  L.  Andrews,  Alanson 
D.  Bunnell,  Edward  Didsbury,  Jacob  T.  Brown ;  musician,  Hicks 
Seaman  (?) ;  privates,  Antoine  Albert,  Hyppolite  Bluet,  Albert  M. 
Beach,    Edwin    Beach,    Ira    C.    Bailey,    Decius   C.    Bancroft,    Gustave 


AND  FAMILY  KECORDS.  465 

Bernhardt,  James  M.  Burton,  Victor  Claudet,  Chauncey  D.  Cleveland, 
Daniel  S.  Coe,  David  W.  Coe,  William  S.  Cooper,  Samuel  A. 
Cooper,  William  Couch,  Chauncey  S.  Crittenden,  John  M.  Dennan, 
James  Dennan,  Edgar  V.  Doughty,  Burton  B.  Evitts,  Philip  D.  Fisk, 
Daniel  Fitzpatrick,  Salmon  A.  Granger,  Leonard  S.  Harris,  William 
F.  Hatch,  Junior,  Nelson  Hodges,  William  S.  Holabird,  Benjamin  F. 
Hosford,  George  Hoskin,  Orson  Howard,  James  N.  Latham,  Frank 
B.  Marsh,  Lorenzo  Martin,  Alexander  McGuire,  Milton  T.  Moore, 
Augustus  Nevins,  Leander  Packard,  George  W.  Pendleton,  Charles  H. 
Pond,  Frederick  H.  Presber,  James  Price,  Hiram  C.  Roberts,  William 
E.  Snediker,  Orlo  S.  Smith,  Charles  EL  Stewart,  Plainer  S.  Sweet, 
George  M.  Van  Oustrom,  Herbert  L.  Veber,  Arthur  Wadsworth,  Joseph 
Watson,  Thomas  Welch,  John  P.  Wilbur,  Marcus  J.  Whitehead,  John 
Wheeler,  and  James  G.  Woodruff. 

The  following  members  of  this  company  came  from  adjoining  towns : — 
From  Norfolk,  Privates  Samuel  C.  Barnum,  Charles  N.  Decker,  George 
J.  Kermann,  Samuel  J.  Mills,  Calvin  N.  Sage,  and  John  M.  Walker. 
From  Torrington,  Privates  Henry  G.  Colt  and  George  M.  Evans. 
From  Mill  River,  Mass.,  Alonzo  H.  Conklin. 

Company  B  was  sent  into  camp  at  New  Haven  without  uniforms  or 
equipments,  and  was  the  last  company  of  the  regiment  uniformed  and 
equipped  before  being  mustered  into  the  United  States  service.  Our 
patriotic  male  and  female  citizens  determined  that  Company  E  should  be 
promptly  provided  for.  Cloth  and  trimmings  of  best  quality  were  pur- 
chased, and  measures  adopted  for  working  them  into  uniforms.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  materials  the  master  tailors  of  the  town  volunteered  their 
aid  in  cutting  and  superintending  the  making  up  of  the  garments,  without 
compensation,  and  all  the  sempstresses  who  could  sew  a  strong  seam 
went  to  work  with  a  will  on  the  same  terms.  The  sewing  machines 
from  far  and  near  were  gathered  at  Camp's  Hall,  and  the  work  went 
bravely  on.  Sunday  came,  and  they  had  so  crowded  on  the  cutters  that 
the  latter  had  to  work  through  the  Sabbath  to  get  ahead  of  them. 
Monday  and  Tuesday,  and  all  the  days  of  the  week,  the  work  went  on 
with  unabated  ardor ;  those  ladies  who  could  not  do  the  stronger  work 
made  up  the  shirts  and  other  lighter  garments.  There  were  no  idlers, 
and  few  inefficients.  It  was  the  women's  battle  week,  and  was  bravely 
fought  out  on  that  line.  Eighty-three  uniform  coats,  pants,  and  vests 
made,  and  thoroughly  made,  were  the  product  of  that  week's  work,  more 
than  fifty  of  them  made  up  by  Winsted  ladies,  and  the  residue  by  ladies 
in  adjoining  towns.  In  addition  to  this  contribution  more  than  a  hundred 
woollen  shirts  were  made  up  prior   to  and  during  this  battle  week.* 

*  The  following  complimentary  notice  appeared  in  the  Winsted  Herald  of  May  17, 
1861  :— -"It  is  said,  since  our  soldiers'  uniforms  are  completed,  that  there  are  now, 
59 


466  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Every  man  in  both  companies  was  also  supplied  with  a  rosette  oP  white, 
red  and  blue,  a  "  housewife  "  filled  with  thread,  yarn,  pins,  needles,  and 
buttons,  and  a  pocket  Testament.  Innumerable  other  articles,  including 
socks,  wrappers,  drawers,  and  medicines  —  more  than  the  soldiers'  knap- 
sacks could  hold  —  were  furnished  by  individuals.  A  revolver  was 
given  to  each  Winchester  man  in  Company  13. 

Company  B  departed  for  New  Haven  before  enthusiasm  had  been 
wrought  up  to  its  highest  strain.  On  the  departure  of  Company  E,  on 
the  2,0  h  of  April,  its  fullest  intensi  y  was  manifested.  Thousands 
assembled.  Patriotic  >peeches  were  made  by  Rev.  Messrs.  Eddy, 
Loomis.  and  Pierson,  of  the  Congregational  and  Methodist  Churches  ;  by 
Rev.  Father  Mullen,  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  by  several  laymen.* 

Company  E,  on  its  departure  for  New  Haven  on  the  25th  of  April 
received  an  ovation  in  all  respects  similar  to.  but  on  a  larger  scale  than 
that  given  to  Company  B  on  the  21st.  It  was  emphatically  a  town  com- 
pany, while  Company  B  was  a  contribution  of  three  towns.  More  than 
half  of  them  were  mechanics,  about  one-fourth  were  farmers,  and  the 
remainder,  in  ab*>ut  equal  proportion-,  were  clerks  and  laborers.  Ger- 
many had  six  representatives,  Ireland  three,  and  England  one. 

Both  companies  were  thoroughly  drilled,  while  at  New  Haven,  by 
cadets  from  General  Rus-ell's  Military  School.  On  the  27th  of  May 
they  were  mustered  into  the  government  service,  and  on  the  evening  of 
that  dav  were  embarked  on  the  Reamer  Bienville  for  Washington,  by 
way  of  Fortress  Monroe  and  the  I'otomac  River.  On  reaching  their 
destination  they  weie  encamped  and  drilled  on  the  height  north  of 
Washington  for  sevetal  weeks,  after  which  they  were  marched  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Falls  Chinch  in  Virginia,  within  some  five  miles  of 
Fairfax  Court  House,  which  was  occupied  by  a  rebt-1  force.  Here  they 
remained,  except  during  the  interval  of  their  march  to,  and  retreat  from, 
Bull  Run,  until  near  the  expiration  of  their  term  of  service,  when  th^y 
were  mustered  out  at  New  Haven.  Wi; lithe  exception  of  Pi ivate  James 
M.  Button,  who  died  of  diphtheria  at  New  Haven  Hospital,  on  the  day 

probably,  not  to  exceed  five  girls  in  Winstcd  who  cannot  cut,  baste,  stitch,  and  make 
up  to  order  any  article  of  men's  apparel,  from  the  finest  dress  coat  to  the  commonest 
mustn't-mention  ems,  in  a  style,  too,  of  unsurpassed  neatness  and  excellence.  Before 
the  war  there  were  probably  not  five  girls  within  the  same  locality  who  could  sew  on 
a  hatband  or  a  suspender  button  without  double  the  labor  in  showing  required  to  do 
the  work  in  the  first  instance.     So  here  is  another  good  comes  from  the  war." 

*  Among  other  ceremonies  of  this  occasion,  two  Colts'  revolvers  were  formally 
presented  by  Mrs.  Julia  Peck  —  one  to  Captain  Co  >k,  and  the  other  to  Pi  ivate  Boyd, 
the  latter  as  a  compliment  to  the  oldest  enrolled  member  of  the  company.  After  the 
relu-al  to  muster  in  Mr.  B.  on  account  of  bis  age,  he  gave  his  revolver  to  Chaplain 
Eddy,  with  instructions  to  present  it  at  the  end  of  the  term  of  service  to  the  private 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  467 

after  mustering  in,  not  a  death  occurred  in  the  company  during  its  term 
of  service. 

While  stationed  at  the  Falls  Church  encampment,  Captain  A.  G. 
Kellogg,  of  Company  B.,  when  on  picket  duty,  a  mile  or  more  from 
camp,  was  captured  by  the  rebels  and  hurried  off  to  Richmond,  and 
thence  taken  to  Sali-bury,  N.  C-,  whence,  after  nearly  a  year's  captivity, 
he  was  sent  to  Potomac  Creek  and  exchanged. 

Rev.  Hiram'  Eddy,  pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church  of 
Winsted,  was  appointed  by  Governor  Buckingham  chaplain  of  the  Second 
Regiment,  and  on  leave  of  absence  from  his  pastoral  charge,  that  he 
might  be  with  the  boys  he  had,  by  his  patriotic  eloquence,  cheered  "on 
[towards]  Richmond,"  joined  the  regiment  at  Falls  Church.  At  the 
rout  of  Bull  Run  he  got  separated  from  his  comrade-:,  and  after  wander- 
ing in  uncertain  ways  tor  more  than  two  days  was  captured  by  the  rebels 
within  a  mile  of  the  encampment  at  Falls  Church,  to  which  his  regiment 
had  retreated  after  the  battle.  His  lofty  stature  and  Daniel  Wel>sterian 
visage  and  mien  deeply  impressed  his  captors  and  guards.  He  was  at 
once  conducted  to  Richmond,  and  admitted  to  the  hospitalities  of  the 
Tobacco  Warehou-e,  after  availing  himself  of  which,  to  more  than  his 
heart's  content,  he  was  transferred  to  Columbia.  S.  C,  and  thence  to 
Charleston,  where  he  was  treated  to  a  course  of  yellow  fever.  The  Hell 
of  Andersonville  had  not  yet  been  organized,  else  he  would,  doubtless, 
have  been  consigned  to  its  torments.  After  grinding  in  these  Philistine 
mills  for  more  than  a  year  he  was  exchanged,  and  welcomed  back  to  his 
parochial  charg  with  such  an  ovation  as  few  niini-ters  have  enjoyed. 
During  his  captivity  his  clerical  brethren  of  neighboring  parishes,  with 
the  consent  of  their  people,  gratuitously  supplied  hi>  pulpit,  for  the  benefit 
of  his  family,  for  more  than  six  months. 

Private  Samuel  A.  Cooper,  of  company  E.  was  attached  as  an  Orderly 
to  the  staff  of  General  Tyler  during  the  battle  of  Bull  Hun,  and  was 
captured  by  the  rebels.  He  performed  a  tour  of  prison  duty  at  nearly 
all  the  stations  from  Richmond  to  New  Orleans,  and  thence  back  to 
North  Carolina,  where  he  was  exchanged,  and  reached  home  a  little  be- 
fore Air.  Eddy. 


who  should  have  proved  the  most  meritorious  soldier  of  the  company.  The  weapon 
was  lost  at  Bull  Run,  and  consequently  no  award  was  made,  hut  it  was  generally 
conceded  that  by  right  of  merit  it  should  have  been  aw  rded  to  Private  Alouzo  11. 
Conklin,  of  Mill  River,  Mass.',  who,  on  the  march  to  Bull  Run,  found  his.  feet  so 
blistered  by  a  pair  of  tight  boots,  that  he  threw  them  away  near  Centervilie,  and 
made  a  pair  of  moccasins  out  of  the  leys  of  his  pants,  in  which  he  se.  ved  through  the 
day  of  battle  and  on  the  retreat  without  complaint  or  flinching. 


468  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

A  large  portion  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  these  companies,  from 
time  to  time,  re-enlisted  into  other  regiments,  and  were  largely  promoted 
to  higher  grades.     Among  them  were  the  following : 

Geo.  L.  Andrews,  Corp.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  F,  28th  Conn.  Infantry. 
Mason  Adkins,  Priv.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Sergt.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Antoine  Albert,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  and  Veteran  Co.  G,  12th  Infantry. 
Wheelock  T.  Batchcller,  1st  Lieut.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Major  28th  Infantry. 
Jacob  T.  Brown,  Corp.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Corp.  Co.  B,  12th  Infantry;  killed  at 

Cedar  Creek. 
Francis  T.  Brown,  Sergt.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  E,  11th  Infantry. 
Daniel  Bellows,  Priv.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  Corp.  and  Vet.  Co.  E,  7th  Infantry. 
Geo.  Bellows,  Jr.,  Priv.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  and  Vet.  Co.  E,  7th  Infantry ; 

mortally  wounded  at  Hampton,  Va. 
James  N.  Coe,  Sergt.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Lieut.  Co.  I,  and  Capt.  Co.  H,  2d 

Heavy  Artillery. 
Daniel  S.  Coe,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  2d  Lieut.  Co.  E,  7th  Infantry. 
David  W.  Coe,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  and  detailed  Clerk  to  Gen.  Tyler  and  Major 

General  Keys,  U.  S.  A.,  enlisted  on  U.  S.  Frigate  Sabine,  and  served  as  Executive 

Officers'  Clerk. 
Wm.  S.  Cooper,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Corp.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Frederick  W.  Daniels,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery; 

killed  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va. 
Robert  Dempsey,  Priv.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Lieut.  Co.  E,  7th  Infantry;  killed 

at  Olustee,  Fla. 
Salmon  A.  Granger,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Lieut.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Charles  E.  Hosford,  Sergt.  Co.  E.,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  D,  11th  Infantry. 
Benj.  S.  Hosford,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  D,  2d  Heavy  Artillery; 

killed  at  Cedar  Creek. 
GeQ.  Hoskins,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry. 
Orson  Howard,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  9th  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery ;  killed 

at  Petersburg,  Va. 
Samuel  B.  Home,  Priv.  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.,  Lieut.,  and  Capt.  Co.  F,  I lth 

Infantry. 
Geo.  L.  Leonard,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Benj.  F.  Marsh,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Corp.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry;  lost  an  arm 

at  Port  Hudson. 
Milton  T.  Moore,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry. 
Caleb  P.  Newman,  1st  Sergt.  Co.  C,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Lieut.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry. 
Fred.  0.  Peck,  Priv.  Co.  D,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  22d  Mass.  Infantry;  twice  wounded 

at  Gaines'  Mill,  Va. 
Charles  E.  Palmer,  2d  Lieut.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  E,  7th  Infantry ;  died 

at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C. 
Leander  Packard,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  Co.  E,  11th  Infantry. 
Hiram  C.  Roberts,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  E,  11th  Infantry;  killed  at 

Sharpsburg,  Md. 
Henry  L.  Roberts,  Priv-  Co.  B,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry. 
Jeffrey  Skinner,  1st  Sergt.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery ; 

promoted  to  Major  and  Lieut.  Col.  same  regiment. 
Orlo  S.  Smith,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  1st  Lieut.  Co.  I,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
Lucien  B.  Wheelock,  Sergt.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Capt.  Co.  F,  28th  Infantry. 


In  company 

A,  Priva 

a         a 

D,        « 

a            it 

E,        « 

a-            it 

F,        « 

it              u 

K,        « 

a            a 

M,       « 

AND  FAMILY  RECOEDS.  469 

Marcus  J.  Whitehead,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 
John  Wheeler,  Priv.  Co.  E,  2d  Infantry,  to  Sergt.  Co.  F,  1st  and  2d  Lieut.  Co.  G, 
2d  Heavy  Artillery. 

The  first  regimeut  of  cavalry  was  originally  a  battalion  consisting  of 
four  companies,  recruited  in  the  fall  of  1861,  and  about  a  year  after  was 
increased  to  a  full  regiment  of  twelve  companies. 

The  following  Winchester  men  are  found  on  its  rolls : 

ites  Frank  Parkant  and  Geo.  L.  Leonard. 
Win.  C.  Wakefield. 
James  G.  Ferris  and  Nelson  Proper. 
Michael  Finn  and  John  Gloster. 
Burton  B.  Beach. 
John  Rose. 

Unassigned  substitutes  :  Win.  Clancey,  Michael  Calaban,  James  Flynn, 
James  H.  Gannon,  Hugh  Gray,  Wm.  Garson,  Charles  Hull,  John  Harris, 
Charles  Earne,  Richard  Mooney,  John  Schmidt,  Julius  Thorne,  Thomas 
Daley,  Peter  Dunn,  James  Taylor,  and  Augustus  Weiss. 

Of  these,  Julius  Thorne  alone  died  in  the  service. 

The  Fifth  Regiment  Infantry  was  organized  in  June,  1861,  and  went 
into  service  July  29  following;  fought  at  Winchester,  Cedar  Mountain, 
and  Chancellorsville,  Va. ;  Gettysburg,  Pa. ;  Reseca,  Dallas,  Marietta, 
Beach  Tree  Creek,  and  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Chesterfield  C.  H,  S.  C. ;  and 
Silver  Run,  N.  C. ;  and  was  mustered  out  with  distinguished  honor,  July 
19,  1865.  On  the  rolls  of  this  regiment,  we  find  the  following  names  of 
Winchester  men : 

Harlan  P.  Rugg,  Corporal  in  Co.  I,  wounded  at  Cedar  Mountain, 

promoted  to  Captain,  and  mustered  out  July  19,  1865. 
Robert  Arnold,  killed  at  Cedar  Mountain,  August  9,  1862. 
Joseph  Hermandy,  mustered  out  July  19,  1865. 
William  Murray,  discharged  Feb.  23,  1865. 
Robert  St.  Clair,  mustered  out  July  19,  1865. 

We  also  find  the  names  of  eleven  deserters  credited  to  Winchester, 
probably  none  of  them  residents,  but  recruits  purchased  by  agents  of  the 
town. 

During  the  month  of  September,  1861,  a  quota  of  sixteen  Winchester 
men  and  about  twenty  men  from  other  towns  in  the  county  of  Litchfield 
were  recruited  under  the  auspices  of  Second  Lieutenant  Charles  C. 
Palmer,  late  of  company  E,  and  on  the  7th  of  September,  1861,  were 


470  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

mustered  into  company  E,  7th  Infantry,  commanded  successively  by  Colo- 
nel Alfred  H.  Terry  and  Colonel  Joseph  R.  Hawley.  Of  this  company 
Lieutenant  Palmer  was  appointed  captain,  and  Robert  Dempsey,  late 
private  of  Company  15,  second  lieutenant. 

The  regiment  (1,018  men)  left  for  Washington,  September,  1861.  It 
was  the  first  to  land  on  the  soil  of  South  Carolina.  It  was  in  the  batde 
of  Fort  Pulaski,  under  Colonel  Terry,  April  10th  and  11th,  1862,  and 
in  the  battles  of  James  Island,  June  14th,  under  Colonel  Ilawley;  was 
one  of  the  first  to  enter  the  field,  and  the  last  to  leave  it.  Under  the  same 
command  it  was  in  the  battle  of  Pocataligo  on  the  22d  of  October,  and 
was  subsequently  divided,  five  companies  under  Colonel  Mavvley  remain- 
ing at  Hilton  Head,  and  the  remaining  companies,  of  which  Company  E 
was  one,  were  moved  to  Fernandina,  Florida,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Gardiner,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Olustee,  in  which  Lieutenant 
Robert  Dempsey  was  killed. 

In  May,  1864,  the  regiment  was  transferred  to  Bermuda  Hundreds, 
Va.,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Chester  Station,  and  repeated  bat- 
tles near  Bermuda  Hundreds.  In  August  it  fought  the  battles  of  Deep 
Run  and  Deep  Bottom,  Va. 

After  the  promotion  of  Colonel  Hawley  to  a  brigadier  in  September, 
1804,  the  regiment,  under  command  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Rodman,  was 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Chapin's  Farm,  Va.,  on  the  29th  of  September; 
on  the  1st  of  October  in  the  battle  near  Richmond;  on  the  7th  of  New 
Market  Road;  on  the  13th  at  Dirbytown  Road,  and  on  the  27th  in  the 
battle  of  Charles  City  Road,  Va.  Its  battle  record  was  el  -ed  at  Fort 
Fisher,  N.  C,  January  15th  and  19th,  I860,  and  it  was  mustered  out  of 
service  on  the  20th  01'  July,  1865.  Few  regiments  in  the  service  were 
engaged  in  more  active  and  arduous  service  than  the  Seventh.  It  had  90 
men  killed  iu  action,  44  died  of  wounds,  and  179  of  disease;  total,  313. 

The  Winchester  men  in  this  regiment  were  Captain  Charles  E.  Palmer, 
1st  Lieutenant  Robert  Dempsey,  21  Lieutenant  Daniel  S.  Coe,  Corporals 
Daniel  Bellows  and  John  G.  Rowley,  Privates  George  E.  Andrews'}  John 
Biederman,  Albert  Burdick,  George  W.  Daniels,  Charles  Gilbert  Charles 
L.  Hewitt,  Sterling  D.  Ml  iman.  James  A.  Pease,  Patrick  Quigley, 
Henry  H.  Rowley,  James  Tencellent,  all  of  Company  E. 

Captain  Palmer,  an  unassuming  young  man  of  delicate  training,  devel- 
oped in  his  first  campaign  the  highest  soldierly  qualities  by  strict  and 
cheerful  performance  of  duty,  and  kind  attention  to  the  wants  and  com- 
forts of  his  men.  But  it  was  not  until  he  came  into  command  of  Com- 
pany E  that  his  endurance  and  bravery  were  fully  tested.  In  the  siege 
and  capture  of  Fort  Pulaski  he  commanded  Battery  Lincoln;  and  in  the 
report  of  the  bloody  battle  of  Sccessionville  he  was  highly  complimented 
for  bravery  and  coolness.     Soon  after  this  hard  fought  but  unsuccessful 


AND  FAMILY  EECORDS.  471 

battle  he  died  from  exposure  and  exhaustion.  From  Colonel  Terry's  let- 
ter to  his  parents,  now  bereaved  of  their  last  child,  We  quote  as  follows: 

"At  the  time  of  the  action  on  James  Island  he  was  so  ill  that,  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  he  would  not  have  been  in  command  of  his  com- 
pany;  but  prompted  by  ihe  devotion  to  duty,  which  always  distinguished 
him,  he  led  his  company  to  the  field,  and  gave  to  it  and  the  regiment  a 
splendid  example  of  courage  and  firmness  under  mo.-t  trying  circumstances. 
The  noble  purity  and  uprightness  of  his  nature  and  his  eminently  sol- 
dierly qualities  had  endeared  him  to  us  all,  and  had  led  us  to  look  forward 
to  a  brilliant  futuie  for  him;  and  we  mourn  his  loss,  not  only  as  ours  and 
yours,  but  as  a  loss  10  the  country  which  he  served  so  faithfully." 

In  answer  to  a  lettt  r  to  General  Hawley  from  Palmer  Post  inviting 
him  to  the  decoration  ceremonies  at  Winsted,  dated  May  11th,  1872,  he 
writes  as  follows: 

"The  name  of  your  post  awakens  my  recollections  of  that  noble  soldier 
and  man,  Captain  Palmer.  Never  shall  I  forget  that  it  was  his  extreme 
fidelity  to  duty  that  cost  him  his  lite.  He  ought  to  have  gone  to  the  hos- 
pital, but  would  not  leave  the  field.  Well  I  remember  Ids  countenance  as 
I  walked  by  the  stretcher  that  carried  him  dying  on  board  the  steamer." 

Lieutenant  Dempsey  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder  June  1st,  1862,  re- 
turned home  on  furlough  while  di-abled,  married  Caroline  W.  Richard- 
son, rejoined  his  regiment  in  i he  ft  11,  and  was  killed  at  Olustee,  Fla.,  Feb- 
ruary 24th,  1864.  lie  was  of  Irish  birth,  wed  educated,  and  devotedly 
pattiotic  in  the  cau-e  of  his  adopted  country.  His  letters  from  the  camp 
and  field,  published  in  the  Winsted  Herald,  were  highly  appreciated. 

Private  Charles  Gilbert,  noted  on  th<j  muster-rolls  as  from  Canton,  had 
his  home  residence  in  Winchester,  where  he  was  born  and  raised.  Con- 
scientious as  well  as  patriotic  motives  induce.!  him  to  enlist.  His  broth- 
ers had  families,  and' he  was  singe,  and  he  felt  it  his  duty  to  represent 
them  in  the  service.  He  was  a  most  wo:  thy  man  and  a  good  soldier;  was 
wounded  in  the  head  and  leg  at  Secessionville,  S.  C,  taken  prisoner  on 
the  field,  and  carried  to  Charleston,  where  he  died  of  his  wounds  in  the 
hospital,  July  9th,  1862,  aged  29.  He  was  a  son  of  Samuel  D.  Gilbert, 
deceased,  late  of  Winchester. 

Private  George  Bellows  served  in  Company  B,  2d  Infantry,  and  after 
honorable  discharge  at  the  end  of  the  term,  enlisted  in  Company  E,  7th 
Infantry,  September  7th,  18G1,  and  re-enlisted  a  veteran,  December  22d, 
1864,  and  died  of  wounds  received  at  Hampton,  Va.,  October  28th,  1864. 
He  was  son  of  George  Bellows,  Sr.,  of  Winchester,  and  died  unmarried. 


472  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Private  Albert  Burdick,  Company  E,  died  of  fever  at  Beaufort,  S.  C, 
July  29th,  1862. 

Private  John  Biederman  re-enlisted  a  veteran,  December  22d,  1863, 
and  was  killed  October  13th,  1864. 

All  the  other  members  of  this  company  were  honorably  discharged  or 
mustered  out  at  the  end  of  their  terms. 

In  the  8th  Regiment,  recruited  at  Camp  Buckingham,  Hartford,  which 
fought  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  Fort  Macon,  N.  C,  Antietam,  Md.,  Fredericks- 
burg, Fort  Huger,  Walthall  Junction,  Fort  Darling,  Petersburg,  and 
Fort  Harrison,  Va.,  we  find  the  names  of  two  Winchester  men,  Mathew 
Whiffler,  private,  Company  A,  and  John  C.  Cooley,  corporal,  Company 
C,  re-enlisted  veteran,  both  mustered  out  at  the  end  of  their  terms. 

In  the  9th  (Irish)  Regiment  we  find  the  name  of  Chaplain  Daniel 
Mullen,  at  the  time  of  his  appointment  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic 
Church,  Winsted,  a  young  man  of  literary  culture  and  earnest  patriotism, 
who  served  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  Chackaloo  Station,  La.,  and  Deep 
Bottom,  Va.  He  was  compelled,  by  ill-health,  to  resign  on  the  26th  of 
August,  1862.  He  was  succeeded  as  chaplain  by  Father  Leo  da  Saracena, 
O.S.F.,  the  present  pastor  of  St.  Joseph's  Church,  and  President  of  St. 
Francis'  Literary  and  Theological  Seminary. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred,  from  finding  no  other  names  of  Winchester 
Irishmen  on  the  rolls  of  this  regiment,  that  our  foreign  citizens  were 
wanting  in  patriotism,  for  the  names  of  Winchester  men  in  other  regi- 
ments abundantly  show  that  in  proportion  to  our  population  Irishmen, 
Germans,  and  Englishmen  are  amply  represented. 

On  the  roll  of  the  10th  Regiment  the  only  name  of  a  Winchester  man 
is  that  of  Colonel  Ira  W.  Pettibone,  who  was  commissioned  as  Major, 
served  in  the  battles  of  Roanoke  Island  and  Newbern,  N.  C,  and  was 
successively  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Colonel.  The  climate 
of  North  Carolina  debilitated  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  compelled 
to  resign,  and  he  was  honorably  discharged  in  November,  1862. 

The  12th  Regiment  of  Volunteer  Infantry  was  recruited  at  Camp 
Lyon,  Hartford,  under  command  of  Colonel  Henry  C.  Deming;  was 
attached  to  Butler's  Division,  and  sailed  from  New  York  for  Ship 
Island,  Mississippi  Sound,  February  24,  1862.  It  followed  the  naval 
armament,  under  Farragut,  up  the  Mississippi,  and  witnessed  the  bom- 
bardment of  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip  ;  followed  the  armament  up  to 
New  Orleans,  where  it  landed,  and  garrisoned  the  city  on  its  forced 
surrender,  Colonel  Deming  assuming  the  office  of  provisional  mayor.     It 


I 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  473 

was  encamped  for  a  time  at  Baton  Rouge,  and  was  afterwards  engaged  in 
active  service  in  Louisiana.  It  bore  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  siege  of 
Port  Hudson,  after  which.it  returned  to  New  Orleans  and  in  July,  18G4, 
embarked  for  Fortress  Monroe,  and  in  August  following  joined  Sheridan's 
army  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Opequan,  Fisher's  Hill,  and  Cedar  Creek,  after  which,  it  having  been 
reduced  to  a  skeleton  by  losses  in  battle,  and  by  disea  e,  and  by  expira- 
tion of  the  term  of  service  of  a  large  portion  of  its  men,  it  was  reorgan- 
ized under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lewis,  and  continued  to  serve  in  Virginia 
until  its  muster  out  in  August,  1865. 

Only  six  Winchester  men  belonged  to  this  regiment,  as  follows  : — 

Doctor  John  B.  Welch,  2d  assistant-surgeon,  who  died  of  scarlatina,  on 
shipboard,  at  Ship  Island,  February  13,  1862.  He  was  son  of  Dr. 
James  and  Mrs.  Lavinia  Welch  of  Winsted,  born  at  W.,  September 
14,  1838;  studied  in  his  father's  office  ;  graduated  M.I),  at  Yale  College 
in  1860  ;  mustered  2d  Assistant-surgeon  of  12th  Regiment,  December  11, 
1861  ;  sailed  with  the  regiment  for  Ship  Island,  Mississippi  Sound, 
February  24,  1862,  and  on  reaching  there  was  unable  to  land  with  the 
troops,  but  not  considered  dangerously  ill.  He  died  off  the  Island,  two 
days  after  the  landing  of  the  troops,  separate  from  his  comrades,  and 
almost  alone.  His  remains  were  sent  home,  and  buried  in  the  cemetery 
of  his  family,  at  Norfolk.  His  amiable  character,  and  the  circumstances 
of  his  death  at  the  outset  of  his  career,  deeply  affected  the  community 
with  sorrow  for  his  loss,  and  sympathy  with  his  family  in  their  affliction. 

Dr.  John  R.  Gumming,  appointed  2d  Assistant-surgeon  in  place  of 
Assistant-surgeon  Welch,  was  promoted  to  Surgeon,  and  was  mustered 
out  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  August  12,  1865. 

Private  Solomon  R.  Hinsdale,  Company  A,  appointed  Quartermaster- 
Sergeant,  promoted  2d  Lieutenant ;  resigned  August  9,  1862,  on  his 
appointment  as  Assistant-paymaster  in  the  Navy,  after  which  he  served 
on  the  Mississippi  Flotilla  above  Vicksburg,  until  prostrated  by  fever, 
and  compelled  to  resign  by  impaired  health. 

Sergeant  Jacob  T.  Brown,  Company  C,  killed  at  Fisher's  Hill,  Va., 
September  19,  1864.  While  giving  water  from  his  canteen  to  a  wounded 
lieutenant  of  an  Iowa  Regiment,  on  the  battlefield,  he  was  shot  in  the 
abdomen  by  a  rebel  sharpshooter,  and  died  three  hours  after.  He  was  a 
model  of  physical  manhood ;  a  kind-hearted,  unassuming  man,  and  a  con- 
sistent member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  esteemed  by  his  comrades  as  a 
conscientious  Christian  soldier. 

Private  George  W.  Eggleston,  Company  C,  enlisted  March  2,  1864, 
and  mustered  out  at  Savannah,  August  12,  1865. 

Private   Wm.  H.  Pool,  Company  C,  enlisted  February  24,  1864;  dis- 
charged at  New  Haven,  April  29,  1865. 
60 


474  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Private  John  W.  Vaughn,  Company  C,  enlisted  February  24,  186  4, 
mustered  out  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  August  12,  1865. 

Second  Lieutenant  John  W.  Hurlbut,  of  Company  G,  resigned  June 
6,  1862. 

A  squad  of  ten  Winchester  men  composed  a  part  of  the  rank  and  file 
of  Company  D,  11th  Regiment  Infantry,  consisting  of  Charles  L. 
Hosford,  1st  Lieutenant;  Corporal  Levi  L.  Dayton,  Privates  Frank  S. 
Pease,  Lewis  Dayton,  Edward  S.  Fleming,  Charles  Hull,  George 
Kinney,  Daniel  Lotherington,  William  H.  Slack,  and  Albert  M.  Tuttle  ; 
and  another  squad  of  twelve  men  composed  a  part  of  Company  E  of  the 
same  regiment,  consisting  of  First-sergeant  Francis  T.  Brown,  Sergeants 
Samuel  B.  Home,  and  Hiram  C.  Roberts ;  Corporals  William  T.  Page, 
Jr.,  and  John  K.  Twiss  ;  Privates  George  Allen,  William  E.  Cogswell, 
James  Dudley,  Erastus  Eggleston  and  Rufus  Eggleston  (twins),  Andrew 
M.  Hurlbut,  Leander  Packard. 

These  companies  were  mustered  into  service  at  Camp  Lincoln,  in 
Hartford,  December  16,  1861.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  Burn- 
side's  Division,  and  fought  its  first  battle  at  Newbern,  N.  C,  March  14, 
1862.  In  July,  1862,  it  was  attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
was  in  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  Md.,  September  14,  1862,  and  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  September  17th  following.  It  was  on  the  picket 
line  at  Fredericksburg,  Va.,  during  the  battle  of  the  13th  December,  1862, 
and  was  engaged  in  the  defence  of  Suffolk,  Va.,  during  the  siege  from 
April  11  to  May  3,  1863.  In  March,  1864,  it  returned  from  veteran 
furlough  to  Portsmouth,  Va. ;  marched  to  and  encamped  at  Williams- 
burg, where  it  constituted  the  force  nearest  to  Richmond.  On  the  9th  of 
May  it  was  in  the  battle  of  Swift's  Creek ;  it  fought  in  the  battle  of 
Drury's  Bluff,  and  on  the  3d  of  June  was  engaged  in  the  charge  at  Cold 
Harbor,  Va.  It  was  afterward  in  active  service  before  Petersburg,  from 
June  15  to  August  27,  aud  continued  to  serve  in  Virginia  until  mustered 
out  of  service  December  21,  1865. 

The  following  Winchester  men  of  this  regiment  were  killed  or  died  in 
the  service: — 

Private  Lewis  Dayton,  Company  D,  killed  at  Sharpsburg  (Antietam), 
Maryland. 

Private  Wm.  H.  Slack,  Company  D,  died  of  wounds  (loss  of  an  arm) 
received  at  Newbern,  March  22,  1862. 

Private  Albert  M.  Tuttle,  Company  D,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va., 
June  5,  1864. 

Sergeant  Hiram  C.  Roberts,  killed  at  Antietam,  September  17,  1862. 

Corporal  William  T.  Page,  Jr.,  wounded  at  Antietam,  September  17, 
and  discharged  for  disability,  October  25,  1862. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  475 

Corporal  John  K.  Twiss,  Company  E,  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  at 
Drury's  Bluff;  died  of  wounds  at  Richmond,  May,  1864. 

Private  Win.  F.  Cogswell,  Company  Pv,  killed  at  Antietam,  September 
17,  1862. 

The  promotions  of  Winchester  men  in  this  regiment  were  as  follows  : — 

Sergeant  Francis  T.  Brown,  Company  E,  promoted  to  captain. 

Sergeant  Samuel  B.  Home,  Company  E,  promoted  to  captain. 

Lieutenant  Charles  L.  Ilosford,  promoted  to  captain,  and  in  command 
as  senior  officer  of  the  regiment  at  the  termination  of  the  battle  of 
Antietam. 

On  the  rolls  of  the  Thirteenth  Regiment,  organized  at  New  Haven, 
Nov.  25,  1861,  which  participated  in  the  engagements  of  Georgia  Land- 
ing, Irish  Bend,  Port  Hudson,  Cane  River,  and  Mansara,  in  Louisiana, 
and  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill,  and  Cedar  Creek,  in  Virginia,  the  names 
of  four  Winchester  men  are  found,  viz  :  Second  Assistant  Surgeon  Lucius 
W.  Clark,  Private  George  Losaw,  of  Co.  D,  who  re-enlisted  veteran,  and 
was  transferred  to  Co.  B,  from  which  he  was  mustered  out  April  25, 
1866;  Private  Charles  Daniels,  of  Co.  F,  who  was  promoted  Second 
Lieutenant,  and  resigned  Jan.  8,  1864 ;  and  Private  Edward  Skinner,  of 
Co.  G.,  who  re-enlisted  veteran,  was  transferred  to  Co.  D,  and  mustered 
out  April  25,  1866. 

On  the  rolls  of  the  Sixteenth  Regiment  is  the  name  of  Elliot  Fleni- 
ming,  of  Winchester,  a  private  in  Co.  G,  killed  at  Antietam,  September 
16,  1862. 

The  Nineteenth  Infantry  Regiment,  afterwards  reorganized  as  Second 
Regiment  Heavy  Artillery,  was  raised  and  organized  as  one  of  the 
five  county  regiments  under  the  call  of  Lincoln,  on  the  first  of  July,  1862, 
for  three  hundred  thousand  men.  Its  organization  was  initiated  by  the 
call  of  a  mass  county  meeting  at  Litchfield  on  the  22d  July,  1862,  which 
was  largely  attended,  and  rather  adroitly  managed.  Without  a  moment's 
notice,  a  colonel  was  nominated  on  individual  responsibility,  the  question 
taken  without  opportunity  for  debate,  and  the  sheriff  of  the  county  de- 
clared unanimously  nominated.  An  executive  committee  was  also  ap- 
pointed, consisting  of  four,  three  of  them  from  Litchfield,  who  assumed 
the  prerogative  of  nominating  the  other  regimental  officers.  Not  one  of 
those  was  assigned  to  Winchester,  the  foremost  town  of  the  countynn 
patriotic  and  efficient  support  of  the  war. 

Company  E  of  this  regiment  was  recruited  in  Winchester  and  towns 
adjoining,  under  the  auspices  of  Jeffrey  Skinner,  late  First  Sergeant  of 
Co.  E,  Second  Regiment,  who  was  appointed  Captain,  and  rose  by  pro- 
motion and  desert  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  the  regiment. 


476  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  names  of  Winchester  men  in  this  company  originally  enlisted, 
amounting  to  sixty-two,  are  as  follows;  Capt.  Jeffrey  Skinner,  1st  Lieut. 
Benj.  F.  Hosford,  2d  Lieut.  Chester  D.  Cleveland  (of  Winsted  Society); 
Sergeants  Orlow  J.  Smith,  Salmon  A.  Granger,  George  White,  Henry 
Skinner,  Wm.  S.  Cooper,  Stephen  W.  Sage,  Mason  Adkins,  Frederick 
W.  Daniels,  Charles  A.  Reynolds ;  Musicians  Wilson  B.  White,  Myron 
Ferris ;  Wagoner  Alfred  G.  Bliss  ;  Privates  James  R.  Baldwin,  Edward 
Beach,  Patrick  T.  Birmingham,  Almeron  Bunnell,  Edward  F.  Carring- 
ton,  Philip  D.  Carroll,  Frederick  M.  Cook,  Alfred  Comins,  Robert  A. 
Cutler,  Henry  A.  Dayton,  Adam  I.  N.  Dilley,  Edwin  Downs,  Lewis 
Downs,  Bernard  W.  Doyle,  BirdseyGibbs,  George  N.  Gibbs,  James  A. 
Green,  Manwaring  Green,  William  Hall,  Luther  W.  Hart,  Timothy  A. 
Hart,  Willard  Hart,  Geo.  W.  Hurlbut,  William  S.  Hurlbut,  William  R. 
Hubbard,  Asa  Humiston,  Alonzo  J.  Hull,  Henry  C.  Kent,  Walter  Martin, 
Herman  P.  Moore,  Henry  Overton,  Joseph  Pettit,  Charles  Henry  Pine, 
Jerome  Preston,  Theodore  Bobbins,  Edmund  B.  Sage,  William  Seymour, 
Lucius  S.  Skinner,  John  Smith,  Prosper  W.  Smith,  Philip  Stabell,  Dar- 
win S.  Starks,  John  M.  Teeter,  Hubert  A.  Warner,  Marcus  A.  White- 
head, Warren  M.  Wood,  Julius  Woodford,  Wallace  M.  Woodruff. 

To  these  were  added,  by  subsequent  enlistment,  the  following  Winchester 
men,  who  died  in  the  service,  or  were  honorably  discharged  or  mu-tered 
out:  Ernest  A.  Basney,  Robert  J.  Balcroft,  Samuel  U.  Brew,  Henry 
Clarke,  Wells  Clark,  Benjamin  G.  Carman,  David  Durand,  Jared  P. 
Evarts,  Mathew  Fitzgerald,  Patrick  Keegan,  Jacob  Le  Roy,  Julius 
Rogers,  Henry  J.  Reynolds,  William  H.  Rowe,  Edward  Rugg,  Edward 
E.  Rowe,  Philip  Shelley,  Henry  Van  Duesen,  William  Warner,  Erastus 
Woodworth,  Henry  Wenzell. 

The  regiment  left  Litchfield  for  Washington,  Sept.  15,  1862,  and  was 
stationed  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  until  November  23,  1863,  when  it  was 
changed  from  an  infantry  to  an  artillery  organization,  and  was  designated 
"  The  Second  Connecticut  Heavy  Artillery."  It  was  engaged  in  garrison 
and  police  duty  in  the  defences  of  Washington,  south  of  the  Potomac, 
until  May  21,  1864,  and  was  there  filled  up  to  1800  men,  the  maximum 
of  an  artillery  regiment.  On  the  22d  of  May,  1864,  it  was  assigned  to 
the  Sixth  Army  Corps,  and  Avas  from  that  time  continually  on  the  march 
until  June  1,  1864,  when  it  received  its  first  baptism  by  fire  in  tlie  mur- 
derous charge  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.  It  afterwards  participated  in  battles 
at  Hatcher's  Run,  Va.,  Feb.  6,  1865,  near  Petersburg.  Va ,  March  25  and 
April  2,  and  at  Sailor's  Creek,  Va.,  April  6,  1865  ;  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  August  18,  1865. 

The  promotion?  of  Winchegter  men  in  this  regiment  were: 

Capt.  .leffrey  Skinner  to  Lieut.  Colonel. 
Lieut.  Benjamin  F.  Hosford  to  Captain. 


1 


J?£2^?n^ 


Y^lc^r/ 1     V 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  477 

Sergt.  Orlow  J.  Smith  to  Captain. 
Sergt.  Salmon  A.  Granger  to  2d  Lieut. 
Sergt.  Flenrj  Skinner  to  Captain. 
Corp.  Wm.  S.  Cooper  to  2d  Lieut. 
Corp.  Fredei'ick  W.  Daniels  to  2d  Lieut. 
Corp.  Charles  A.  Reynolds  to  2d  Lieut. 
Priv.  Frederick  M.  Cook  to  2d  Lieut. 

The  killed  and  mortally  wounded  were  as  follows : 

At  Cold  Harbor :  Col.  Elisfaa  S.  Kellogg,  Sergt.  Frederick  W.  Daniels, 
Musician  Myron  Ferris,  Privates  James  R.  Baldwin,*  Alfred  Comins, 
Lewis  Downs,  Birdsey  Gibbs,  James  A.  Green,  Willard  Hart,  Alonzo  J. 
Hull,  Henry  C.  Kent,f  Walter  Martin,  John  M.  Teeter,  Jared  P.  Everts 
—14  of  Co.  E;  to  these  add  Albert  M.  Tuttle,  Co.  D,  Eleventh  Regi- 
ment— 15. 

At  Cedar  Creek,  Capt.  Benj.  F.  Hosford,  whose  remains  were  brought 
home  for  interment. 

The  following  members  of  the  regiment  were  wounded,  but  not  mor- 
tally, in  the  service : 

At  Cold  Harbor :  Privates  Edward  Beach,  Philip  D.  Carrol,  William 
Seymour,  Marcus  A.  Whitehead,  Ernest  Basney,  Samuel  N.  Brew,  Jacob 
Le  Roy,  Julius  Woodford,  Henry  Wenzell : 

At  Cedar  Creek:  Major  Jeffrey  Skinner,  Corp.  Wm.  S.  Cooper. 

The  following  named  men  (privates)  died  in  the  service : 

Manwaring  Green,  Oct.  17,  1864,  by  railroad  accident. 
Gio.  W.  Hurlbut,  at  Fort  Worth,  Va.,  March  27,  1863. 
Wm.  S.  Hurlbut,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Oct.  25,  1863. 
Wm.  R.  Hubbard,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Aug.  4,  1864. 
Jerome  Preston,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Oct.  24,  1863. 

*Among  the  names  on  the  foregoing  list  were  James  R.  Baldwin  and  Henry  C. 
Kent,  who  were  in  the  assault  at  Cold  Harbor,  and  were  never  seen  afterwards.  They 
were  doubtless  killed,  and  the  remains  buried  during  some  of  the  following  nights,  by 
fatigue  parties,  who  eould  carry  no  lights  without  drawing  the  fire  of  the  rebel  bat- 
tery in  close  vicinity  of  the  battle-field.  Private  Baldwin  was  son  of  Mr.  Ezra  Bald- 
win of  Winsted ;  youthful  and  cheery — tenderly  reared  and  religiously  educated — be- 
loved of  bis  parents  and  comrades. 

t  Private  Kent,  son  of  an  English  cutler,  at  fifteen  years  old  had  never  been  to 
school,  and  was  dcsti;ute  of  the  first  rudiments  of  education  ;  was  the  oldest  of  a  large 
family  of  children,  and  was  kept  at  constant  work  in  aid  of  their  support.  In  this 
condition,  he  sought  instruction  from  a  benevolent  lady  during  his  winter  evenings, 
and  at  the  Sabbath  school ;  made  rapid  progress,  mastered  thoroughly  the  ordinary 
branches  of  education,  ami  made  a  consistent  profession  of  religion.  At  twenty,  he 
bought  his  time  of  his  father,  at  once  enlisted,  and  died  in  his  first  battle  a  Christian 
soldier. 


478  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Darwin  S.  Starks,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Aug.  23,  1863. 

Mathew  Fitzgerald,  prisoner  of  war  at  Salisbury,  N.  C,  Jan.  6,  1865. 

Julius  Rogers,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Sept.  21,  1864. 

Edward  E.  Rowe,  at  Warren  Station,  Va.,  March  27,  1865. 

Julius  Woodford,  at  Reg.  Hospital,  Jan.  30,  1865. 

The  heroic  Colonel  Elisha  S.  Kellogg,  who  commanded  the  regiment  at 
Cold  Harbor,  and  there  fell  at  the  head  of  his  men,  though  a  resident  of 
Derby  on  entering  the  service,  subsequently  removed  his  family  to  the 
society  of  Winsted,  and  his  remains  lie  buried  in  the  south  cemetery  under 
an  appropriate  monument. 

The  final  contribution  of  Winchester  men  for  the  service  was  made  to 
the  28th  regiment  of  nine  months  infantry,  consisting  of  the  major  of  the 
regiment,  a  captain,  two  lieutenants,  and  fifty-nine  enlisted  men.  The 
regiment  encamped  at  New  Haven  until  November  18th,  1862,  when  it 
embarked  for  Pensacola,  Florida,  and  there  remained  inactive  until  or- 
dered to  join  General  Banks'  army,  and,  after  harassing  marches  in  Louis- 
iana, was  actively  engaged  in  the  assault  on  Port  Hudson,  June  14th, 
1863,  sustaining  a  loss  of  fifty -nine  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  out  of  service  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  August  28th, 
1863. 

The  names  of  the  Winchester  men  in  the  regiment  were  Wheelock  T. 
Batcheller  (late  1st  lieutenant  Company  E,  2d  three  months  Infantry), 
major;  Lucien  B.  Wheelock  (late  sergeant  Company  E,  2d  three  months 
Infantry),  captain  of  Company  F;  Caleb  P.  Newman  (late  1st  sergeant 
Company  B,  2d  three  months  Infantry),  1st  lieutenant;  Jabez  Alvord,  2d 
lieutenant;  sergeants,  George  L.  Andrews,  Silas  H.  Mc Alpine,  Milton  T. 
Moore,  and  Henry  L.  Roberts;  corporals,  B.  Frank  Marsh,  William  A. 
Wadsworth,  William  Couch,  Charles  H.  Moore,  and  Joseph  H.  C.  Batch- 
elder;  privates,  Columbus  C.  Wright,  Samuel  C.  Barber,  George  Bul- 
croft,  Charles  Baldwin.  Edward  Camsell,  Henry  P.  Cook,  Peter  Coe, 
James  Dngan,  George  N.  Dewey,  Henry  Detert,  Cornelius  Dayton 
Charles  Decker,  Lucius  Eggleston,  George  W.  Elmore,  Paul  Forcier, 
Correll  T.  French,  Edward  Finn,  Mat.  M.  Fitzgerald,  Claudius  W.  S. 
Foster,  John  E.  Garrett,  Ward  Grant,  Samuel  E.  Griffin,  William  Hague, 
Charles  N.  Hollister,  George  Hoskin,  Edward  B.  Kinney,  Ralph  Lina, 
Charles  Maddra,  Harvey  Moore,  George  R.  Moore,  Silas  Moore,  Elbert 
Manchester,  Thomas  Morris,  James  E.  Maddra,  James  McDermott,  Wil- 
liam N.  Pierce,  George  L.  Pease,  John  Partridge,  Elam  E.  Richardson, 
William  H.  Rowe,  David  R.  Rankin,  Stephen  Scott,  Frank  S.  Turner, 
Lyman  Ten-ill,  Cassius  Watson,  Howard  S.  Wheeler,  William  S.  Wood- 
ford, Mark  H.  Wheeler,  Henry  C.  White,  and  Michael  Haggarty,  of  Com- 
pany H. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  479 

The  following  deaths  occurred  in  the  service: 
Private  Columbus  C.  Wright  died  at  Brashear  City,  La.,  May  23d,  1863. 
Private  Samuel  C.  Barber  died  on  the  Mississippi. 
Private  Charles  Maddra  died  at  Great  Barrington,  Mass.,  August  23d 

1863. 
Private  Cassias  Watson  died  at  Brashear  City,  La.,  May  23d,  1863. 
Private  Mark  H.  Wheeler,  killed  at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  June  14th,  1863. 
Private  Howard  S.  Wheeler  died  soon  after  reaching  home,  of  disease 

contracted  in  the  service. 
Private  Michael  Haggarty,  of  Company  H,  died  of  wounds  received  at 

Port  Hudson,  August  12th,  1863. 

The  following  Winchester  men  served  as  officers  of  the  1st  Regiment 
Louisiana  Colored  Engineers: 

Willard  S.  Wetmore,  1st  lieutenant  and  quartermaster. 
Edward  Hewitt,  1st  lieutenant. 

The  following  Winchester  men  served  in  the  navy : 
Marcus  Baird,  ensign  and  acting  sailing-master,  Gulf  Squadron. 
David  W.  Coe,  executive  officer's  clerk,  United  States  Frigate  Sabine. 
Solomon  R.  Hinsdale,  assistant  pay-master  on  the  Mississippi   Flotilla, 

above  Vicksburg. 
Henry  Overton,  transferred  from  2d  Heavy  Artillery  to  the  United  States 

Navy. 
Ansel  Rowley. 

We  compile  a  connected  list  of  soldiers  of  the  town  who  died  in  the 
service,  as  follows  : — 

Robert  Arnold,  Corporal  Company  I,  5th  Infantry,  killed  Cedar  Mountain,  August 
9,  1862. 

Jacob  T.  Brown,  Sergeant,  Company  C,  12th  Infantry,  killed  Fisher's  Hill, 
September  19,  1864. 

James  M.  Burton,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Infantry,  died  in  hospital,  New  Haven, 
May  13,  1861. 

George  Bellows,  Jr.,  Private,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  mortally  wounded  Hamp- 
ton, Va.,  October  19,  1864. 

James  R.  Baldwin,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Samuel  C.  Barber,  Private,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  died  of  fever  on  Mississippi 
River. 

Albert  Burdick,  Private,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  died  at  Beaufort,  S.  C,  July 
29,  1862. 

John  Biederman,  Private,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  died  October  13,  1864. 

Alfred  Comins,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Wolcott  Cook,  Private,  Company  K,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  City  Point,  Va., 
June  16, 1865. 


480  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Wm.  F.   Cogswell,  Private,  Company  E,   11th  Infantry,  killed   Sharpsburg,  Md  , 
September  17,  1862. 

Frederick  W.   Daniels,   Sergeant,   Company  E,   2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed   Cold 
Harbor,  June  1,  1864. 

Robert  Dempsey,  Lieutenant,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  killed  Olustee,  Fla,  February 
20,  1865. 

Lewis  Downs,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  Cold  Harbor,  June 
1.  1864. 

George   C.   Downs,  Private,   Company   C,  13th  Infantry,  died   on    the  Mississippi 
September  13,  1863. 

Lewis  Dayton,  Private,  Company  D,  llth  Infantry,  killed  at  Sharpsburg,  Md., 
September  17,  1862. 

James  Dolphin,  Private,  Company  G,  14th  11.  I.  Colored  Artillery,  died  at  Plaque- 
mine,  La.,  August  5,  1864. 

Lueius  B.  Eggleston,  Private,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  died  at  Mempbis,  Ten. 

Jared  IVEvarts,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  ('old  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Myron  Ferris,  Musieian,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harhor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Elliott  Fleming,  Private,  Company  G,  16th  Infantry,  killed  at  Sharpsburg,  Md  , 
September  17,  1862. 

Mathew  Fitzgerald,   Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  a  prisoner  at 
Salisbury,  N.  C. 

Birdsey  Gibbs,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold   Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

James  A.  Green,  Quartermaster-Sergeant,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  mor- 
tally wounded  at  Cold  Harbor. 

Manwaring  Green,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  by  railroad 
accident,  Oetober  17,  1864. 

Charles  Gilbert,  Private,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  died  of  wounds  iu  Charleston 
S.  C,  July  9,  1862. 

Benjamin  F.  Hosford,  Captain,  Company  D,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cedar 
Creek,  Oetober  19,  1864. 

Willard  Hart,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

George  W.  Hurlbut,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  March  27,  1863. 

William  S.  Hurlbut,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Fort  Worth, 
Va.,  Oetober  25,  1863. 

William   1\.  Hubbard,  Private,   Company   E,  2d    Heavy   Artillery,  died  at  Fort 
Worth,  February  28,  1864. 

Asa  Humiston,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  mortally  wounded  at 
Opequan,  Va.,  September  19,  1864;  died  September  21,  1864. 

Alonzo  J.  Hull,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Lewis  Hazzard,  Private,  Company  G,  29th  Colored  Infantry,  drowned  at  Plaquc- 
minc,  La.,  October  5,  1865. 

Miehael  Haggarty,  Private,  Company  H,  28th  Infantry,  mortally  wounded  at  Port 
Hudson,  August  12,  1863. 

Davis  Hart,   Private,  Company  A,  Massachusetts  Infantry,  killed  at  Fredericks- 
burg, Va. 

Henry  C.  Kent,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1, 1864. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS  .  481 

Walter  Martin,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Charles  E.  Palmer,  Captain,  Company  E,  7th  Infantry,  died  at  James'  Island, 
S.  C,  July  7,  1862. 

Jerome  Preston,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Alexandria* 
Va.,  October  24,  1863. 

Hiram  Roberts,  Private,  Company  E,  1 1th  Infantry,  killed  at  Sharpsburg,  Md., 
September  17,  1862. 

Edward  E.  Rowe,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Petersburg, 
Va.,  March,  1865. 

Julius  Rogers,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Petersburg,  Va., 
September  21,  1864. 

William  H.  Slack,  Private,  Company  D,  11th  Infantry,  mortally  wounded  at 
Newberri,  N.  C,  March  22,  1862. 

Darwin  S.  Starks,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  August  23,  1863. 

John  M.  Teeter,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  1,  1864. 

Albert  [M.  Tuttle,  Private,  Company  D,  llth  Infantry,  killed  at  Cold  Harbor, 
June  3, 1864. 

John  K.  Twiss,  Sergeant,  Company  E,  llth  Infantry,  died  at  Richmond,  Va., 
May  1,  1864. 

Julius  Thorne,  Private,  Company  M,  1st  Regiment  of  Cavalry,  died  at  New  Haven, 
December  14,  1864. 

John  B.  Welch,  Assistant-Surgeon,  12th  Infantry,  died  at  Ship  Island,  February 
13,  1862. 

Howard  S.  Wheeler,  Private,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  died  of  scurvy  at  home 
after  muster  out. 

Mark  H.  Wheeler,  Private,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  killed  at  Port  Hudson,  La., 
June  14,  1863. 

Julius  Woodford,  Private,  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  January  30,  1864. 

William  S.  Watson,  Private,  Company  K,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at  Alexandria, 
Va.,  August  28,  1863. 

Columbus  C.  Wright,  Wagoner,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  died  at  Brashear  City, 
La.,  May  23,  1863. 

Cassius  Watson,  Private,  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  died  at  Brashear  City,  La., 
May  23,  1863. 

The  enlistments  by  families  is  a  notable  feature  of  the  volunteer  force 
of  this  town.  We  find  fourteen  instances  of  two  brothers  in  the  service, 
nine  instances  of  three  members  of  the  same  family,  two  of  four,  and  one 
of  six  connected  in  the  relation  of  father,  stepfather,  sons  and  stepsons. 
We  note  the  instances  embracing  three  or  more  members  of  one  family  :  — 

I.  Sons  of  Caleb  F.  Daniels— 

1.  Frederick  W.,  private  Company  D,  2d  Infantry,  and  ser- 

geant   Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  killed  at    Cold 
Harbor,  Va. 

2.  George,  private  Company  E,  7th  Infantry. 
61 


482  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

3.  Charles,   private  Company  G,  13th    Infantry,  promoted    t 
2d  Lieutenant. 

II.  Sons  of  Isaac  Downs — 

1.  Edwin  E.,  private  Company  E,  2d    Heavy  Artillery ;  dis- 

charged for  disability. 

2.  Lewis,  private  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery ;  killed    at 

Cold  Harbor,  Va. 

3.  George   C,  private   Company    C,    13th    Infantry;   died  of 

swamp  fever. 

III.  Sons  of  Rufus  M.  Eggleston— 

1.  Gustavus,  private  Company  B,  1st  squadron  cavalry. 

2.  Erastus, }    twins,  privates   Company  E,  11th  Infantry ;  dis- 

3.  Rufus,     J         charged  for  disability. 

4.  Lucius,  private  Company  H,  28th  Infantry  ;  died  of  swamp 

fever  on  Mississippi. 

IV.  Sons  of  Arad  Hosford — 

1.  Charles  L.,  sergeant  Company  E,  2d  Infantry,  captain  Com- 

pany  D,  11th  Infantry. 

2.  Benjamin  F.,  private  Company  E,  captain  2d  Heavy  Artil- 

lery, killed  at  Cedar  Creek. 

3.  William  A.,  1st  lieutenant  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 

V.     Sons  of  Sylvester  Hurlbut — 

1.  George  W.,  private  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died 

at  Alexandria,  Va. 

2.  William  S.,  private  company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  died  at 

Fort  Worth,  Va. 

3.  Andrew  M.,  private  Company  E,  11th  Infantry,  re-enlisted 

a  veteran. 

VI.     Sons  of  Anthony  Home — 

1.  Samuel  B.,  private  Company  C,  2d  Infantry,  captain   Com- 

pany F,  11th  Infantry,  provost-marshal  18th  Army  Corps. 

2.  Robert,  drummer  Company  F,  11th  Infantry,  wounded  at 

Petersburg,  Va. 

3.  John  J.,  private  Company  F,  15th  N.  Y.  Heavy  Artillery. 

VII.     Sons  of  Newton  Hart— 

1.  Davis,  private  Company  A,   10th   Massachusetts  Infantry, 

killed  at  Spotsylvania,  Va. 

2.  Geo.  L.,  private  Company  A,  10th  Massachusetts  Infantry. 

3.  Timothy  A.,  sergeant  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  483 

VIII.     Sons  of  Sylvanus  Pease — 

1.  Byron  W.,  assistant  surgeon  United  States  Colored  Engin- 

eers, La. 

2.  Frank  S.,  musician  Company  D,  11th  Infantry. 

3.  Robert,  musician  Company  I,  5th  Infantry. 

4.  James  A.,  private  Company  E,  7th  Infantry. 

IX.     William  H.  Rowe,  (father,)  musician  1st  Heavy  Artillery,  private 
Company  F,  28th  Infantry. 

1.  Edward  E.,  (son,)  private  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery, 

died  in  the  service. 

2.  Charles  H.,  (son,)  private  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 

X.     Sons  of  Elias  Rowley — 

1.  Henry  H,  private  Company  E,  7th  Infantry. 

2.  John  G.,  private  Company  E,  7th  Infantry. 

3.  Warren,  private,  Cavalry. 

4.  Ansel,  private,  Navy. 

XI.     Sons  of  John  Skinner — 

1.  Jeffrey,  1st  sergeant  Company  E,  2d  Infantry,  captain,  major, 

and  lieutenant-colonel,  2d  Heavy  Artillery. 

2.  Henry,  sergeant  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  lieutenant 

Companies  E  and  G,  captain  Company  B,  same  regiment. 

3.  Edward,  corporal  Company  G,  13th  Infantry. 

We  note,  in  closing  this  list,  a  mixed  family,  all  of  them  residents  of 
this  town,  before,  during,  or  immediately  after  the  war.  Francis  H.  Kin- 
ney was  father  of  two  sons,  and  Margaret,  his  second  wife,  was  mother, 
by  a  former  husband,  (Miller,)  of  three  sons,  all  of  whom  served  in  dif- 
ferent regiments,  as  follows: 

1.  Francis  H.  Kinney,  (father,)  private  Company  H,  loth  Infantry; 
discharged  for  disability. 

2.  Horace  Kinney,  (son,)  private  Company  E,  11th  Infantry,  and 
veteran. 

3.  George  Kinney,  (son,)  private  Company  D,  11th  Infantry,  trans 
ferred  to  20th  United  States  Cavalry. 

4.  David  Miller,  (step-son,)  color-bearer,  Company  D,  1st  Infantry, 
corporal  Company  E,  2d  Heavy  Artillery,  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor. 

5.  John  B.  Miller,  (step-son,)  private  Company  E.,  11th  Infantry;  vet- 
eran; promoted  to  lieutenant;  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va. 

6.  Frank  Miller,  (stepson,)  private  Company  A,  8th  Infantry;  wounded 
at  Cold  Harbor. 

The  three  Millers  belonged  to  three  distinct  regiments,  all  present  at 
Cold  Harbor;  were  all  wounded  successively  on  the  1st,  2d,  and  3d  days 


484  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

of  June,  1864,  and  were  successively  brought  to  the  hospital  at  Alexan- 
dria on  the  5th,  6th,  and  7th  days  of  the  same  month. 

Frank,  the  youngest  of  the  three  Millers,  was  fourteen  years  old  when 
he  enlisted.  He  was  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor  by  a  rifle  ball  in  the  shoul- 
der. Chloroform  was  twice  administered  to  him  preparatory  to  amputa- 
tion of  his  arm  at  the  shoulder  joint,  but  it  was  deferred,  through  fear  of  a 
fatal  result.     He  lived  to  become  a  strong,  hearty  man. 

From  the  foregoing  data  we  gather,  as  the  effective  force  of  Winchester 
men,  regularly  mustered  and  engaged  in  the  military  and  naval  service, 
and  honorably  discharged  therefrom,  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  efficient 
men,  thirty-four  of  whom  re-enlisted  for  second  terms  of  service,  early  in 
the  war,  and  twelve  or  more  re-enlisted  as  veterans,  after  three  years  of 
service. 

To  these  are  to  be  added  not  less  than  seventy -five  substitutes,  pur- 
chased by  the  town  authorities  in  the  bounty -jumping  shambles,  who  never 
resided  in  the  town,  and  whose  names  it  would  be  superfluous  to  give. 
Of  this  class  full  forty  deserted — most  of  them  immediately  after  receiv- 
ing their  bounty;  twenty  were  unassigned  or  not  taken  up  on  the  rolls; 
and  a  small  number  were  killed,  or  honorably  discharged  at  the  end  of 
their  terms  of  service,  and  are  named  among  the  effective  men. 

SUMMARY. 

Whole  number  of  effective  men,        -  352 

Men  enlisting  and  serving  second  terms,  -  -       46 

Deserters,  bounty-jumpers,  and  "dead  beats,"  -  75 


473 


Probably  no  army  in  the  world's  history  was  made  up  of  better  mate- 
rial in  the  aggregate  (Cromwell's  Ironsides  excepted)  than  the  volunteer 
force  of  the  United  States  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  ;  better  in  physi- 
cal power,  moral  training,  intelligence  and  social  standing,  but  unused,  at 
the  outset,  to  discipline  and  subordination.  There  was  enough  of  religious 
zeal  and  patriotic  ardor  to  call  into  the  field  thoughtful  and  high-princi- 
pled men,  rather  than  those  of  a  debased  order.  East  and  West  this  ele- 
ment predominated.  In  the  West  the  volunteers  were  mostly  farmers ; 
in  the  East  they  were  more  largely  intelligent  mechanics,  inferior  in  bone 
and  sinew,  but  excelling  in  elasticity  and  endurance.  Our  men,  to  a  large 
extent,  were  made  up  of  the  latter  class,  and  of  young  men  tenderly 
reared,  and  apparently  unfitted  to  endure  hardship  and  privation  ;  yet  an 
examination  of  the  foregoing  statistics  will  show  that  far  the  largest  pro- 
portion of  discharges  for  disability  and  deaths  by  disease  occurred  among 
the  agricultural  class. 

Among  the  evil  forebodings  at  the  beginning  of  the  conflict,  none  seemed 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  485 

better  warranted  than  that  a  whole  generation  of  young  men  would  be 
demoralized  by  the  debaucheries  of  army  life.  Experience  of  other  wars 
had  taught  this  lesson;  but  it  signally  failed  in  its  application  to  the 
younger  or  older  volunteers  of  this  town.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether, 
among  our  soldier  boys,  an  instance  can  be  found  where  a  young  man, 
entering  the  service  with  good  moral  and  temperate  habits,  has  returned 
to  civil  life  with  those  habits  essentially  deteriorated.  Almost  without 
exception,  they  at  once  resumed  their  accustomed  occupations  in  the 
factory,  on  the  farm,  and  at  the  counter,  or  embarked  in  new  fields  of  en- 
terprise suggested  by  their  enlarged  experience  and  observation. 

Another  foreboding  of  the  early  days  of  the  war  took  the  form  of  as- 
surance that  every  branch  of  manufacturing  and  mercantile  business  was 
to  be  prostrated,  that  farms  would  be  uncultivated,  that  the  rich  would 
become  poor,  and  that  the  poor  must  fight  or  starve.  An  all-wise  Provi- 
dence has  averted  these  evils.  Our  citizens  in  nearly  every  branch  of 
industry  and  business  have  been  prospered  during  the  ten  years  ending  in 
1871,  as  in  no  earlier  decade;  and  this  prosperity  has  resulted  from  no 
direct  government  patronage  in  the  way  of  army  contracts  or  war  specu- 
lations. 

The  pecuniary  outlay  of  the  town  in  bounties,  expenses  of  filling 
quotas  and  aid  of  soldiers'  families,  as  appears  by  the  accounts  of  the 
selectmen,  was  as  follows  : 

1861.  Paid  volunteers  and  their  families,      -  -  -  $      851.63 

1862.  "  expenses  of  rilling  quotas,  -  492.59 
"  bounties  on  enlistments,  ...  6,500.00 

1863.  "  bounties  and  expenses  of  filling  quotas,       -  -  16,110.00 

1864.  "  "  "  "              -  16,481.05 

1865.  "  "  "  "...  14,233.45 

1866.  "  "  "  "  300.00 

1867.  "  "  "  "...  8.53 


$54,977.25 

The  individual  contributions,  as  far  as  ascertained,  were  as  follows : 
Balance  of  cash  raised  in  1861  by  citizens  for  purchase  of  ma- 
terials for  soldiers'  uniforms,  and  for  support  of  their  families, 

and  not  refunded  by  the  state,   -            -            -            -            -  S    676.14 

Cash  paid  by  individuals  for  filling  quota  in  1864,     -            -  664.42 

Bounties  of  $10  each  to  100  men  by  Elliot  Beardsley,     -            -  1,000.00 

Bounties  paid  by  other  citizens  (estimated),                -            -  2,000.00 

$4,340.56 
A  large  amount  of  hospital  stores,  clothing,  bedding,  provisions,  and 
cash  were  furnished  by  female  societies,  only  a  portion  of  which  can  be 
ascertained,  by  reason  of  the  imperfect  records  made  of  the  same.  We 
compile  from  such  records  and  memoranda  as  have  been  preserved,  the 
following  items : 


486  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Making  up  103  uniforms  from  materials  paid  for  by  the  state,     -    $    412.00 

"           112  shirts  (cloth  furnished),           -            -            -  84.00 

200  linen  havelocks,            ------  100.00 

Sent  to  Christian  Commission,  16  boxes  and  barrels  of  clothing, 

bedding  and  hospital  stores,  valued  at        -            -            -  688.18 

.  Cash,  proceeds  of  tableaux  exhibition,      -  252.50 

To  Sanitary  Commission,  hospital  articles  and  stores,  -  476  39 
To  Mrs.  Harris,  Supt.  of  Hospitals,  Phila.,  hospital  articles  and 

stores,     --------  370.71 

To  Freedmen's  and  Refugee  Aid  Societies,        ...  1 550.50 

To  Soldiers'  Aid  Society,  -  -  -  ■  -  -  31.70 
To  Soldiers  in   Connecticut  Regiments,  96  barrels  and  15  boxes 

vegetables,  provisions,  and  stores,          ...            -  635.00 

$4,600.98 

The  above  articles,  estimated  below  their  value,  and  comprising  an 
infinite  variety  of  articles,  were  mainly  furnished  by  one  of  our  two 
female  organizations.  Of  the  number  and  value  of  articles  supplied  by 
the  other  society,  we  have  obtained  no  statement,  but  may  safely  estimate 
them  at  $2,081.21 ;  and  so  estimating  them,  we  have  the  following  sum- 
mary of  town  expense. 

Town  expenses,              _.--.-_  $48,977.25 

Cash  items  by  citizens  of  the  town,  ...  4,340.56 
Clothing,  bedding,  hospital  stores,  provisions  and  cash  from 

West  Winsted  Soldiers'  Aid  Society,  -  -  -  4,600.98 
Similar  articles  furnished  by  other  societies  and  individuals 

(estimated), 2,081.21 

Grand  Total,  -  $60,000.00 

The  contributions  furnished  by  the  female  society  above  named,  are 
specified  with  great  particularity  and  precision,  and  are  largely  made  up 
of  the  most  valuable  and  indispensable  articles  of  clothing  and  bedding, 
the  cost  of  materials  worked  up  and  paid  for  in  cash,  making  a  large  part 
of  their  estimated  value. 

One  item  of  hospital  stores,  nowhere  enumerated,  was  the  product  of 
ninety-five  bushels  of  blackberries,  which  were  gathered  in  one  day, 
mostly  by  females,  on  a  proposition  of  Gail  Borden,  Esq.,  that  he  would 
convert  into  jam  all  the  blackberries  so  gathered  in  one  day,  at  the 
condensed  milk  factory  owned  in  part  by  him,  the  sugar  and  cans  being 
paid  for. 


Note. — The  compiler  has  learned,  since  this  chapter  went  to  press,  that  our  worthy 
neighbor,  Caleb  P:  Newman,  First  Sergeant  of  Company  B,  2d  Infantry,  and  1st 
Lieutenant  of  Company  F,  28th  Infantry,  had  signed  an  enlistment  paper  before  the 
meeting  at  which  Captain  Home  enrolled  his  name. 


CHAPTER     XXXIV. 

BUSINESS  OPERATIONS   AS  AFFECTED   BY  THE  REBELLION— BUILDING   OPERATIONS- 
INCREASE  OF  TAXABLE  PROPERTY— CONNECTICUT  WESTERN  RAILROAD- 
TEMPERANCE  REFORM  AND  DECADENCE— MASONIC  SOCIETIES. 

1861    TO    1872. 

Amid  the  enthusiasm  and  firm  resolve  of  the  loyal  masses  of  the 
North,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion,  there  was  among  intelligent  men 
a  consciousness  of  a  mighty  struggle  impending,  and  a  belief  that  it 
would  be  attended  with  ruin  to  all  our  business  interests.  The  merchant 
encouraged  his  clerks  to  volunteer,  by  assurances  that  their  places 
should  be  kept  open  for  their  occupancy  on  their  return  from  military 
service,  and  by  pecuniary  bounties.  The  manufacturers  held  out  like- 
inducements  to  their  operatives. 

The  struggle  was  mightier  and  longer  than  was  apprehended  ;  but 
business  interests  were  only  partially  affected  or  deranged.  In  our  com- 
munity the  only  business  entirely  suspended  was  the  manufacture  of 
planters'  hoes  for  the  southern  market.  The  business  employed  a  large 
number  of  men,  who  were  represented  in  most  of  the  battle  fields  of  the 
Atlantic  States.*  Other  manufacturing  establishments  for  a  time 
reduced  their  business,  but  soon  found  it  enlarged  in  amount  and  profit. 
The  evil  day  of  collapse  and  ruin  apprehended  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  was  not  realized,  but  was  foreboded  at  its  end.  At  the  end  of  seven 
years,  after  the  return  of  peace  —  thanks  to  the  wise  management  of  the 
financial  affairs  of  the  nation  —  no  business  revulsion  has  occurred. 
Nearly  four  hundred  millions  of  national  debt  —  to  say  nothing  of  state 
and  town  debts  approaching  an  equal  amount — have  been  paid  off,  and 
the  business  affairs  of  the  country  were  seldom  more  prosperous.  Very 
few  new  dwellings  or  factories  were  erected  during  that  period,  but 
nearly  all  the  dwellings  previously  built  with  funds  borrowed  from 
savings  and  building  associations,  and  afterwards  sold  to  speculating 
capitalists,  found  purchasers  at  largely  advanced  prices,  and  came  into 
the  hands  of  substantial  resident  owners.     Population  rapidly  increased 

*  We  have,  in  the  preceding  chapter,  noticed  six  members  of  one  family  who 
served  in  various  regiments,  all  of  whom — with  perhaps  one  exception  —  had  been 
employed  in  this  branch  of  business. 


488  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

from  year  to  year,  though  the  increase  has  hardly  been  noticeable  by 
reason  of  the  crowding  to  a  large  extent  of  two  or  more  families  in 
buildings  previously  occupied  by  only  one. 

Owing  to  the  great  increase  of  taxation,  falling  more  largely  on  real 
estate  than  on  personal  property  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other 
hand  the  inducements  held  out  to  investors  by  ten  per  cent,  mortgages? 
railroad  bonds  and  stocks,  but  few  tenant  houses  have  been  erected  in 
the  borough  since  1860  by  capitalist  or  manufacturer. 

During  the  twelve  years  since  1860,  the  following  public  buildings, 
factory  buildings,  and  stores  have  been  erected. 

The  gx-aded  school  building  in  west  district  was  built  in  1867,  at  a  cost 
of  $19,400. 

Number  of  scholars  on  the  roll  November,  1872,         -         -         310 

Number  of  teachers,  -------  5 

Aggregate  amount  of  salaries,  ____"-    $4,600 

The  graded  school  building  in  the  east  section  was  built  in  1870,  at  a 
cost  of  $15,000. 

Number  of  scholars  enrolled  November,  1872,  -  -  160 

Number  of  teachers,  -  4 

Aggregate  amount  of  salaries,  -  $2,302 

The  monastery  building  of  St.  Francis'  Literary  and  Theological 
Seminary  was  erected  in  1867.  Connected  with  the  seminary  is  a  parish 
school,  with  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  scholars,  under  charge  of  Sisters  of 
the  third  Order  of  St.  Francis ;  and  also  the  Academy  of  St.  Margaret  of 
Cortona,  for  tuition  of  young  ladies  in  the  higher  branches. 

The  borough  building  and  lock-up  was  erected  in  1861. 

The  Woodford  four-story  brick  block,  containing  a  store,  banking 
office,  and  masonic  hall,  was  finished  in  1861. 

Dudley's  three- story  brick  block,  containing  four  store  tenements,  was 
erected  in  1861. 

Moore's  south  three-story  wooden  block,  containing  fish  market,  smith 
shop,  and  stove  warehouse,  was  erected  in  1866. 

Moore's  north  three  story  wooden  block,  containing  clothing  store  and 
feed  store,  erected  1869. 

Phelps'  three-story  wooden  block,  containing  millinery  and  drug  stores, 
erected  in  1868. 

Oilman  &  Hallett's  three-story  wooden  block,  containing  two  store 
tenements,  erected  in  1872. 

Hicks'  three-story  Hotel,  corner  of  Main  and  Park  streets,  erected  in 
1.H70  on  the  site  of  the  old  Stevens'  House. 

Gilbert  Clock  Company's  brick  factory  on  north  side  of  Wallen  street, 
built  on  site  of  factory  burned  in  1871,  erected  in  1871. 

Gilbert  Clock  Co.'s  brick  factory,  south  of  Wallen  street,  erected  in  1872. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  489 

Strong  Manufacturing  Company's  building  erected  in  1866. 

Gilman  Carriage  Company's  building  erected  in  1866. 

The  four  story  brick  block,  north  of  the  Beardsley  House,  on  Main 
street,  containing  two  store  tenements  and  a  banking  office,  erected  by 
the  Beardsley  family  in  1872. 

The  Music  Hall  building,  erected  in  1872  by  a  joint-stock  company, 
a  brick  and  iron  structure,-  fronting  fifty-six  feet  on  Main  and  126  feet 
on  Elm  street,  is  three  stories  above  the  basement  floor,  and  surmounted 
by  a  Mansard  roof,  contains  a  public  hall  54  by  92  feet,  and  three  store 
tenements  on  the  first  floor.  Adjoining  it  on  the  east,  and  in  the  same 
style  and  material,  is  a  block  of  48  feet  front,  containing  a  banking  office 
and  a  store  tenement,  erected  by  John  G.  Wetmore. 

The  Connecticut  Western  Railroad  Depot,  on  Lake  street,  was  erected 
in  1872,  in  part  by  funds  appropriated  by  the  railroad  company,  and  in 
part  by  contributions  of  George  Dudley  and  other  citizens. 

The  dwelling  houses  erected  by  resident  owners,  though  limited  in 
number,  have  been  of  a  superior  order  in  style,  architectural  proportions, 
and  conveniences.  Among  them  we  note  the  following,  with  their  loca- 
tions and  date  of  erection  : — 

Dwelling  of  Thomas  M.  Clarke,  on  Elm  street,  in  1864. 

"  John  G.  Wetmore,  on  Hinsdale  street,  in  1867. 

"  James  R.  Alvord,  on  Meadow  street,  in  1867. 

"  David  Strong,  on  Walnut  street,  in  1869. 

"  E.  R.  Beardsley  (built  by  Seth  L.  Wilder,  deceased),  on 

Main  street,  in  1862. 

"  George  F.  Barton,  on  Prospect  street,  in  1869. 

"  Edward  Clarke,  on  Hinsdale  street,  in  1870. 

"  James  G.  Woodruff,  on  North  Main  street,  in  1870. 

"  William  C.  Phelps,  on  High  street,  in  1870. 

"  T.  M.  V.  Doughty,  on  Union  street,  in  1862. 

"  William  McAlpine,  on  Hinsdale  street,  in  1871. 

"  James  Cone,  "  "         in  1872. 

«  Wm.  L.  Camp,  "  "         in  1872. 

"  F.  L.  Pond,  "  "         in  1872. 

"  Wm.  C.  Welch,  on  Main  street,  in  1871. 

"  Julius  Gregory,  Beach  street,  in  1870. 

"  Patrick  Reidy,  Elm  street,  1870. 

«  Charles  J,  York,     «  1871. 

"  Jos.  W.  Parsons,  Beach  street,  1871. 

"  Charles  L.  Norton,  Elm  street,  1871. 

62 


490 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


We  compile  from  the  lists  of  1861  and  1871  abstracts  of  taxable  prop- 
erty in  Winsted,  and  also  whole  amount  of  assessments  of  the  whole 
town  : — 


1861. 

1871. 

Description  of  Property. 

No. 

Valuation. 

No. 

Valuation. 

Dwelling  houses,      - 

502 

$514,450 

555 

770,225 

Acres  of  land,      ...        - 

8,800 

186,884 

217,426 

Factories,  mills,  and  stores, 

77 

201,500 

93 

279,150 

Horses,         ----- 

219 

17,780 

285 

33,745 

Neat  catttle, 

758 

14,847 

872 

19,941 

Sheep  and  swine, 

259 

289 

Carriages,  &c,          - 

9,201 

23,150 

Farming  utensils,         ... 

125 

Clocks  and  watches,          ... 

6,354 

14,281 

Musical  instruments,    - 

6,020 

13,875 

Extra  furniture,        - 

5,550 

14,935 

Bank  stocks,         - 

204,344 

186,556 

State  stocks, 

2,100 

Eailroad  bonds,    -         -         -         - 

21,188 

328,585 

Invested  in  merchandize,  - 

90,350 

140,415 

"         manufacturing,  - 

113,900 

191,200 

"         steamboats,    - 

9,500 

Money  at  interest,        - 

79,443 

216,767 

Money  on  hand,        .... 

3,428 

16,150 

Taxable  property, 

270 

8,075 

$1,475,768 

$2,486,490 

We  omit  the  taxable  polls  on  account  of  changes  in  valuation  from 
time  to  time,  and  the  variation  of  numbers  exempted  for  various 
reasons. 

The  whole  number  of  unexempt  polls  in  1861  was,         -         -     645 
While  in  1871  the  number  was  reduced  to     -         -         -  ■      -     451 


In  1840  the  taxable  property  of  the  whole  town  was,        $    477,865 
In  1851  "  "  "  1,023,875 

In  1861  "  "  "  1,750,921 

In  1871  «  "  "  2,759,943 

Polls  not  included. 
The  population  of  the  town,  at  the  periods  specified,  was  as  follows: — 


By  census  of  1756, 
"  "  1774, 
"  "  1781, 
"  "  1800, 
"  "  1810, 
«         "  1820, 


24 

339 

688 

1,368 

1,466 

1,601 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  491 

By  census  of  1830, 1,766 

"  1840, 1,667 

«         "  1850, 2,179 

"         "  1860, 3,550 

"         «  1870,  -         -     .  -        -        -         -  4,102 

After  the  opening  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  in  1850,  the  necessity  of 
a  railroad  communication  eastward  to  the  Connecticut  River,  and  west- 
ward to  the  Hudson,  hecaine  more  and  more  apparent,  hut  until  recently 
seemed  impracticable,  by  reason  of  the  high  grades  and  circuitous  lines 
required  in  running  roads  easterly  and  westerly  over  the  mountain 
ranges  between  the  Hudson  and  Connecticut  rivers. 

The  steady  growth  of  Collinsville,  New  Hartford,  and  Winsted,  and 
the  great  enlargement  of  the  iron  interests  of  Salisbury  and  Canaan, 
stimulated  the  desire  to  overcome  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  enterprise, 
which  had  seemed  to  the  communities  interested  to  be  insuperable. 

Public  attention  was  first  called  to  the  practicability  of  the  enterprise 
by  E.  T.  Butler,  Esq.,  of  Norfolk,  in  1865,  and  mainly  through  his  instru- 
mentality, experimental  surveys  were  made  during  that  year;  and  in 
1866  a  charter  was  granted  to  "The  Connecticut  Western  Railroad 
Company,"  with  power  to  construct  a  road  from  Collinsville,  Conn.,  to 
the  Massachusetts  state  line  on  the  border  of  North  Canaan.  Strenuous 
efforts  were  made  by  Mr.  Butler  and  others  to  interest  capitalists  in  the 
scheme.  The  Boston  and  Erie  Railroad  Company  were  vainly  solicited 
to  make  the  route  a  part  of  their  line.  Hartford  and  Springfield  capital- 
ists were  appealed  to  in  vain.  The  Canal  Railroad  Company  would  have 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Harlem,  Housatonic,  and  Naugatuck  Com- 
panies, with  which  it  was  to  form  connections,  gave  it  a  cold  shoulder. 

At  this  nearly  hopeless  stage  of  the  enterprise,  the  Dutchess  and 
Columbia  Railroad  Company,  under  the  auspices  of  George  H.  Brown, 
Esq..  of  Washington  Valley,  N.  Y.,  had  completed  their  road  from  Fish- 
kill,  on  the  Hudson,  opposite  Newburg,  to  near  Pine  Plains  in  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  were  seeking  an  eastern  connection.  The  existence 
of  the  Connecticut  Western  Charter  was  made  known  to  Mr.  Brown, 
who,  with  characteristic  energy,  at  once  embarked  with  Mr.  Butler  and 
others  in  the  enterprise.  A  new  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Legisla- 
ture of  1868,  granting  power  to  extend  the  road  from  the  City  of 
Hartford  to  Collinsville;  thence  to  follow  the  line  of  the  charter  of  1866 
through  New  Hartford,  Winsted,  and  Norfolk ;  and  thence  to  diverge 
westerly  through  North  Canaan  and  Salisbury,  in  the  direction  of 
Millerton,  on  the  Harlem  Railroad,  so  as  to  connect  with  the  Dutchess 
and  Columbia  Railroad  at  the  state  line.  The  charter  authorized  towns 
along  the  line  of  the  road,  in  their  corporate  capacity,  to  subscribe  and 


492  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

pay  for  stock  in  the  road  to  an  amount  not  exceeding  five  per  cent,  of 
their  grand  lists  last  made  up,  on  being  empowered  so  to  do  by  a  two- 
third  vote  of  the  inhabitants  of  such  towns  at  meetings  duly  called  and 
notified  for  that  purpose. 

The  town  of  Winchester,  on  the  22d  of  August,  1868,  by  a  ballot 
of  366  to  66,  voted  a  subscription  of  five  per  cent,  on  its  list,  amounting 
to  $116,000,  to  the  stock  of  the  company,  and  individual  citizens  of  the 
town  made  further  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  $74,900.  Winchester 
was  the  first  town  on  the  line  to  vote  on  this  test  question,  the  result  of 
which  was  to  determine  whether  the  road  should  be  carried  through. 
Subscriptions  of  other  towns  along  the  line  were  soon  afterwards  voted 
as  follows : — 

Salisbury,  by  town,       $50,000  By  citizens,      $103,090* 

Canaan,  "  34,000  "  16,000 

Norfolk,  "  41,500  «  10,800 

Canton,  "  40,000  "  0,000 

Simsbury,        "  50,000  "  20,100 

Bloomfield,      "  42,300  "  25,900 

Hartford,         «  750,000  "  64,000 

Add  Winchester,    "  116,000  "  74,900 

The  surveys,  estimates,  and  location  of  the  road  were  completed  in 
1870,  and  the  whole  line  was  put  under  contract  immediately  afterward. 
The  first  passenger  train  passed  over  the  road  from  Hartford  to  Miller- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  on  the  21st  December,  1871,  and  returned  the  same  day,  and 
since  then  the  communication  has  been  uninterrupted.  Its  connections 
with  other  roads  along  its  line,  and  at  its  termini,  will  make  it  a  trunk 
line  of  equal  importance  with  the  other  east  and  west  roads  of  New 
England.  Its  connections  with  roads  already  completed,  are  with  three 
roads  at  Hartford,  with  the  Canal  Road  at  Simsbury,  its  branch  at 
Collinsville,  the  Naugatuck  at  Winsted,  the  Housatonic  at  Canaan,  the 
Pokeepsie  and  Eastern,  and  the  Dutchess  &  Columbia  at  state  line,  and 
the  Harlem  at  Millerton.  Other  connections  are  shortly  to  be  completed 
with  the  Connecticut  River  and  Boston  &  Albany  roads  at  Springfield, 
the  Collinsville  &  New  Britain  branch  at  Collinsville,  the  Farmington 
River  Road  from  Lee  to  New  Hartford,  or  Winsted,  and  the  road  from 
Rliinebeck  on  the  Hudson  to  the  slate  line,  the  three  latter  now  in  process 
of  construction. 

With  these  new  avenues  of  intercourse  with  every  portion  of  New 
England,  and  especially  with  direct  access  to  the  coal  fields  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and   the  wheat  and  lumber  regions  of  the  great  West,  a  rapid 

*  This  amount  of  private  subscriptions  is  supposed  to  include  a  subscription  of 
$50,000  by  Mr.  Brown  of  the  Dutchess  and  Columbia  Railroad. 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  498 

growth    in    the    population    and    wealth    of    Winsted    is    confidently 
anticipated. 

In  the  regular  course  of  our  annals,  the  great  temperance  movement, 
which  has  contributed  largely  to  the  prosperity  and  moral  improvement 
of  our  community,  and  which  has  been  largely  promoted  by  our  citizens, 
has  found  no  place. 

As  early  as  1825  the  Temperance  Reform,  by  organized  associations, 
began  to  be  agitated  in  this  vicinity.  Able  lecturers  from  time  to  time 
appeared  among  us,  setting  forth  the  evils  of  intemperate  drinking,  its 
almost  universal  prevalence,  and  the  remedy  to  be  found  in  total  absti- 
nence from  spirituous  liquors,  and  associated  action  in  enlightening  the 
public  mind,  and  aiding  the  intemperate  in  their  endeavors  to  abandon 
their  evil  habits.  It  was  then  thought  that  abstinence  from  distilled 
liquors  would  remove  the  giant  evil  of  the  country,  and  the  original 
societies  were  organized  on  a  pledge  thus  limited. 

We  have  before  us  the  records  of  the  Winsted  Temperance  Society, 
organized  August  16,  1829,  as  an  auxiliary  of  the  Litchfield  County 
Society,  and  based  on  the  following  pledge : — 

"  The  members  of  this  society,  believing  that  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors  for  persons  in  health  is  not  only  unnecessary  but  hurtful,  and  that 
the  practice  is  the  cause  of  forming  intemperate  appetites  and  habits,  and 
that  while  it  continues  the  evils  of  intemperance  can  never  be  prevented, 
do  therefore  agree  that  we  will  abstain  from  the  use  of  distilled  spirits, 
except  as  medicines  in  case  of  bodily  hurt  or  sickness ;  that  we  will  not 
allow  the  use  of  it  in  our  families,  nor  provide  it  for  the  entertainment  of 
our  fritnds  or  persons  in  our  employ,  and  that  in  all  suitable  ways  we 
will  discountenance  the  use  of  it  in  the  community." 

This  and  other  societies  at  that  period  formed  in  nearly  every  town  in 
the  county  and  state,  was  organized  for  active  work,  and  fulfilled  its 
mission.  The  county  society,  composed  of  delegates  from  its  auxiliaries, 
assembled  monthly  with  some  one  of  these,  received  reports  of  the  state 
of  the  work  in  all  the  towns,  consulted  on  measures  promotive  of  the 
cause,  and  heard  addresses  from  its  ablest  advocates.  The  subordinate 
societies  were  stimulated  to  activity  by  reports  from  their  delegates,  and 
guided  in  their  course  of  action  by  the  combined  wisdom  and  experience 
of  the  parent  society. 

For  several  years  the  county  meetings  were  crowded  by  delegates  and 
friends  of  the  cause.  The  work  went  bravely  on.  The  auxiliary  socie- 
ties at  every  meeting  called  for  signers  of  the  pledge,  and  appointed 
frequent  committees  to  go  from  house  to  house  circulating  temperance 
tracts,  and  soliciting  new  recruits.  Lecturing  agents  were  employed  to 
address  the  children  in  the  school  districts,  and  enroll  them  in  temperance 
bands. 


494  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  original  members  of  the  Winsted  Society  were:  Rev.  James 
Beach,  Solomon  Rockwell,  Asaph  Pease,  Willard  Holmes,  Salmon  Burr, 
Austin  Crane,  Norman  Palmer,  William  S.  Holabird,  Anson  Cook,  James 
H.  Alvord,  Lyman  Case,  Sidney  Munson,  Horace  E.  Rockwell,  Erastus 
Woodford,  Josiah  Smith,  Leumas  H.  Pease,  and  Eleazer  Andrews.  Ac- 
cessions of  members  were  rapidly  made  from  month  to  month,  until,  in 
1836,  there  were  enrolled  297  males  and  268  females.  At  the  outset,  it 
was  a  mooted  question  whether  females  had  any  temperance  rights  the 
lords  of  the  creation  were  bound  to  recognize  by  admitting  them  to  mem- 
bership in  the  society.  The  question  was  speedily  decided  affirmatively, 
and  their  efficient  co-operation  in  the  cause  was  secured. 

The  active  laborers  in  the  temperance  field  at  this  day  can  but  faintly 
realize  the  obstacles  encountered,  and  the  prejudices  overcome  by  the 
pioneers  of  this  movement.  At  the  outset,  the  Methodist  body,  which 
eventually  furnished  many  of  the  noblest  and  most  persistent  workers  in 
the  common  cause,  conceived  that  their  churches  were  strict  temperance 
bodies,  competent  to  carry  on  the  cause  by  enforcement  of  their  discipline. 
This  exclusiveness,  however,  was  short-lived,  and  was  followed  by  a  hearty 
co-operation  of  the  membership  in  the  general  work.  There  were  also 
religionists  of  diverse  persuasions  who  prated  and  canted  about  the  sin  of 
rejecting  any  good  creature  of  God,  and  of  covenanting  with  associates 
without  the  pale  of  the  church.  This  class  of  opposers  were  in  high  favor 
with  the  drinking  masses,  who  felt  assured  of  their  competency  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  and  who  scorned  to  sign  away  their  own  liberty. 

Nevertheless,  the  doctrine  of  abstinence  gained  ground  rapidly,  and  to 
short-sighted  observers  seemed  to  promise  a  speedy  renovation  of  society. 
Distilling  of  spirits  by  Christian  men  was  generally  abandoned.  Respect- 
able traders  and  taverners  ceased  to  sell  the  villainous  compounds.  Farmers 
and  manufacturers,  to  a  large  extent,  ceased  furnishing  them  to  their  work- 
men. But  a  radical  defect  in  the  pledge  of  abstinence  soon  became  appa- 
rent. It  embraced  only  distilled  spirits  in  its  prohibition  ;  and  by  impli- 
cation sanctioned  the  use  of  fermented  drinks,  as  harmless.  The  conse- 
quence was,  that  habitual  and  intemperate  drinkers,  the  classes  to  be  ar- 
rested in  their  downward  course,  naturally  and  almost  inevitably  resorted 
to  fermented  drinks  to  satisfy  and  perpetuate  their  craving  appetites.  The 
poor  inebriate  substituted  hard  cider  for  cider  brandy,  and  ale  for  whisky  ; 
while  the  richer  one  found  in  highly-drugged  wine  a  solace  for  abstinence 
from  cogniac  brandy.  It  was  not  pleasant  nor  edifying  to  hear  half-boozy 
guzzlers  of  wine,  ale,  and  cider,  expatiating  on  the  benefits  of  abstinence 
from  rot-gut  in  a  distilled  form.  It  sometimes  seemed  better  that  they 
should  speedily  terminate  their  drunken  career  by  use  of  the  concentrated 
poisons  than  to  dishonor  a  noble  cause  by  their  advocacy  and  example. 

Nevertheless,  very  many  who  signed  the  limited  pledge,  carried  out  the 


AND  FAMILY  EECORDS.  495 

principles  on  which  it  was  based  by  abstaining  from  every  form  of  alcoholic 
drinks ;  and  thus  the  original  organization  was  productive  of  incalculable 
good. 

The  transition  from  the  first  to  the  second  stage  of  temperance  reform 
was  gradual  in  the  Winsted  Society.  Earnest  and  conscientious  members, 
from  time  to  time,  affixed  the  letters  T.  T.  A.  to  their  names,  subscribed 
to  the  original  pledge,  thereby  binding  themselves  to  total  abstinence  from 
all  intoxicating  drinks.  A  new  life  and  activity  became  apparent  as  these 
cabalistic  letters  were  appended  to  the  names  of  members.  By  the  close 
of  183H,  every  active  member  of  the  society  had  become  a  radical  Tee 
Totaller,  while  many  partially  reformed  members  had  fallen  by  the  way 
side  and  many  other  once  zealous  members  had  become  neutral  or  hostile 
to  the  cause. 

At  or  near  this  period  the  original  society  was  re-organized ;  or  rather, 
it  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  abstinents  from  ardent  spirits  only,  and 
forthwith  died  of  inanition ;  and  a  new  society  was  organized  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Winsted  Total  Abstinence  Society."  Every  live  member 
of  the  old  organization  who  had  super-added  to  his  name  the  total,  or 
"  tee-total,"  abstinence  initials,  joined  the  new  society.  Its  members  were 
active  and  earnest,  and  accessions  of  new  members  were  made  at  every 
monthly  meeting.  Nearly  every  business  man,  and  every  trader  in  the 
town  became  an  active  member  of  the  society,  or  an  outspoken  advocate 
of  its  principles.  Every  store-keeper  in  town  ceased  to  buy  or  sell  intox- 
icating liquors.  We  had  few,  if  any,  saloons  in  those  days,  and  no  apoth- 
ecaries. Taverners,  on  applying  for  liquor  licenses,  were  steadfastly  re- 
fused by  the  civil  authorities.  Respectable  farmers  were  ashamed  to  bring 
into  the  village  their  barrels  of  cider  for  sale  to  the  topers.  Not  a  few 
of  them  cut  down  their  ungrafted  apple  trees,  and  many  others  fed  their 
apples  to  their  stock.  The  cider  mills  rotted  down  or  were  torn  down, 
and  the  buildings  were  appropriated  to  better  uses.  We  speak  advisedly 
when  we  say  that  public  opinion  and  public  action  had  reached  this  stage 
in  our  community  years  before  the  advent  of  the  great  Washingtonian 
temperance  movement. 

Our  limits  permit  only  a  brief  allusion  to  the  first  legislative  acts  giving 
to  towns  the  right  to  prohibit  the  sale  of  liquors  within  their  borders. 
Winchester  first  voted  for  prohibition ;  a  second  meeting  was  called  and 
voted  for  licensing  the  traffic  ;  a  third  meeting,  and  a  fourth,  voted  as  the 
first  had  done,  and  the  contest  was  abandoned.  In  these  meetings, 
the  principles  of  Total  Abstinence  were  thoroughly  ventilated  in  the 
presence  of  men  who  had  never  attended  a  temperance  meeting.  Argu- 
ments long  before  worn  trite  and  threadbare  in  temperance  meetings, 
found  a  lodgment  in  the  consciences  of  many  who  had  never  before,  heard 
them.     The  law  which  had  given  occasion  for  these  municipal  debating  so- 


496  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

cieties  was  repealed  by  an  adverse  legislature,  but  the  results  were  abiding. 
The  moral  suasion  movement  went  onward. 

In  1840  or  1841,  the  Washingtonian  movement  was  initiated  by  an 
association  of  intemperate  mechanics  in  Baltimore,  who  banded  together 
for  mutual  aid  in  freeing  tbemselves  from  the  slavery  of  intemperance,  by 
a  pledge  of  abstinence  from  all  intoxicating  liquors.  Large  numbers  of 
intemperate  men  flocked  to  their  standard.  Their  delegates  went  abroad 
and  organized  associate  bands  in  many  of  the  neighboring  cities.  John 
Hawkins,  the  ablest  of  the  pioneers  in  this  movement,  came  to  Hartford 
during  the  legislative  session  in  1842.  His  public  addresses  made  a  pro- 
found impression  on  the  members  of  tbe  legislature  and  every  class  of 
citizens.  A  Washingtonian  society,  embracing  a  large  portion  of  the 
intemperate  men  of  Hartford,  was  at  once  formed.  Every  member  was 
an  apostle  of  faith  and  good  works  in  advancing  the  cause. 

Delegates  from  this  society  came  to  Winsted  in  the  summer  of  1842, 
and  were  cordially  received.  They  related  their  personal  experiences, 
their  emancijuation  from  the  slavery  of  intemperate  drinking,  their  im 
proved  condition,  the  happiness  and  comfort  of  their  families,  and  their 
own  conscious  manhood.  They  were  listened  to  by  crowded  and  thought- 
ful audiences  ;  but  they  departed  without  obtaining  a  signature  to  the  new 
pledge.  On  the  day  after  their  departure,  however,  the  fruits  of  their 
labor  of  love  became  manifest.  Some  twelve  to  fifteen  men,  most  of 
them  habitual  drinkers,  who  had  ever  before  kept  aloof  from  the  tem- 
perance movement,  came  in  a  body  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Total  Absti- 
nence Society  and  enrolled  their  names  on  the  pledge.  Others  speedily 
followed  their  example ;  and  in  ten  days  nearly  every  habitual  drinker  in 
the  place  had  signed  the  pledge. 

The  new  converts  soon  embodied  themselves  in  a  distinctive  Washing- 
tonian Society,  which  was  also  joined  largely  by  members  of  the  old 
Total  Abstinence  Society,  which  thereafter  became  dormant,  leaving  the 
temperance  work  in  the  hands  of  the  more  popular  and  zealous 
organization. 

The  principle  of  total  abstinence,  after  an  agitation  of  near  fifteen 
years,  had  now  become  an  article  of  faith  and  practice  in  this  community. 
Its  positions  were  unassailed  and  unassailable.  The  old  west  village 
tavern,  the  last  stronghold  of  the  rumselling  interest,  had  finally  suc- 
cumbed to  the  power  of  moral  and  legal  suasion.  Not  a  haunt,  above  or 
below  ground,  existed  where  liquors  could  be  obtained  in  large  or  small 
quantities,  without  extreme  privacy.  We  were  in  advance  of  any  other 
town  in  the  county. 

The  new  organization,  formed  in  the  midst  of  excitement,  and  con- 
trolled by  recent,  though  earnest  converts  to  the  temperance  cause,  lacked 
the  steadfastness  of  its  predecessor.     Its  action  was  spasmodic  rather 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  497 

than  persistent.  Some  of  its  most  zealous  members  fell  away  within  the 
first  year  of  its  life ;  others  followed  in  the  downward  road ;  the  cause 
was  dishonored,  and  the  organization  paralyzed.  Yet,  the  vital  principle 
had  become  deeply  rooted  and  widely  pervading.  Without  combined  effort 
advancing  progress  ceased,  though  retrogression  was  hardly  perceptible 
until  the  opening  of  the  Naugatuck  Railroad  in  1849,  and  the  consequent 
influx  of  new  inhabitants  not  trained  to  temperance  principles  and  habits. 
A  more  free  intercourse  with  the  outside  world,  and  a  rapid  increase  of 
population  and  wealth,  tended  to  a  relaxation  of  moral  sentiment,  and  an 
acquiescence  in  fashionable  customs  and  indulgences.  Moral  suasion 
had  signally  reformed  our  community  up  to  the  time  of  the  Washing- 
tonian  movement,  but  it  lost  its  power  over  men  recreant  to  their  solemn 
pledges,  and  over  both  the  fashionable  and  degraded  classes  of  new 
comers. 

The  advocacy  of  severe  prohibitory  laws  indicated  decadence  rather 
than  advance  in  the  reformatory  movement.  Such  laws  became  a  neces- 
sity, growing  out  of  a  relaxation  of  persuasive  efforts. 

In  1854  a  legislature  favorable  to  entire  prohibition  was  chosen,  and 
the  Maine  Law  was  enacted.  Public  sentiment  was  in  accord  with  its 
stringent  provtsions.  It  carried  terror  to  the  hearts  of  conscienceless  rum 
sellers,  and  filled  the  prohibitionists  with  rejoicing.  For  a  time  it  worked 
like  a  charm.  The  open  traffic  in  liquors  was  in  a  great  measure  aban- 
doned. Drunken  men  were  arrested  and  fined,  and  prosecutions  were 
instituted  against  open  and  secret  traffickers.  It  was  easy  to  convict  and 
fine  the  poor  inebriates,  but  to  bring  to  justice  the  shrewd  and  unscrupu- 
lous panderers  to  their  vitiated  appetites  was  a  far  more  arduous  under- 
taking. It  was  found,  as  a  general  and  almost  invariable  rule,  that 
vitiated  customers  refused  to  betray  the  sellers  of  intoxicating  liquors, 
and  the  proof  of  guilt  in  most  cases  could  not  be  substantiated  without 
their  testimony.  With  this  hindrance  in  the  way,  if  the  prosecutor  suc- 
ceeded in  making  out  a  case  before  a  justice  court,  an  appeal  could  be 
taken  to  the  higher  court,  where  a  jury  trial  could  be  had,  and  juries  are 
very  uncertain  dispensers  of  justice.  In  almost  every  jury  impaneled 
more  than  one  juror  proves  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the  rumseller,  and 
his  conviction  is  frustrated.  As  a  consequence,  the  law,  when  applied 
to  the  arch  promoters  of  intemperance  and  its  kindred  pollutions,  became 
a  dead  letter. 

Yet  the  Maine  Law  has  not  proved  an  utter  failure,  else  foul-breathed 
and  red-nosed  demagogues  had  ceased  to  rail  against  it.  Its  terrors  have 
restrained  in  a  great  measure  the  tempting  exhibition  of  liquor  bottles, 
and  the  barefaced  sale  of  their  contents  in  open  day.  It  has  confiscated 
thousands  of  barrels  of  vile  decoctions  more  dangerous  to  life  and  health 
than  gunpowder  or  glycerine.  Even  the  staggering  graduates  of  the 
63 


498  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 

pot-house  have  learned  to  avoid  public  exhibitions  of  their  accomplish- 
ments. During  the  long  years  of  its  neglected  enforcement  it  has 
retained  a  reserved  force  that  could  be,  and  often  has  been,  applied  to 
the  effectual  suppression  of  outrageous  haunts  of  drunkenness. 

Much  more  good  might  have  grown  out  of  the  Maine  Law,  had  not  the 
delusive  idea  prevailed  among  temperance  men  that  legal  enactments 
possess  an  inherent  power  to  do  the  work  of  reform,  which  can  be  done 
only  by  stiff-backed,  straight  forward  workers,  by  means  of  their  instru- 
mentality. To  this  infatuation,  as  much  as  to  inherent  defects  of  the  law, 
is  the  decadence  of  temperance  principles  and  habits  to  be  ascribed. 

Those  of  the  surviving  temperance  men  who  labored  in  the  field  from 
1830  to  1850  —  who  fought  the  early  battles,  and  achieved  the  early 
victories  —  have  retired  from  active  life,  and  another  generation  of 
workers,  now  in  the  field,  struggling  manfully  to  stem  the  overflowing 
torrent  of  intemperance,  have  an  arduous  but  not  a  hopeless  work  before 
them.  They  have  not,  as  their  predecessors  had,  to  contend  with  pro- 
fessedly good  and  pious  men  in  settling  the  first  principles  of  total 
abstinence  and  prohibition.  Doctors  of  divinity  have  ceased  to  denounce 
the  movement  as  heretical.  Political  demagogues  no  longer  exhaust 
their  spread-eagle  eloquence  in  asserting  the  inherent  right  of  every 
American  citizen  to  get  drunk,  and  to  make  drunkards.  The  question  of 
to-day  is  rather  one  of  expediency  than  of  moral  or  religious  principle. 

A  "tidal  wave"  broke  over  the  Legislature  of  1872,  and  swept  away, 
for  the  time  being  we  trust,  the  fundamental  principle  of  the  Maine  Law, 
and  again  legalized  the  traffic  under  a  license  system.  Stump  orators 
now  tell  us  of  the  amount  of  money  that  is  to  flow  into  our  town  treasu- 
ries for  licensing,  and  thereby  clothing  our  rumsellers  with  the  robe  of 
legal  respectability.  When  the  disciples  of  Mrs.  Woodhull  shall  apply 
for  a  law  to  legalize  adultery,  and  license  prostitution,  they  will  find  the 
principle  of  expediency  already  established,  and  the  argument  of  license 
money  flowing  into  the  treasury  already  promulgated  and  irrefutably 
established. 

It  is  bad  enough  in  all  conscience  to  allow  every  person  who  wills  to 
sell  liquors  in  violation  of  law,  but  it  is  infinitely  worse  to  remedy  the 
evil  by  giving  the  traffic  a  legal  sanction.  The  talk  of  licensing  only 
respectable  and  conscientious  men  to  deal  out  the  villainous  decoctions, 
is  the  merest  twaddle.  Where  is  the  board  of  selectmen  who  will 
recommend  for  license  the  palatial  hotel  proprietor  and  the  aboveground 
saloon-keeper  and  apothecary,  and  dare  to  refuse  the  subterranean 
restaurant,  be  he  Yankee,  Paddy,  or  Dutchman  ? 

The  temperance  reformers  of  this  era  must  work  with  an  indomitable 
will  to  achieve  the  lost  ground,  combining  moral  and  legal  suasion  wisely 
and  persistently.     Many  excellent  provisions  of  the  Maine  Law  continue 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  499 

unrepealed.  The  passage  of  the  new  license  law  was  a  blunder  of 
legislation,  not  in  accord  with  the  views  of  the  legislators  who  permitted 
it  to  be  enacted,  nor  of  their  constituents.  Let  its  crude  provisions  and 
evil  tendencies  be  thoroughly  ventilated ;  let  its  repeal  be  made  a  test 
question  to  candidates  for  legislative  honors,  and  it  will  sooner  or  later 
be  repealed,  and  the  traffic  in  intoxicating  drinks  again  be  outlawed. 

There  are  in  all  communities  numbers  of  men  of  owl-like  wisdom,  who 
assert  as  an  unquestionable  fact  that  more  tippling  prevails,  and  that  the 
yearly  crop  of  drunkards  is  greater  in  these  years,  than  in  the  years 
before  concerted  temperance  movements  began.  Such  Jeremiahs,  in 
order  to  speak  with  authority,  should  have  been  on  the  stage  more  than 
forty  years  ago,  when  there  was  a  cider  mill  and  a  cider-brandy  still  in 
every  school  district ;  when  there  were  two  or  three  taverns  to  every  one 
now  existing,  each  of  them  sustained  more  by  neighborhood  tipplers  than 
by  traveling  customers  ;  when  every  store-keeper  bought  and  sold  four- 
fold more  rum  and  whisky  than  molasses ;  when  bleared  eyes,  rubicund 
noses,  and  pot  bellies  infested  all  public  gatherings,  and  even  put  in  their 
appearance  around  the  communion  table.  Such  men,  if  any  there  be, 
may  rejoice  at  the  prospect  of  our  soon  getting  back  to  the  "  good  old 
times  "  of  free  rum,  improved  by  town  treasuries  overflowing  with  license 
money. 

The  temperance  bands  now  on  the  stage  of  action  have  arduous  duties 
to  perform,  but  not  more  arduous  than  those  performed  by  the  pioneers 
in  the  cause  some  forty  years  ago.  They  have  in  the  last  few  years 
earnestly  labored  in  stemming  the  flood  of  intemperance,  amid  reproach 
and  discouragements.  Let  them  continue  steadfast  and  immovable ; 
let  them  "  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  keep  their  powder  dry,"  and  they  will 
in  the  end  become  as  invincible  as  Cromwell's  Ironsides. 

St.  Andrew's  Lodge  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  No.  64,  was  char- 
tered in  the  Spring  of  1823,  and  was  installed  in  June  or  July  following 
by  a  deputation  from  the  Grand  Lodge,  consisting  of  Jeremy  L.  Cross, 
William  H.  Jones,  and  Laban  Smith,  of  New  Haven ;  George  Putnam, 
of  Hartford,  and  others.     The  officers  installed  were : — 

Josiah  Smith,  W.  M. 

Hosea  Hinsdale,  S.  W. 

Wheelock  Thayer,  J.  W. 

Elisha  Smith,  Treasurer. 

James  M.  Boyd,  Secretary. 
The  first  lodge  room  was  fitted  up  in  the  old  academy  building,  now  a 
tenant  house,  immediately  north  of  Forbes'  cabinet  establishment,  on 
Main  street,  west  village.     About  1829  the  lodge  was  removed  to  the 


500  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

hotel  in  the  east  village,  and  about  1830  was  removed  to  the  old  Higley 
Tavern  in  the  west  village. 

The  anti-masonic  excitement  growing  out  of  the  disappearance  and 
probable  death  of  Morgan,  extended  to  this  state  in  1829,  and  paralyzed 
the  masonic  order  for  several  years.  St.  Andrews,  in  common  with  most 
of  the  other  lodges  of  the  state,  became  dormant,  and  surrendered  its 
charter  to  the  Grand  Lodge  about  1835. 

In  1853,  on  application  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  members  of  St. 
Andrew's  Lodge,  its  charter  was  restored,  new  officers  were  appointed, 
and  work  was  resumed  in  Woodford's  original  brick  block,  which  was 
burned  down,  March  25,  1853,  and  the  lodge  was  removed  to  the  Clark 
and  Wetmore  store,  then  standing  on  the  site  of  the  Clarke  House.  This 
store  was  burned  down  in  1856,  and  the  furniture,  jewels,  regalia,  and 
all  the  records  of  the  lodge  were  consumed.  The  lodge  was  reopened  in 
Chamberlin's  store,  now  owned  by  James  A.  Bushnell,  and  thence  in. 
the  same  year  was  removed  to  Weed's  brick  block,  and  thence  to  Wood- 
ford's new  block,  in  which  a  new  and  spacious  hall  for  its  occupancy  has 
been  fitted  up  under  the  new  Mansard  roof  recently  erected  on  the 
building. 

Meridian  Chapter,  No.  15,  of  Royal  Arch  Masons  was  early  located 
at  Canaan,  and  its  charter  was  revoked  by  the  Grand  Chapter  in  1839. 
It  was  reinstated  at  New  Hartford  in  May,  1848,  but  not  reorganized. 
It  was  transferred  and  reorganized  at  Winsted  in  May,  1857,  occupying 
the  same  halls  with  St.  Andrew's  Lodge. 

In  1858  Tyrian  Council  of  Royal  Masters,  No.  31,  was  chartered  and 
installed,  and  has  occupied  the  same  hall  with  the  preceding  orders. 

Prior  to  the  reorganization  of  St.  Andrew's  Lodge  in  1853,  Orion 
Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  was  chartered,  installed, 
and  located  in  Clarke  &  Wetmore' s  store.  A  dissension  among  its 
members  resulted  in  the  charter  of  Union  Lodge  of  I.  O.  O.  F.,  which 
was  located  in  Woodford's  block.  On  the  burning  of  the  Clarke  & 
Wetmore  store,  Orion  Lodge  became  dormant,  and  has  never  been 
revived.     Union  Lodge  has  also  become  extinct. 

Of  the  early  and  later  public  libraries  in  Winchester,  only  a  meagre 
account  can  be  given.  In  the  "  Old  Society  "  a  library  of  standard  works 
was  in  existence  early  in  the  century,  and  continued  until  about  1845, 
when  the  books  were  sold  or  distributed  among  the  shareholders. 

In  the  early  reading  days  of  the  compiler,  there  was  a  library  of  un- 
known origin  kept  in  the  office  of  Solomon  Rockwell  &  Brothers,  between 
the  east  abutment  of  Lake  Street  bridge  and  Camp's  brick  block.  What 
was  the  character  of  the  more  solid  works  we  have  no  knowledge ;  but 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  501 

from  the  lighter  class  we  obtained  our  first  reading  of  The  Fool  of  Quality, 
Tom  Jones,  Pamelia,  and  Tristram  Shandy.  This  library  was  broken  up, 
and  sold  or  distributed  as  early  as  1810. 

As  early  as  1808,  under  the  auspices  of  Joel  Miller  and  other  scholars 
of  the  West  District  School,  a  youth's  library  was  organized  and  located 
at  the  house  of  Asahel  Miller,  then  standing  nearly  opposite  the  house  of 
David  N.  Beardsley,  on  Spencer  Street  road.  Strange  as  it  may  seem, 
this  location  was  then  central  to  the  largest  portion  of  the  scholars  of 
the  district.  The  collection  consisted  mainly  of  paper- covered  volumes, 
then  termed  chap-books,  which  constituted  a  part  of  the  stock  in  trade 
of  the  trunk  peddlers  of  that  period.  Among  the  books  were  Robinson 
Crusoe,  Baron  Trenck,  Stephen  Burroughs,  The  Ring,  Count  de  Lovin- 
ski,  and  other  similar  works,  by  the  careful  reading  of  which  we  were 
precociously  trained  to  a  love  of  sensational  works  of  a  higher  order. 
This  library  was  of  short  continuance,  and  would  be  unworthy  of  mention 
otherwise  than  as  illustrative  of  the  craving  for  literary  food  by  the  boys 
aud  girls  of  that  day,  and  of  the  kind  of  provender  provided  for  them  be- 
fore the  age  of  model  children  who  were  too  faultless  to  live  in  this  sinful 
world. 

The  next  library  was  got  up  about  1810  by  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional society,  and  was  named  "  The  Winsted  Historical  and  Theological 
Library,"  and  was  kept  in  the  study  of  the  pastor.  In  the  Theological 
department  were,  Edwards  on  the  Will  and  on  the  Affections,  Gilles' 
Church  History,  Witherspoon's  Sermons,  Griffin  on  the  Atonement,  and 
Kinney  on  the  Prophecies.  In  history  it  contained  Smollet's  England, 
Marshall's  Washington,  and  Trumbull's  Connecticut.  In  its  miscellaneous 
department  were  two  strictly  religious  novels — Thornton  Abbey,  and 
Coelebs  in  Search  of  a  Wife.  The  most  readable,  and  most  read  book  of 
all,  was  Silliman's  Journal  of  Travels  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Holland, 
then  just  published.  This  library,  after  some  five  to  ten  years,  was  pur- 
chased by  the  pastor,  for  whose  use  it  was  mainly  instituted. 

About  1812,  another  library  was  organized  in  the  West  Village,  and 
located  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Hosea  Hinsdale.  The  books  selected 
were  such  as  the  people  wanted  to  read  rather  than  such  as  a  severe  mor- 
alist would  have  said  they  ought  to  read.  Russell's  Modern  Europe  was 
the  most  ponderous,  and  Knickerbocker's  New  York  the  most  popular 
work  in  the  collection.  Butler's  Hudibras  and  Peter  Pindar  were  highly 
appreciated.  As  a  whole  it  was  a  well  selected  library,  and  well  man- 
aged; but,  like  its  predecessors,  the  society  was  dissolved,  and  the  books 
were  sold  after  five  or  six  years. 

The  next  library  was  got  up  by  a  set  of  young  men  about  1820,  and 
was  located  in  the  East  Village.  The  books  were  suited  to  the  taste  of 
its  founders.     They  consisted  of  poetry,  novels,  plays,  and  a  modicum  of 


502  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

history.     The  life  of  this  institution  was  brief.     The  books  were  sold  and 
scattered  in  four  or  five  years. 

The  last  and  longest-lived  library  was  founded  by  parties  in  connection 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  With  a  view  to  i(s  permanency, 
provision  was  made  in  its  articles  of  association  for  its  being  hidden  by 
the  Trustees  of  the  Methodist  Society  in  trust  for  the  use  of  its  share 
holders.  Its  books  were  to  be  religious  and  historical,  and  all  fictitious 
works  were  to  be  excluded.  No  books  were,  under  any  circumstances,  to 
be  sold ;  any  attempt  to  break  up  the  library,  or  otherwise  to  dispose  of  it- 
was  to  divest  the  trustees  of  their  right  to  control  it,  and  the  trust  was  to 
be  transferred  to  the  town  of  Winchester.  Though  denominational  in  its 
character,  it  was  not  sectarian  in  an  exclusive  sense.  The  Life  and  Ser- 
mons of  John  Wesley,  The  Life  of  Adam  Clarke  and  his  Commentary, 
and  divers  other  standard  Methodist  works  constituted  the  nucleus  of  the 
collection,  but  beyond  this  the  selection  of  books  was  suited  to  all  classes 
of  religionists  and  to  every  cultivated  taste.  A  majority  of  the  committee 
of  selection  were  not  Methodists  in  name  or  religious  preferences.  His- 
torical and  biographical  works  were  largely  selected.  Boswell's  Johnson 
and  Irving's  Conquest  of  Grenada  had  a  place  on  the  shelves,  although 
the  latter  was  objected  to  as  a  fiction ;  but  on  a  suggestion  that  Fra  de 
Savedra  was  not  the  author  of  the  chronicles,  but  the  warrior  who  effected 
the  conquest,  and  that  Irving  was  the  historian  of  the  campaign,  the 
scruples  of  the  objector  were  removed,  and  the  book  enjoyed  a  high  de- 
gree of  popularity. 

The  funds  for  renovating  the  library  by  purchasing  new  books  were 
raised  by  occasional  taxes  levied  on  the  shareholders,  and  by  competitive 
bids  on  drawing  out  books.  This  library  furnished  largely  the  reading  of 
the  community  for  nearly  twenty  years ;  but  as  the  first  projectors,  one 
after  another,  withdrew  from  its  direction,  a  looseness  of  management 
prevailed.  Books  seldom  called  for  were  sold  in  violation  of  a  funda- 
mental article  of  the  association.  The  taxes  laid  were  largely  unpaid, 
and  the  shares  forfeited.  Competitive  bidding  ceased;  drawings  of  books 
diminished  from  year  to  year ;  valuable  bouks  disappeared ;  and  finally, 
about  1860,  on  investigating  the  affairs  of  the  concern,  it  was  found  that 
only  six  shareholders  remained  who  had  not  forfeited  their  shares  by  non- 
payment of  taxes.  It  was  found,  also,  that  the  library  was  reduced  to  a 
mere  skeleton  of  such  books  as  no  one  had  considered  worth  appropriating 
to  private  use ;  and  in  this  predicament  a  once  valuable  and  highly  valued 
institution  has  become  the  shadow  of  a  shade. 

And  such  is  essentially  the  history  of  innumerable  libraries  throughout 
the  state,  organized  without  a  liberal  fund  from  the  income  of  which  new 
books,  as  they  are  required,  may  be  provided.  Most  of  the  cases  where 
valuable  libraries  have  been  preserved  from  one  generation  to  another  are 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  503 

those  where  some  benevolent  founder  or  founders  have  provided  an  en- 
dowment fund  for  a  liberal  supply  of  new  works  suited  to  the  changing 
times  and  tastes  of  successive  readers. 

The  changed  circumstances  of  modern  times  render  the  support  of  pub- 
lic libraries  far  more  pr»:  carious  than  it  was  when  family  libraries  were 
limited  for  the  most  part  to  a  Bible,  Hymn  book,  Catechism,  Pilgrim's 
Progress,  a  yearly  almanac,  and  one  or  two  devotional  or  biographical 
works  — when  the  cost  of  miscellaneous  works  exceeded  the  means  of  in- 
dividual readers.  In  those  times  a  public  library  was  a  blessing  of  price- 
less value  to  a  community.  In  these  times  circumstances  are  changed. 
The  press  teems  with  thousands  of  new  books  every  year ;  the  weekly 
newspaper,  of  four-fold  the  size  of  the  old-time  papers,  is  crowded  with 
every  variety  of  miscellaneous  reading ;  and  the  daily  paper,  once  con- 
fined to  the  cities,  now  finds  its  way  to  the  remotest  sections  of  the 
country.  Almost  every  family  in  comfortable  circumstances  takes  a 
monthly  magazine;  and  very  few  of  them  are  so  remote  or  obscure  as  to 
escape  the  visits  of  canvassers  without  number  seeking  subscribers  for 
new  and  valuable  works. 

Instead  of  permanent  libraries,  the  tendency  in  these  days  is,  to  form 
book  clubs  of  limited  membership,  each  member  contributing  two,  three, 
or  five  dollars,  as  the  case  may  be,  for  the  purchase  of  approved  modern 
publications,  which  successively  pass  through  the  hands  of  each  member 
with/ the  privilege  of  a  fortnight's  use;  each  member,  at  the  end  of  his 
fortnight,  passing  his  successive  books  to  the  next  reader  on  the  list,  so 
that  each  book  makes  a  complete  circuit  and  returns  to  the  librarian.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  the  books  are  sold  to  the  highest  bidding  members  of 
the  club,  and  the  avails  are  distributed  equally  among  the  members. 
This  process  being  completed,  the  club  is  dissolved  or  reorganized  for 
another  year. 

There  are  now  two  or  more  such  clubs  in  our  community,  the  oldest 
of  which  has  existed  for  ten  or  more  years.  The  machinery  is  very  simple, 
and  easily  adjusted,  and  if  the  directing  committee  are  competent  and 
faithful  in  their  selection  of  authors,  the  influence  of  such  associations 
cannot  but  be  highly  beneficial. 

Another  invaluable  substitute  for  the  libraries  of  olden  times,  is  the 
system  of  free  Sunday-school  libraries  of  the  various  religious  denomina- 
tions. Renovated  from  year  to  year  by  careful  selections  of  new  vol- 
umes and  by  withdrawing  those  that  are  found  to  be  unreadable,  or  of 
evil  tendency,  they  furnish  a  supply  of  pure  and  instructive  reading,  not 
only  for  the  scholars,  but  for  the  families  to  which  they  belong. 

Times  are  changed,  and  we  are  changed  with  them.  Had  we  at  this  day 
a  richly  endowed  library,  .crowded  with  all  the  treasures  of  ancient  theol- 
ogy, history,  science,  and  poetry,  and  replenished  with  modern  views  of 


504  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

doctrinal  theology,  newly  broached  emendations  of  history,  rapid  advances 
of  science  and  art,  and  a  poetry  that  appeals  more  to  the  heart  than  to 
the  ear  —  we  might  well  be  proud  of  such  an  institution,  but  it  is  very 
doubtful  whether  the  people,  as  a  mass,  would  be  benefited  thereby  to  the 
same  extent  as  they  are  by  the  unpretentious  modern  Sunday-school 
libraries. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

RISE  AND  PROGRESS  OF  MANUFACTURES. 

The  predominating  element  of  growth  in  all  interior  New  England 
towns  is  the  introduction  and  enlargement  of  machinery  in  aid  of  handi- 
craft operations,  inaptly  termed  manufacturing.  The  handicraftsman, 
comprehending  the  smith,  carpenter,  shoemaker,  and  tailor,  comes  into 
every  new  town  as  an  indispensable  accessory  of  the  farmer.  He  com- 
bines his  skilled  labor  with  that  of  the  soil  tiller  in  sustaining  the  life  of  a 
civilized  community.  The  minister,  school-master,  doctor,  and  tradesman 
follow  as  essential  elements  of  its  existence.  These  are  mutual  aids  to 
each  other.  *They  are  all  primarily  dependent  on  the  product  of  the  soil ; 
and  as  this  is  naturally  fertile  or  otherwise,  well  tilled,  or  exhausted  by 
bad  husbandry,  the  community  grows  or  declines. 

The  manufacturer  who  utilizes  the  water-fall  by  making  it  the  motive 
power  of  ingenious  machinery,  brings  in  a  new  element  of  growth  and 
prosperity,  without  which  most  of  our  sterile  towns  decline  with  the  ex- 
haustion of  their  virgin  soil,  and  with  which  they  are  sustained  and  en- 
riched. 

Winchester,  without  its  factories,  would  have  culminated  in  1800  and 
have  declined  in  productiveness  and  population  every  succeeding  year ; 
and  Winsted  would  have  remained  through  all  time  a  "  Hard  Scrabble  " 
region. 

We  propose  very  briefly  to  trace  the  rise  and  progress  of  manufacturing 
in  the  town,  beginning  with 

Wooden  Ware. 

The  saw-mill  was,  of  course,  the  first  utilization  of  water  power  in  this, 
as  in  most  other  primitive  communities.  The  location  of  the  earliest  of 
these  has  already  been  noted.  Besides  supplying  the  home  demand  for 
lumber,  they  early  turned  out  a  limited  supply  of  white-wood  boards  and 
clap-boards,  which  were  sledded  over  winter  snows  to  Hartford  and  other 
distant  towns.  White-ash  sweeps,  oars,  and  materials  for  ship-blocks  were 
also  got  out  and  carried  to  Hartford  and  Wethersfield  for  up  and  down 
river  navigation  of  the  Connecticut. 

64 


506  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

Dish  mills  for  making  wooden  bowls,  trenchers,  and  moi'tars,  followed 
as  accessories  to  the  saw  mills.  They  used  up  the  slabs  from  the  saw- 
mill logs,  by  cutting  them  into  disks  which  were  centered  and  turned  in 
coarse  lathes  to  the  convex  surface  of  the  outer  dish.  With  a  curved 
turning  tool,  the  outer  dish  was  separated  from  the  disk,  and  then  smaller 
ones  were  turned  off  successively  until  the  disk  was  exhausted.  The 
slabs  from  which  these  disks  were  made  were  wider  and  thicker  than  were 
taken  from  logs  when  lumber  increased  in  value.  The  trenchers  and 
mortars  were  turned  by  a  similar  proces-.  The  maker  or  peddler  of  these 
articles  packed  them  into  a  strong  bed  tick,  in  which  they  were  carried  on 
the  back  of  a  horse,  along  the  narrow  bridle-paths  to  the  earlier  settled 
towns,  where  they  were  bartered  for  "  store  pay."  At  least  four  of  these 
mills  were  located  along  the  lake  stream,  and  as  many  others  in  various 
parts  of  the  town  iu  the  last  century,  two  of  which  —  one  at  the  Meadow 
Street  crossing  of  the  lake  stream,  and  the  other  opposite  the  old  ican-to 
mill  house  on  Lake  street,  were  in  operation  as  late  as  1805. 

Cheese  Boxes,  Scale  Boards. 
Early  in  this  century,  John  Me  Alpine  erected  and  carried  <yi  a  shop  on 
the  stream  at  the  foot  of  the  burying  ground  hill  in  Old  Winchester  for 
making  scale-boards  used  for  separating  cheeses  from  each  other,  when 
packed  in  casks  for  distant  markets.  As  he  enjoyed  a  monopoly  of  the 
manufacture  in  the  centre  of  the  dairy  region  of  Connecticut,  the  demand 
for  his  article  was  extensive  until  the  practice  of  packing  each  cheese  in 
a  separate  box  was  adopted.  This  change  necessitated  the  manufacture 
of  round  boxes,  with  covers,  of  sizes  fitted  to  the  various  diameters  and 
thicknesses  of  the  cheese.  This  mode  of  packing  went  into  vogue  between 
1820  and  1830  and  was  universally  adopted  as  early  as  the  latter  year. 
One  of  the  earliest  manufacturers  of  this  article  in  Winchester  was  Silas 
H.  McAlpine,  whose  shop  on  the  Naugatuck  Branch  is  believed  to  he  still 
in  operation.  Another  establishment  on  Hail  Meadow,  now  owned  by  the 
Ford  Brothers,  has  been  and  is  still  in  operation.  Another  establishment 
was  carried  on  in  Winsted  by  Cook  &  Bacon,  from  1842  to  about  1846, 
in  a  shop  adjoining  the  lake  stream  saw -mill. 

Grist  Mills. 

The  two  early  grist  mills  of  the  town  have  been  already  noted.  The 
first  built  by  David  Austin  in  1771,  near  the  Lake  outlet,  is  described  on 
page  42  ;  the  second,  supposed  to  have  been  originally  built  by  Elias  Bal- 
comb  about  1776  (see  page  266),  stood  on  the  west  side  of  Still  river, 
immediately  south  of  the  stone  bridge.  It  was  owned  and  operated  for 
many  years  by  Ensign  Jesse  Doolittle,  and  was  carried  off  by  a  flood 
about  1800 ;  and  was  rebuilt  by  Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  about  1844 
/see  page  383). 


MANUFACTURES.  507 

Both  these  mills  had  three  run  of  stones  and  were  carried  by  per- 
manent water  power.  The  Austin  mill  was  rebuilt  by  the  Rockwell 
Brothers  about  1810,  and  was  finally  burned  down  and  abandoned  in  1835. 
The  Hoaflley  mill  was  abandoned  by  Biley  Whiting  about  1825  and  the 
Brick  clock  factory  (burned  down  in  1870)  was  erected  on  its  site. 

The  Clifton  mill  was  erected  by  Case,  Gilbert  &  Co.,  about  1836,  and 
was  operated  as  a  grist  mill  until  about  1869. 

Three  or  more  feed  mills  have  come  into  existence  within  a  few  years; 
one  owned  by  Eugene  Munson,  opposite  the  Clarke  house,  another  owned 
by  Persons  &  Hewitt,  on  the  Lake  stream,  adjoining  the  Connecticut 
Western  Depot  grounds,  and  a  third,  owned  by  Frederick  Woodruff  on 
North  Main  street,  all  of  which  are  now  in  operation. 

Scythe  Wouks. 

Until  the  closing  part  of  the  last  century,  the  scythe  was,  in  this 
country,  strictly  a  hand-made  tool,  wrought  out  in  smiths'  shops  by  sledge 
and  hammer,  and  ground  on  a  stone  turned  by  a  hand  crank,  or  hung  on 
the  shaft  of  a  flutter  wheel,  without  gearing  or  other  appliances.  The 
Harris  family  of  Pine  Plains  and  Salisbury  learned  the  trade  of  a  negro 
slave  purchased  by  their  immediate  progenitor  from  a  former  master  who 
had  taught  him  the  trade. 

The  first  establishment  in  the  country  for  welding,  drawing,  and  plating 
the  scythe  under  trip-hammers  by  water  power  and  grinding  it  on  a 
geared  stone,  was  erected  by  Robert  Orr,  of  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  during 
or  after  the  Revolution.  The  second  establishment  of  this  nature  was 
erected  by  Col.  Robert  Boyd,  near  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  between 
New  Windsor  Landing  and  Newburg  before  1790.  Benjamin  Jenkins, 
from  Brklgewater,  was  foreman,  and  James  Boyd,  of  New  Windsor,  was 
an  apprentice  in  these  works.  They  became  brothers-in  law,  and  in  1792 
came  to  Winsted  and  erected  the  third  establishment  in  the  country  on 
the  site  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing  Company's  present  works  on  Still 
river.  In  1802  they  built  another  establishment  on  the  site  of  the  Winsted 
Hoe  Company's  plating  shop  on  Lake  street,  and  soon  after  separated, 
Mr.  Jenkins  taking  the  original  works  on  Still  river — from  whom  they 
have  passed  by  successive  conveyances  to  the  present  owners — and  Mr. 
Boyd  taking  the  Lake  Street  works  and  carrying  them  on,  individually  or 
with  partners,  until  near  the  close  of  his  life  in  1849. 

Merritt  Bull,  an  early  apprentice  of  Jenkins  &  Boyd,  erected  a  scythe 
shop  in  1802  or  1803,  on  the  site  of  the  present  stone  shop,  at  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Lake  stream  by  Meadow  street,  which  he  managed  until  his 
death  in  1824,  when  the  works  went  into  the  hands  of  S.  &  M.  Rock- 
well, and  firmed  the  starting  point  of  the  large  and  prosperous  establish- 


508  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

ment  built  up  and  managed  by  the  successive  firms  of  Rockwell  &  Hins- 
dale, Hinsdale  &  Beardsley,  Elliot  Beardsley,  and  the  Beardsley  Scythe 
Company. 

Halsey  Burr,  an  apprentice  of  Mr.  Jenkins,  built  a  scythe  shop  in 
1814,  near  the  site  of  Woodruff's  feed  mill,  on  North  Main  street,  which 
he  carried  on  in  a  small  way  until  a  few  years  before  his  death. 

In  1831,  Wheelock  Thayer,  previously  a  partner  and  acting  manager 
in  the  scythe  business  of  James  Boyd  &  Son,  erected  the  scythe  works 
on  Mad  River,  now  owned  by  his  daughter,  and  carried  on  by  the  Thayer 
Scythe  Company. 

The  process  of  manufacturing  scythes  has  been  from  time  to  time 
greatly  improved  by  the  invention  of  new  machinery.  The  first  of  these 
in  date  and  importance,  was  a  spring  die  with  attachments  to  the  trip- 
hammer for  holding  the  back  and  setting  down  and  smoothing  the  web  of 
the  scythe,  —  a  very  slow  and  laborious  process  when  performed  with  the 
hand-hammer.  The  next  improvement  was,  by  a  series  of  light  tilt- 
hammers  to  shape  and  finish  the  point :  —  the  next  was  a  machine  for  turn- 
ing and  finishing  the  heel :  —  another  was  for  spinning  the  straw  rope  for 
binding  up  the  scythes  in  dozen  packages,  by  a  machine  similar  to  the 
Dutch  wheel  and  flyer  for  spinning  lintn.  Most  of  these  improvements 
have  originated  in  Winsted. 

Scythe  making  was  —  with  the  exception  of  wooden  ware  —  the  earliest 
factory  work  carried  on  in  Winsted;  and  has  been  uninterruptedly  pros- 
ecuted to  the  present  day,  little  impeded  or  accelerated  by  protective  tar- 
iffs. The  three  establishments  now  in  operation,  have  a  capacity  for 
making  250,000  scythes  per  annum,  and  rarely  fail  of  turning  out  that 
number.  Within  a  few  years,  fears  have  been  entertained  that  the  newly 
invented  mowers  and  reapers  wovdd  entirely  supersede  the  use  of  the 
primitive  implements.  The  same  fears  were  not  many  years  ago  enter- 
tained, that  the  iron  horse  would  so  far  supersede  the  much  abused  do- 
mestic animal,  as  to  diminish  his  value  and  the  demand  for  his  services. 
Experience  proves  that  these  fears  in  both  cases  are  equally  groundless. 

Bar  Iron  and  Blistered  Steel. 

Bar  iron  had  been  made  directly  from  the  Brown  Hematite  ores  of 
Salisbury,  Kent,  and  Amenia,  from  time  immemorial.  In  Litchfield  county 
bloomary  forges  stood  on  most  of  the  available  water  courses  in  nearly 
all  the  western  towns.  They  furnished  iron  for  three  rolling  and  slitting 
mills,  one  in  Canaan,  another  in  Litchfield,  and  the  third  in  Washing- 
ton, where  the  iron  was  rolled  and  slit  into  rods  for  nail  making.  These 
mills  worked  up  only  a  small  portion  of  the  iron  manufactured.  Besides 
domestic  uses  of  all  kinds,  it  was  largely  made  into  anchors,  which  were 
sent  to  the  seaboard. 


MANUFACTURES.  509 

Nearly  all  of  these  bloomaries,  and  all  of  the  slitting  mills,  have  long 
since  disappeared ;  and  their  sites  would  mostly  be  forgotten,  did  not  the 
cinder  heaps  and  imperishable  charcoal  brays  indicate  their  location. 

The  old  Salisbury,  or  Lakeville  Blast  Furnace,  was  erected  in  1762. 
In  1768  it  became  the  property  of  Richard  Smith,  an  Englishman, 
who  initiated  the  process  of  making  refined  iron  of  the  best  quality, 
not  from  the  ore,  but  from  pig-metal.  For  some  inscrutable  reason 
he  erected  his  first  refining  forge  at  Robertsville,  in  the  southeast  corner 
of  Colebrook,  at  a  distance  of  nearly  thirty  miles  from  his  furnace,  in  a 
region  then  nearly  destitute  of  settlers.*  Mr.  Smith  went  back  to  Eng- 
land on  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  the  forge  was 
continued  in  operation  successively  by  Jacob  Ogden,  Theodore  Burr, 
P^lisha  Beeman,  and  David  Squire  ;  and  was  abandoned  as  an  iron  works 
by  the  latter  person  before  1810. 

Two  other  refining  forges  were  erected  at  Colebrook  Center,  by  the 
Rockwell  family,  during,  or  soon  after  the  Revolution,  one  of  which  was 
removed  to  Winsted  in  1802,  and  the  oiher  abandoned  the  same  or  fol- 
lowing year,  for  causes  detailed  on  page  363. 

In  1795,  Jenkins  &  Boyd,  in  company  with  Thomas  Spencer,  Jr., 
erected  the  first  forge  in  Winsted,  on  the  water  power  of  the  Lake  street 
grinding  works  of  the  Winsted  Mfg.  Co.     (See  page  311.) 

In  1803,  the  Rockwell  Brothers  removed  and  put  up  their  Colebrook 
forge  on  the  site  of  Timothy  Hulbert's  present  iron  works  on  the  Lake 
stream. 

..  In  1808,  James  Boyd  erected  another  forge  on  Mad  River,  immedi- 
ately opposite  the  Clarke  House  ;  and  on  that  or  the  following  year  the 
Rockwell  Brothers  built  another  forge  on  the  Lake  stream,  below  and 
adjoining  the  Conn.  Western  Depot  grounds. 

In  1811,  Reuben  Cook,  in  company  with  Russell  Bunce  and  Charles 
Seymour  of  Hartford,  built  the  old  Cook  forge,  on  Still  River,  where  the 
Axle  works  of  Charles  and  James*  R.  Cook  now  stand. 

All  of  these  forges  manufactured  refined  bar  iron  from  the  best  quality 
of  Old  Salisbury  Ore  Hill  pig  iron,  for  the  supply  of  the  U.  S.  Armory 
at  Springfield,  which  required  the  best  iron  the  country  could  produce. 
If  there  was  the  slightest  defect  in  the   quality,  the  finished  gunbarrel 

*  One  reason  traditionally  assigned  for  this  location  was,  that  he  apprehended  a 
scarcity  of  charcoal  in  the  Salisbury  region  for  the  furnace,  in  the  event  of  his  enlarg- 
ing the  consumption  by  running  additional  iron  works  there. 

There  is  another  vague  tradition  that  this  forge  was  first  erected  on  the  Farming- 
ton  River  at  Collinsville:  and  that  not  being  able  to  sustain  his  dam,  he  removed  the 
establishment  to  Colebrook.  There  was  in  ancient  times  a  forge  where  the  first  of  the 
Collins  Company  buildings  was  afterwards  erected,  known  as  the  "  Humphrey 
Forge,"  but  its  existence  seems  to  have  continued  later  than  the  erection  of  the  "  Old 
Forge  "  at  Colebrook. 


510  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

would  reveal  it  by  defective  polish  or  failure  to  stand  the  proof  of  a  double 
test  charge.  Only  a  Ranted  portion  of  the  iron  made  could  be  brought  up 
to  these  crucial  tests  by  the  best  skilled  workmen.  Iron  of  a  slightly  infe- 
rior grade  was  required  lor  scythes,  wire  rods,  and  fine  machinery.  A 
still  lower  grade  answered  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  country  blacksmiths. 

In  the  process  of  refining,  the  cinders  drawn  off  through  the  tent  plate 
retained  a  percentage  of  iron  nearly  equal  to  the  ordinary  hematite  ores. 
This  was  worked  over  in  a  chafery  or  bloomary  fire,  and  produced  a 
strong  coarse  iron,  which  was  worked  into  tires,  axle  and  crow-bar  pat- 
tern-, and  plow  molds,  or  into  heavy  shafting,  saw-mill  cranks,  &c.  Each 
forge  had  in  connection  with  it  a  drafting  shop  with  lighter  hammers  to 
draw  down  the  bars  into  rods  and  shapes  of  all  kinds  in  demand,  and  es- 
pecially to  work  up  the  refuse  iron  by  welding  to  each  piece  an  equal  layer 
of  blistered  steel,  and  drawing  the  united  masses  into  sleigh-shoes. 

The  iron  and  scythe  business  constituted  the  staple  manufacturing  busi- 
ness of  Winsted  until  near  1840,  when  the  Government  had  settled  its 
policy  of  importing  its  gun  iron  from  Norway;  the  English  had  introduced 
better  ami  cheaper  iron  of  every  form  and  size  than  theretofore  ;  when  the 
puddling  process  of  iron  making  had  grown  up  in  more  favored  localities ; 
when  wood  and  charcoal  had  advanced  in  price,  while  transportation  of 
raw  material  and  manufactured  articles  —  always  a  heavy  burden  — 
could  no  longer  be  endured.  Under  all  these  discouragements  the  iron 
manufacture  rapidly  died  out.  The  lower  Rockwell  forge  on  the  Lake 
stream  was  converted  into  a  scythe  shop  about  1845.  The  Boyd  forge 
opposite  the  Clarke  house  breathed  its  last  about  the  same  time.  The 
upper  forge  on  the  lake  stream  lingered  on  until  about  1850.  The  mid- 
dle forge  on  the  Lake  stream  was  sold  by  Eliot  Beardsley  to  Timothy 
Hulbert  in  1853,  and  was  changed  into  a  forge  for  puddling  scrap  iron, 
and  is  still  in  succes-ful  operation.  The  Cook  forge,  on  Still  river,  about 
1850  confined  its  oj  erations  to  working  scrap  iron  into  axle  drafts  for 
finishing  in  the  Cook  Axle  Company's-  works,  of  which  the  forge  became 
a  component  part. 

The  consumption  of  bar  iron  in  Winsted,  instead  of  decreasing  with  the 
decadence  of  its  home  manufacture,  has  steadily  increased.  The  new 
brands  of  Norway  iron  were  found  cheaper  and  better  for  scythes,  hoes, 
and  other  articles  than  the  costly  home-made  refined  iron,  and  came  into 
general  use  in  our.  hardware  manufactures.  The  scythe  manufacture  in- 
creased. The  hoe  manufacture  was  introduced  and  soon  consumed  more 
iron  than  the  whole  scythe  interest  had  required  in  1830 ;  and  other  new 
hardware  manufactures  took  the  place  of  the  iron  forge. 

Blistered  Steel. 
The  first  cementing  steel  furnace  in  Western  Connecticut  was  erected 
before  1800  in  Colebrook  by  the  Rockwell  Brothers,  under  the  supervision 


MANUFACTURES.  511 

of  Mr.  Jencks,  an  ingenious  iron  and  steel  worker  from  Taunton,  Mass., 
which  has  been  perpetuated  to  the  present  time,  though  rarely  operated 
of  late  years.  It  Was  found  that  the  Salisbury  iron  was  deficient  in  the 
ingredient,  whatever  it  is,  that  produces  an  edge-tool  quality  in  steel.  The 
steel  produced  has  an  elastic  quality  fitting  it  for  carriage  springs,  bay 
and  manure  forks  and  similar  articles,  and  before  1850  was  largely  used 
for  these  manufactures,  and  likewise  for  sleigh  shoes  and  for  general 
blacksmith  work.  Since  1850  the  steels  made  from  Swedish  and  Russian 
irons  have  nearly  superseded  the  domestic  irons  except  those  recently 
made  from  Spathic  ores. 

The  second  steel  furnace  in  this  region  was  put  up  early  in  this  century 
by  Col.  Abratn  Burt,  in  Canaan,  Conn.,  and  continued  in  operation  but  a 
few  years.  The  third  was  erected  in  Winsted  by  James  Boyd  &  Son,  in 
18)2,  on  the  site  of  Thompson's  Bakery,  south  side  of  Monroe  Street, 
adjoining  the  bridge.  It  was  designed  for  converting  their  own  iron  into 
steel,  which  they  were  then  largely  supplying  to  fork  manufacturers ;  but 
was  soon  abandoned  by  reason  of  inducements  held  out  by  the  Colebrook 
concern,  making  it  more  advantageous  to  have  their  iron  converted  there 
than  to  do  it  themselves. 

Cut  Natls. 

Shingle  nails  were  cut  from  old  hoops  and  headed  hy  hand  for  the  First 
Congregational  Meeting  House  in  1800.  The  cutting  machine  is  supposed 
to  have  been  worked  by  hand.  Another  machine  for  cutting  shingle  nails 
from  hammered  strips  of  iron,  by  water  power,  was  started  by  James 
Boyd  about  1808,  .and  soon  abandoned. 

In  1810  Jesse  Byington  rented  water  power  from  the  old  Jenkins 
scythe  shop  proprietors,  and  erected  a  nail  factory  a  little  south  of  the 
Winsted  Manufacturing  Company's  scythe  works,  in  which  he  used  a 
newly  invented  machine  for  cutting  nails  more  accurate  and  uniform  in 
size  than  by  the  old  hand  machines,  but  without  heading  them.  Before 
and  during  the  war  of  1812  he  employed  more  men  as  cutters  and  headers 
than  were  employed  in  any  other  branch  of  business  in  the  place.  After 
the  return  of  peace  in  1815,  and  the  introduction  of  the  combined  cutting 
and  heading  machine,  Mr.  Byington's  business  broke  down,  and  has  never 
since  been  resumed  in  any  form. 

Axes. 

Axe-making  as  a  trade,  distinct  from  other  smith  work,  was  introduced 
here  by  Elizur  Hinsdale  in  1804  or  1805.  He  first  had  his  shop  on  Lake 
street,  near  the  lake  outlet,  and  in  1806  erected  a  shop  on  the  site  of  the 
Foundry  and  Machine  Company's  works,  which  he  subsequently  enlarged 
to  a  trip  hammer  and  grinding  works  adapted   specially  to  his  business, 


512  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

■which  he  prosecuted  until  near  the  close  of  1819,  when  he  failed,  and  the 
business  was  abandoned. 

About  1828,  after  the  Collins  axe  factory  went  into  operation  at  Col- 
linsville,  Nathaniel  B.  Gaylord,  then  owner  of  the  old  Jenkins  scythe 
works,  entered  into  the  business  of  axe-making  under  the  supervision  of 
Marcus  Morgan,  an  original  worker  in  the  Collins  establishment.  Mr. 
Morgan  soon  after  purchased  the  works  and  prosecuted  the  business  until 
1832,  when  he  sold  out  to  Reuben  Cook,  Luman  Wakefield,  John  Camp, 
and  others,  who,  with  a  view  to  continuing  and  enlarging  the  business, 
tore  down  the  old  building  and  built  a  stone  dam  and  commodious  factory 
building,  before  the  completion  of  which  they  decided  to  change  the  busi- 
ness to  scythe  making;  and  in  1835  obtained  a  corporate  charter,  under 
the  name  of  the  Winsted  Manufacturing  Company,  which  has  for  thirty- 
seven  years  had  a  prosperous  career,  with  good  promise  of  long  continuance. 

Iron  Wire. 

In  1812  Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley  and  James  Boyd  erected  a  wire 
factory  on  the  west  wing  of  the  clock  factory  dam  ;  the  first,  or  one  of  the 
first,  erected  in  the  country  for  breaking  down  iron  wire  from  the  rod  and 
drawing  it  down  to  any  size  from  a  half  inch  to  a  hair's  diameter.  The 
rods,  of  the  very  best  Salisbury  iron,  were  hammered  down  to  a  half  inch 
square,  and  then  rounded  by  trip-hammer  swaging  dies,  and  then,  after 
successive  annealings  were  drawn  down  by  "  rippers,"  as  they  were  called, 
to  a  size  whence  they  could  be  further  reduced  by  a  continuous  drawing 
around  an  upright  block.  It  was  the  ripping  operation,  by  self-acting 
pincers  seizing  the  point  of  the  wire  at  the  plate,  drawing  it  about  eighteen 
inches,  then  letting  go  and  sliding  back  and  taking  a  new  hold  at  the 
plate,  and  drawing  another  length,  which  was  then  new  in  this  country. 
At  that  period  there  were  fewr,  if  any,  rolling  mills  in  the  country  that 
rolled  out  round  rods  suitable  for  wire  drawing. 

The  business  was  profitable,  and  was  vigorously  prosecuted  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  when  foreign  competition  paralyzed  it,  and  compelled  its 
abandonment. 

Leather. 

In  the  last  century,  the  regular  shoemaker — as  distinguished  from  the 
cobbler  and  cat-whipper  —  was  also  a  tanner.  He  had  his  vats,  under 
cover,  in  or  out  of  doors,  in  which  he  tanned  his  own  and  his  neighbor's 
skins,  and  made  them  into  boots  and  shoes  on  the  same  premises  with 
his  tan  vats.  Of  these  tanneries  there  were  in  the  last  century  three 
or  more  in  Old  Winchester,  to  which  the  traveling  currier  periodically 
resorted,  and  curried,  or  smoothed  and  softened  the  sides  of  leather 
when  taken  from  the  vats.     The  oak  bark  then  solely  used  for  tanning 


MANUFACTURES.  513 

had  its  outer  surface  shaved  off,  and  was  then  pounded,  or  crushed  under 
a  heavy  circular  stone  attached  to  a  ten-foot  shaft,  stationary  at  one  end, 
and  rolled  round  a  circle  by  a  draft  horse, — the  bark  heing  distributed 
along  the  circular  track,  and  kept  there  by  a  man  or  boy  with  a  rake. 
Two  of  these,  owned  respectively  by  the  Wade  and  Blake  families,  con- 
tinued in  operation,  by  water  power  and  modern  impiovements,  until 
about  1850.  Bodi  are  now  abandoned.  There  was  a  like  establishment 
in  Winsted,  erected  and  owned  by  Elias  Loomis,  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  at  the  foot  of  "  Dish  Mill  Hill,"  where  the  Woodruff  tannery 
now  stands,  which  was  abandoned  many  years  before  the  present  works 
were  erected. 

About  1800  it  was  practically  ascertained  by  trial  that  hemlock  bark 
possessed  t!ie  astringent  and  other  properties  requisite  for  tanning;  and 
in  consequence  the  business  was  thenceforward  conducted  on  a  larger 
scab;  in  the  Green  Woods  region. 

Colonel  Hosea  Hinsdale  and  Col.  James  Shepard  came  to  Winsted  in" 
1802,  and  erected  a  large  tannery  on  Spencer  ,-treet,  where  the  fish  pond 
of  John  T.  Rockwell  has  lately  been  excavated.  The  business  was  suc- 
cessfully prosecuted  here  by  Col.  Hinsdale  until  1851,  when  he  sold  out 
to  J.  S.  and  J.  T.  Rockwell. 

In  1807  Col  Shepard  sold  out  his  interest  to  Col.  Hinsdale,  and  in 
company  with  Asahel  Miller,  erected  the  original  tannery,  on  the  site  of 
the  present  tannery  of  George  Dudley  &  Son.  This  establishment  was 
owned  and  managed  successively  by  Shepard  &  Miller,  Abiel  Loomis, 
and  Alanson  Loomis,  until  purchased  by  George  Dudley  in  1832. 

In  1 820,  another  tannery  was  erected  by  Horace  Ranney,  at  the  corner 
of  North  Main  street  and  the  Cook  bridge,  taking  its  water  power  from  the 
west  wing  of  Cook's  dam,  which  was  successively  owned  and  managed  by 
Ranney  &  Hawley,  Norman  Spencer,  Jonathan  K.  Richards,  Charles  B. 
Ilallett,  and  others,  and  was  abandoned  as  a  tannery  in  1857. 

In  1821,  Horace  Ranney  erected  another  tannery,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Woodruff  tannery,  on  North  Main  street,  now  owned  by  George 
Dudley  &  Son,  which  was  successively  managed  by  Lewis  &  Foster  until 
1834,  by  James  A.  Ay  ran  It  until  1841  ;  since  which  it  has  been  owned 
and  managed  by  Frederick  Woodruff  until  his  recent  sale  to  Dudley  & 
Son;  it  having  during  his  ownership  been  carried  away  by  a  flood,  and 
afterwards  rebuilt  and  enlarged. 

The  tannery  business  of  Winsted  has,  since  1850,  been  confined  to 
preparing  sheep  and  calfskins  for  book-binding  and  similar  purposes,  and 
has  become  one  of  the  prominent  branches  of  our  manufactures.  The 
skins  are  imported  from  England,  after  having  been  split  into  two  or 
more  thicknesses,  salted  and  packed  in  hogsheads,  ready  for  the  vat. 
The  bark  is  finely  ground  in  a  mill  in  the  second  story  of  the  building, 
65 


514  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

and  passed  to  a  large  receiving  vat,  where  it  is  soaked  in  water  until 
the  tanning  principle  is  extracted,  when  the  liquor,  or  tea,  as  il  is  termed, 
is  drawn  off  into  a  line  of  receiving  vats,  and  the  exhausted  bark  is 
thrown  out.  A  paddle,  or  flutter  wheel  is  fixed  over  each  vat  and  con- 
nected by  gears  with  a  line  of  shafting  propelled  by  water  power.  A  suf- 
ficient number  of  vats  are  filled  with  the  hemlock  tea ;  the  right  number 
of  skins  are  thrown  into  each  vat,  and  the  flutter  wheels  are  set  in  motion 
and  operate  on  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  creating  a  current  which  keeps 
the  skins  in  constant  movement,  and  perfects  the  tanning  process  without 
hand  labor.  The  tanned  skins  are  then  smoothed,  trimmed,  assorted,  and 
packed  for  market ;  the  whole  process  requiring  less  than  three  weeks' 
time. 

This  branch  of  business  was  originated  in  Winsted  by  George  Dudley, 
before  1850,  in  the  works  he  purchased  from  Alanson  Loomis  in  1832. 
In  1853  he  rebuilt  and  enlarged  his  works,  and  added  two  three-story 
buildings  for  dying  the  skins  when  tanned.  In  company  with  his  son  he 
has  recently  purchased  and  now  carries  on  the  Woodruff  tanner}'  on  North 
Main  street.  During  the  present  year,  1 872^  they  have  consumed  in 
both  tanneries  6,000  tons  of  bark,  and  have  turned  out  432,000  skins. 

In  1851,  J.  8.  &  J.  T.  Rockwell,  previously  engaged  in  this  branch 
of  tanning  in  Colebrook,  erected  the  four-story  tannery  on  the  site  of  the 
Hinsdale  premises.  These  work.s,  now  owned  by  John  T.  Rockwell, 
are  believed  to  turn  out  nearly  the  same  amount  of  work  with  the  larger 
tannery  of  the  Dudleys. 

Woolen  Cloths. 

Joseph  Piatt  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  clothier  in  the  town. 
He  built  a  clothier's  shop  and  fulling  mill  in  the  Danbury  Quarter,  be- 
tween 1783  and  1787.  The  establishment  had  a  brief  existence.  It 
is  not  mentioned  in  any  deed  on  record,  and  its  precise  locality  is  un- 
known. 

The  first  clothier  in  Winsted  was  Daniel  Marshall,  (see  p.  307,)  whose 
shop  stood  on  Lake  street  as  it  ihen  ran,  nearly  opposite  the  house  at  the 
corner  of  Lake  and  Rockwell  streets,  and  the  fulling  mill  in  the  rear  on 
the  Lake  stream.  Mr.  Marshall  died  in  1794,  and  Daniel  Wilcox  be- 
came the  owner  until  his  sale  of  the  premises  to  the  Rockwell  Brothers 
in  1813.  A  carding  machine  was  added  to  the  establishment  about 
1804.  The  Rockwell  Brothers,  in  1813,  erected  additional  buildings 
and  began  the  manufacture  of  broadcloths  and  satinets.  The  business 
was  enlarged  and  vigorou.-ly  prosecuted  during  the  continuance  of  the 
war  of  1812,  and  moderately  thereafter  until  1830,  in  the  hope  of  mak- 
ing it  a  paying  business,  but  with  doubtful  success.  In  1835  the  works 
were  burned  down,  and  never  rebuilt. 


MANUFACTURES.  515 

About  1816  another  clothier's  works  was  erected  by  Ansel  Wilson,  on 
the  site  of  the  Strong  Manufacturing  Company's  new  factory.  Chester 
Soper  purchased  this  establishment  about  1830,  and  a  few  years  after 
erected  a  woolen  mill  on  the  premises,  in  which  he  manufactured  broad- 
cloths until  about  1838.  The  works  were  afterwards  carried  on  by  John 
Thornton  and  others  until  1845,  when"  Ehe  woollen  business  was  abandoned 
and  the  building  afterwards  used  for  making  joiners'  tools. 

Another  clothier's  works,  built  about  1814  on  the  Naugatuck  branch  in 
Old  Winchester,  and  carried  on  by  Alva  Nash  and  others  until  1828, 
when  it  was  converted  into  a  woolen  mill  for  making  broadcloths  and 
satinets  by  John  M.  Galagher,  who  failed  within  a  i'ew  years  and  was 
succeeded  by  Isaac  Bird,  who  continued  the  making  of  satinets,  until  the 
establishment  went  into  the  hands  of  the  Winchester  Center  Mfg.  Co.,  in 
1854.  This  Company  confined  its  operations  to  making  woollen  knitting 
yarn  until  the  establishment  was  burned  down  about  I860,  and  was 
never  rebuilt. 

The  Home  Manufacturing  Company,  a  joint-stock  concern,  was  organ- 
ized in  1846,  and  the  i-ame  year  erected  the  factory  building  on  Mad 
River  now  occupied  by  the  New  England  Pin  Co.,  and  went  into  the 
manufacture  of  broad  cloths  and  doeskins.  It  labored  under  the 
disadvantage  of  having  no  stockholders  acquainted  with  the  business, 
and  was  unfortunate  in  selecting  overseers  of  the  manufacturing  depart- 
ment. No  profits  were  realized;  and  in  1850  the  concern  was  wound 
up.  The  establishment  was  sold  to  Anson  G.  Phelps,  who  operated  it 
in  connection  with  his  wooden  mills  at  Wolcottville  until  1852,  when  it 
was  purchased  by  the  Hartford  Pin  Co. 

Not  one  of  the  foregoing  enterprises  proved  successful,  and  most  of 
them  ended  disastrously. 

Clocks. 

Samuel  and  Luther  Hoadley,  and  Riley  Whiting  began  the  manufac- 
ture of  wooden  clocks  about  1807,  in  a  small  factory  building  immediately 
south  of  the  east  wing  of  the  stone  bridge  on  Still  River.  The 
machinery  was  carried  by  a  tin  wheel  on  an  upright  iron  shaft.  The 
cog-wheels  were  of  cherry,  the  pinion  was  of  ivy,  or  calmia,  and  the 
face  of  white-wood  —  all  home  products.  These,  with  a  little  wire,  a 
very  little  steel,  brass,  tin,  and  cordage,  made  up  the  staple  of  material 
in  the  old  one-day  shelf  clock  which  they  produced  and  scattered  all 
over  the  United  States  ami  Canada. 

The  Hoadleys  retired  from  the  business  —  Luther  dying  in  1813,  and 
Samuel,  the  same  year,  going  into  the  army.  Riley  Whiting,  the 
remaining  partner,  prosecuted  the  business  with  energy  and  final  success. 
In  1825,  he  tore  down  the  old  grist-mill  on  the  north  wing  of  the  bridge 
and  built  the  brick  factory,  recently  burned  down,  and  engaged  in  making 
eight-day  brass  clocks.     Mr.  Whiting  died   in    1835,  and   in   1841   the 


516  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

concern  was  purchased  by  Lucius  Clarke,  and  luis  since  been  conducted 
by  Clarke,  Gilbert  &  Co.,  W.  L.  Gilbert,  The  Gilbert  Manufacturing 
Company,  and  "The  William  L.  Gilbeit  Clock  Company,"  incorporated 
by  the  Legislature  of  1871.  In  1870,  the  brick  building  erected  by  Mr. 
Whiting,  and  a  large  wooden  one  adjoining,  was  burned  down  ;  on  the 
site  of  which  the  company  erected  a  spacious  thr<  e  story  brick  factory 
building,  and  in  1872  a  similar  building  on  the  south  side  of  the  road, 
where  the  original  wooden  clock  factory  building  stood;  the  two  making 
the  largest  manufacturing  establishment  in  the  borough. 

Cards. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  1812,  two  establishments  for  making 
hand  and  machine  cards  were  started,  one  by  Coe,  Miller  &  Co.,  in  the 
Shepard  &  Miller  Tannery,  and  the  other  by  the  Iloadley  Brothers  in 
their  grist-mill.  Both  companies  used  one  set  of  machines  for  cutting 
and  bending  the  teeth,  and  another  set  for  pricking  the  leather,  and  the 
teeth  were  inserted  in  the  leather  by  children  at  their  homes.  Other 
machines  shaped  and  turned  the  handles  on  which  the  hand  card  leathers 
were  fastened  by  tacks.  Two  causes  put  an  end  to  this  branch  of 
manufacture;  one,  the  return  of  peace  in  1815,  and  the  influx  of  cheaper 
cards  from  England,  —  and  the  other,  the  invention  by  Mr.  Levi  Lin- 
coln, of  a  combined  machine  which,  in  one  operation,  pricked  the  leather, 
cut  and  bent  the  teeth,  and  stuck  them  through  the  pricked  leather. . 

Wagons  and  Carriages. 

There  were,  doubtless,  wheelwrights  and  wagon-makers  in  Old  Win- 
chester at  an  early  day,  but  the  compiler  has  no  knowledge  of  them 
Randall  Covey  had  a  wagon-maker's  shop  at  the  Centre  from  1817  to 
1821. 

Joseph  Mitchell  was  probably  the  first  wheelwright  in  Winsted.  His 
house  and  shop,  now  torn  down,  were  directly  opposite  the  residence  of 
Sheldon  Kinney  on  Main  street.  He  made  cart  wheels  and  bodies  from 
the  beginning  of  the  century,  or  earlier,  to  about  1830. 

Selden  Mitchell,  son  of  Joseph,  above,  made  light  wagons  in  the 
basement  in  rear  of  the  Kinney  house  above  mentioned  from  1809  to 
about  1820. 

In  1813,  Shubael  Crow  and  Ebenezer  R.  Hale  erected  a  carriage- 
maker's  shop  on  the  site  of  John  T.  Rockwell's  tannery,  in  which  wagons 
and  chaises  were  made  until  after  1830  by  Crowe  &  Hale,  Crowe  & 
Bandle,  Henderson  &  Ball,  and  others,  —  the  premises  having  been  used 
from  1823  to  1826  for  manufacturing  pails,  tubs,  and  keelcrs  by  Hinsdale 
&  Dimock. 

Wagon  making  w;ts  subsequently  carried  on  in  Winsted  by  James 
Hermance  from  1838  to  his  death  in  1840,  and  by  G.  W.  Gaston  from 
18-49  onward  to  1872. 


MANUFACTURES.  517 

In  1851,  Walter  &  Son  erected  a  large  carriage  shop  on  the  corner  of 
Elm  and  Center  streets,  which  has  since  been  managed  successively  by 
Erwin  M.  Walter,  Uriah  S.  Walter,  \V\  H.  Stickney,  and  others,  and  is 
now  owned  and  managed  by  Franklin  Lincoln. 

In  1856  the  Winsted  (Joint  Stock)  Carriage  Company  was  organized 
and  carried  on  a  large  business  in  Southern  wagons  and  baggies  until  the 
opening  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  occupying  the  old  Soper  woolen 
factory.  In  186(5  the  company  was  re-organized  with  a  reduced  capital, 
and  Marcus  Baird,  Walter  Stickney,  Win.  S.  Holabird,  and  others,  as 
stockholders,  and  was  wound  up  in  1867. 

The  Gilman  Carriage  Company  was  organized  with  a  capital  of 
$25,000.  in  1867,  and  purchased  the  factory  property  of  the  Winsted 
Carriage  Company;  and  soon  after,  on  the  burning  down  of  the  factory 
building,  erected  a  spacious  establishment  on  the  same  site  with  facilities 
for  a  large  business.  This  establishment  was  burned  down  in  1870,  and 
the  operations  of  the  company  were  thereby  suspended. 

Another  carriage  establishment  was  erected  on  Case  Avenue  in  1870 
by  Walter  Stickney,  Bennet  Palmer,  and  Wilbur  F.  Green,  with  capacity 
for  a  large  amount  of  work. 

Whiskey. 
A  company  of  grain  speculators,  at  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812, 
found  themselves  loaded  with  several  thousand  bushels  of  rye,  bought  at 
a  high  price,  in  the  hope  of  selling  it  at  a  still  higher,  if  not  extortionate, 
rate,  to  needy  consumers  of  the  article.  The  price  in  market  fell  with 
the  return  of  peace.  Nobody  wanted  to  buy ;  the  article  was  growing, 
musty  on  their  hands,  and  (hey  —  shrewdly,  as  they  thought — resolved  to 
turn  it  into  a  commodity  that  never  lacked  consumers.  So  they  built  a 
whiskey  distillery  half  way  up  Wallen's  hill,  east  of  the  clock  factory, 
and  a  sty  for  forty  or  fifty  swine  to  be  fattened  on  the  de-alcoholize  1 
mash.  The  rye  was  ground  at  the  mill  where  it  was  stored;  the  breathing 
hole  of  hell  vomited  it;  pestilent  smoke,  the  whiskey  trickled  from  the 
undying  worm  of  the  still,  and  the  swine  bloated  and  fattened  on  the 
mash,  until  the  frowzy  grain  was  converted  into  vile  whiskey  and  viler 
pork.  The  most  bloated  drunkards  around  home  wouldn't  drink  the  foul 
whiskey,  and  so  it  was  sent  away  to  markets  where  sots  with  le-s  delicate 
stomachs  could  be  found ;  and  the  pork,  not  being  relished  at  home,  was 
salted,  packed,  and  shipped  for  negro  consumption  in  the  Carolina  market. 
On  the  voyage  to  Charleston,  it  became  so  tainted  and  offensive  that  it 
was  thrown  overboard  toprevent  a  pestilence  on  the  vessel.  On  stating 
the  profit  and  loss  of  the  whole  transaction,  the  profit  was  found  to  be  a 
minus  quantity,  and  the  lo-s  positive  and  total  of  the  whole  investment. 
The  distillery  building  and  hog  sty  were  taken  down  and  removed,  and 
not  a  trace  of  their  location  remains. 


518  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

Linseed  Oil. 
An  Oil  Will  was  erected  by  Bissell   Hinsdale,  on  Mad   River,  a  little 
west  of  the  Clifton  Will  works,  about  1816,  which  was  worked  only  a  few 
years,  and  was  removed  before  1830. 

Hay  and  Manure  Forks. 

The  Spring  Steel  Hay  and  Manure  Forks  were  introduced  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  coarse  and  clumsy  articles  previously  in  use,  soon  after  the 
war  of  1812.  They  were  made  here  in  numerous  small  shops  by  handi- 
craftsmen, no  machinery,  save  the  sledge  and  hand  hammer,  propelled  by 
muscular  arms,  being  used.  Large  quantities  were  made,  not  only  for 
supplying  the  country  stores,  but  for  the  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
markets.  The  three  Browns,  Orrin,  Harris  and  Isaac,  Oliver  White,  Ju- 
lius Weaver,  and  others,  were  engaged  in  this  business.  Establishments 
grew  up  in  other  places  in  which  the  tilt-hammer  came  into  use  for  draw- 
ing out  the  tines,  which  made  the  hand  labor  operation  unremunerative ; 
and  the  business  was,  in  a  great  measure,  abandoned  here  about  1850. 

Foundries. 

The  casting  of  iron  clock  bells  was  begun  in  Winsted  by  the  Hoadley 
Brothers,  about  1810,  as  a  secret  process  in  a  detached  building,  from 
which  outsiders  were  rigidly  excluded.  The  skilled  founder  of  the  estab- 
lishment ran  away  after  some  two  years  service.  In  1812  Nathan  Cham- 
pion commenced  the  same  business  in  the  Jenkins  scythe  shop  that  stood 
on  the  Strong  Manufacturing  Co.'s  premises,  and  afterwards  built  a  shop 
near  the  Winsted  Manufacturing  Co.'s  works,  in  which  he  made  other 
small  castings. 

In  lh34  Nathaniel  B.  Gaylord  erected  a  foundry  on  the  site  of  the 
Strong  Manufacturing  Co.'s  works  for  casting  stoves,  plows,  gears,  and 
general  custom  work,  which  he  operated  until  184G,  after  which  it  was 
carried  on  a  short  time  by  Calvin  Butler,  of  Canaan,  and  was  then 
abandoned. 

In  1847  Taylor  &  Whiting  erected  a  foundry  in  connection  with  their 
machine  shop  now  owned  and  operated  by  the  Foundry  and  Machine 
Company,  which  is  now  the  only  establishment  in  the  borough. 

In  1853,  John  Boyd  erected  another  foundry  for  large  castings  in  con- 
nection with  his  machine  shop  adjoining  Lake  Street  bridge  on  Mad 
River,  which  was  discontinued  in  1854. 

Machine  Shops. 

In  1831,  George  Taylor  erected  the  original  building  of  the  present 
Foundry  and  Machine  Company's  establishment  on  Main  street  for  mak- 


MANUFACTURES.  519 

ing  woolen  machinery  as  a  specialty  and  doing  general  job  work  in  that 
line.  Two  years  later  lie  associated  with  Ambrose  Whiting  as  a  partner 
in  the  name  of  Taylor  &  Whiting.  They  did  a  large  business  in  carding 
machines  and  spinning  jacks  for  some  twenty  years.  After  the  retirement 
of  Mr.  Whiting  in  1857,  the  concern  was  organized  as  a  joint  stock  com- 
pany with  the  name  of  The  Winsted  Foundry  and  Machine  Company,  by 
which  the  business  is  still  carried  on. 

In  1823  James  Boyd  and  James  M.  Bojd  began  making  ^avv•mill 
cranks,  mill  spindles,  and  various  other  branches  of  heavy  forging  in  a 
shop  then  built  on  the  west  side  of  Mad  river,  in  rear  of  the  Beardsley 
house.  To  this  bu-iness  James  Boyd  &  Son  added  in  1830  the  making 
of  finished  coach  axles  and  mill  screws.  In  1851,  alter  the  death  of  Mr. 
James  Boyd,  the  junior  partner  erected  the  present  machine  shop  on  the 
site  of  the  old  shop,  for  the  purpo  e  of  enlarging  the  mill-iron  and  axle 
business  of  the  old  firm ;  and  in  1853  built  the  foundry  last  referred  to  as 
an  appendage  to  the  establishment.  The  works  were  purchased  by  the 
Clifton  Mill  Co.  in  1857,  and  were  a  few  years  after  employed  in  the 
manufacture  of  monkey  wrenches.     They  are  at  present  idle. 

About  1840,  Reuben  Cook  &  Sons  went  into  the  manufacture  of  finished 
axles  at  their  iron  works,  and  in  1852  organized  "The  Cook  Axle  Co.," 
which  enlarged  the  business  and  erected  the  brick  factory  building  on  the 
site  of  the  old  Cook  forge,  for  this  manufacture. 

In  18G4the  company  was  dissolved  and  the  business  resumed  by  R. 
Cook  &  Sons,  and  is  now  continued  by  Charles  and  John  R.  Cook. 

Hoes,  Shovels,  and  Carpenters'  Tools. 

About  1828  Samuel  Boyd  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  steel  hoes  and 
shovels,  and  erected  the  original  buildings  of  the  Clifton  Mill  Company 
works  on  the  south  side  of  Mad  river.  He  also  manufactured  in  these 
buildings  nail  hammers,  socket  chisels,  and  draw  shaves  until  1833,  when 
the  business  was  discontinued. 

In  1852  John  Boyd,  Louis  R.  Boyd,  and  Daniel  B.  AVheelock  began 
to  manufacture  planters'  hoes  for  the  Southern  market  in  the  brick  scythe 
works  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and  Meadow  streets.  It  was  a  new  business, 
and  encountered  serious  difficulties,  one  of  them  being  the  anti-slavery 
proclivities  of  the  first  and  third  partners,  of  which  the  Southern  custo- 
mers were  duly  notified  by  competing  manufacturers.  The  obnoxious 
partners  withdrew  from  the  concern,  and  it  became  a  decided  success 
under  the  name  of  "The  American  Hoe  Co."  The  hoes  became  the 
leading  article  in  the  market.  They  were  sent  to  England  and  duplicated 
as  to  the  style  and  finish  by  English  manufacturers,  but  their  work  proved 
inferior  in  working  quality. 

The  establishment  was  enlarged  by  the  erection  of  grinding  and  polish- 
ing works  on  two  other  water  powers,  and  in  1855  employed  more  hands 


520  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

than  any  other  concern  in  the  borough.  In  1868  the  establishment  was 
purchased  by  Horace  and  Ralph  W.  Booth,  and  was  continued  in  opera- 
tion by  L.  R.  Boyd,  until  paralyzed  by  the  slave-holders'  rebellion.  It 
remained  idle  during  and  after  the  war  un'il  1866,  when  it  was  purchased 
and  resuscitated  by  the  Winsted  Hoe  Company,  which  has  also  purchased 
the  Clifton  Mill  works,  and  added  to  hoe-making  the  manufacture  of 
socket  chisel-,  draw  shaves,  and  wrenches. 

Bolts  and  Nuts. 

The  Clifton  Mill  Company,  soon  after  the  purchase  of  Samuel  Boyd's 
works  on  the  south  side  of  Mad  river,  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  nuts 
and  washers,  and  about  1855  added  carriage  bolts  and  nuts  to  its  other 
manufactured  articles,  adding  for  that  purpose  the  three  story  building  on 
their  premises,  and  also  the  Boyd  machine  shop  at  the  foot  of  Lake  street. 
On  the  purchase  of  their  works  by  the  Winsted  Hoe  Co.,  the  nut  and 
bolt  manufacture  was  discontinued. 

Another  carriage  bolt  manufacture  was  started  on  the  premises  of  R. 
Cook  &  Sons  by  Franklin  Moore  and  Edward  Clarke  about  1867,  which 
is  still  in  active  and  successful  operation,  under  the  ownership  and  man- 
agement of  Mr.  Moore. 

Table  Cutlery. 
In  1852  the  "Eagle"  works,  a  joint  stock  company  with  a  capital  of 
$25,000,  was  organized  and  put  in  operation  under  the  supervision  of 
Albert  Bradshaw,  an  English  cutler,  in  a  brick  factory  building  on  the 
Lake  stream  adjoining  the  Connecticut  Western  depot  grounds.  The 
busine-s  not  proving  successful,  operations  were  suspended  about  1854, 
and  in  1856,  the  establishment  was  purchased  by  Rice,  Lathrop  &  Clary, 
under  whose  ownership  the  brick  factory  building  was  burned  down,  and 
a  smaller  wooden  building  was  erected  on  its  site  ;  and  soon  afterward  the 
auger  factory  building  on  Mad  river,  near  the  corner  of  Main  and  Coe 
streets,  was  purchased.  This  building  was  burned  down  and  rebuilt  about 
1866.  Mr.  Clary  died  in  1861,  and  Mr.  Rice  retired  from  the  concern  in 
1862.  George  F.  Barton  came  in  as  a  partner  with  Mr.  Lathrop  in 
1861,  and  retired  from  the  partnership  in  1872,  leaving  Mr.  Lathrop  the 
present  sole  owner.  The  concern  has  been  impeded  and  crippled  by  two 
successive  lires,  but  is  still  carried  on  with  a  reduced  business. 

Pocket  Cutlery. 

In  1853  Thompson  &  Gascoigne    (Englishmen)    carried  on  a  small 

pocki  t  cutlery  business  in  the  factory  of  the  Eagle   Co.,  which  was  soon 

after  taken  up  by  Beardsley  &  Alvoid,  and  gradually  enlarged  and  made 

profitable.     In  1856,  they  built  their  cutlery  works  at  the  Lake  outlet, 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  521 

and  have  since  transacted  a  large  and  prosperous  business  in  the  name  of 
"  The  Empire  Knife  Company." 

In  1854,  C.  F.  Clark,  an  Englishman,  started  a  pocket  cutlery  concern 
in  the  attic  of  the  Cook  axle  factory,  which  was  taken  up  by  Horace 
Phelps,  and  after  a  trial  of  one  or  two  years,  was  abandoned. 

Augers. 

The  Winsted  (Joint  Stock)  Auger  Company  was  organized  in  1853 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000,  and  immediately  after  erected  the  factory 
on  Mad  river  near  the  corner  of  Coe  and  Main  streets,  at  a  cost  beyond 
their  capital.  It  was  managed  inefficiently  by  men  unacquainted  with  the 
business,  and  was  wound  up  before  1860. 

Steel  Fire  Irons. 

Benjamin  &  Edward  Woodall  (Englishmen)  began  making,  of  highly 
polished  steel,  shovels  and  tongs  and  other  fire  irons,  about  1850;  and  in 
1854  organized  the  "  Winsted  Shovel  and  Tongs  Co.,"  under  the  agency 
of  Justus  R.  Loomis,  they  bought  the  Halsey  Burr  scythe  shop  and 
water  power,  and  erected  the  factory  building  now  used  as  a  feed-grinding 
mill  by  Frederick  Woodruff,  on  North  Main  street.  The  concern  lacked 
capital,  energy,  and  business  skill,  and  was  closed  up  about  1857. 

Pins.  ' 

In  1852  Erastus  S.  Woodford,  J.  B.  Terry  and  others  organized  '-The 
Hartford  Pin  Co."  (Joint  Stock),  and  purchased  of  Anson  G.  Phelps  the 
woolen  factory  building  on  Bridge  street,  opposite  the  Naugatuck  Railroad 
depot  grounds,  and  began  making  pins  the  same  year.  The  company  at 
once  came  into  conflict  with  the  Howye  Pin  Co.  of  Birmingham,  in  respect 
to  a  patented  sticking  machine  for  sticking  the  pins  on  paper,  which  im- 
peded operations  until  the  question  of  infringement  was  settled  by  litiga- 
tion in  the  U.  S.  Circuit  Court.  In  1857  the  factory  property  and  ma- 
chinery of  the  company  became  the  property  of  James  R.  Keeler,  who 
conveyed  the  same  to  "  The  New  England  Pin  Co.,"  organized  in  May  of 
the  same  year,  and  composed  of  said  Keeler,  Hector  Armstrong,  C.  O. 
Crosby,  and  John  G.  Wetmore,  stockholders,  and  with  a  capital  of  100,000 
dollars. 

Under  this  organization  the  business  has  been  vigorously  and  pros- 
perously conducted  to  the  present  time  and  bids  fair  to  continue  one  of  the 
leading  manufacturing  interests  of  the  place.  The  company  also  manu- 
factured percussion  caps  for  a  few  years,  and  afterwards  shoe  laces  and 

braids. 

66 


522  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


Joiners'  Tools. 

The  Winsted  Plane  Company,  organized  in  1851,  entered  on  the  man- 
ufacture of  Joiners'  tools  in  the  old  Soper  woolen  factory  building,  and 
continued  until  about  1856,  when  it  became  insolvent  and  was  wound  up. 

Lumber. 

The  Clifton  Lumber  Co.  was  organized  in  1854,  and  erected  the  build- 
ing near  the  Naugatuck  depot,  now  occupied  by  the  Winsted  Printing 
Co.,  for  planing  lumber  and  manufacturing  doors,  sashes,  and  blinds  by 
steam  power.     The  concern  was  wound  up  in  1857. 

Plated  Ware  and  Coffin  Trimmings. 

The  Strong  Manufacturing  Co.  was  organized  in  1866  by  David  Strong, 
Clark  Strong,  and  others,  for  manufacturing  plated  handles  and  other 
coffin  trimmings  as  a  specialty.  They  erected  their  factory  buildings  on 
the  site  of  the  Gaylord  foundry,  and  have  since  prosecuted  the  business 
largely  and  successfully,  their  wares  being  sold  to  every  section  of  the 
country.  They  have  recently  purchased  the  water  power  of  the  Gilman 
Carriage  Co.,  and  are  now  (December,  1872)  laying  foundations  for  an 
additional  factory  building  of  capacity  for  more  than  doubling  their  work. 

The  business  promises  to  be  large,  successful,  and  permanent. 

Another  company  or  partnership,  consisting  of  Ralph  H.  Moore, 
Franklin  Moore,  and  others,  has  this  year  (1872)  erected  a  factory  on 
Case  Avenue  for  making  plated  spoons  and  other  plated  articles. 

Condensed  Milk. 

The  Borden  Condensed  Milk  Co.,  consisting  of  Gail  Borden,  Theron 
Bronson,  and  Elhanan  W.  Tyler,  was  organized  in  1863,  and  purchased 
the  factory  building  near  the  Naugatuck  depot,  now  occupied  by  the  Win- 
sted Printing  Co.,  in  which  they  condensed  milk  until  1866,  when,  not 
finding  the  location  favorable  for  the  business,  the  concern  was  wound  up. 

Carriage  Springs. 

The  Henry  Spring  Co.  was  organized  at  New  Haven  in  1869,  and  its 
location  was  transferred  to  Winsted  in  April,  1870,  and  the  grinding 
shop  on  Lake  street,  erected  by  the  American  Hoe  Co.,  was  purchased  by 
the  Spring  Co.,  and  its  machinery  placed  therein.  The  business  has  been 
vigorously  prosecuted  to  the  present  time  (1872),  with  a  promise  of  be- 
coming large  and  permanent.  The  company  has  this  season  erected  an 
additional  building  for  enlarging  their  working  power.    The  Spring  made 


AND  FAMILY  RECORDS.  523 

by  them  is  a  patented  article  combining  equal  strength  and  elasticity  with 
springs  of  other  manufacture  of  a  third  more  weight,  and  are  in  constantly 
increasing  demand  for  light  buggies  and  carriages. 

A  tendency  has  prevailed  here  for  the  last  thirty  years  among  moneyed 
men,  to  "  try  all  things  and  hold  fast  that  which  is  good  "  in  the  way  of 
manufacturing.  This  accounts  for  the  large  number  of  joint  stock  com- 
panies of  brief  existence  and  unsuccessful  ending  herein  recapitulated. 
They  have  been  slow  to  learn  that  manufacturing  operations,  organized 
and  conducted  by  men  not  specially  qualified  and  experienced  in  the 
branch  of  manufacture  undertaken,  are  almost  inevitable  failures.  Not- 
withstanding these  drawbacks,  profitable  manufacturing  operations  have 
steadily  increased,  have  never  been  more  profitable  than  at  the  present 
time,  and  have  never  given  surer  promise  of  permanence  and  enlargement. 


CENTENNIAL  EXERCISES 


COMMEMORATIVE  OF  THE  ORGANIZATION 


Town  of  Winchester, 


CONNECTICUT, 


AND   OF    THE 


First  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  said  Town. 


AUGUST   16th  and   17th,   1871. 


REPORTED   BY 

HENRY  E.  ROCKWELL,  Esq.,  Phono grapher. 


67 


J 


PRELIMINARY. 


The  following  article  appeared  in  the  Winsted  Herald  of  April  21st, 
1871  :— 

"  We  are  desired  to  say  that  the  organization  of  Winchester  as  a  cor- 
porate town  occurred  on  the  22d  of  July,  1771 :  and  those  citizens 
desirous  of  commemorating  the  event  are  requested  to  meet  at  the 
Lecture  Room  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church,  West  Winsted,  on 
Monday  evening,  April  24,  1871,  at  seven  o'clock,  to  consider  and  adopt 
preliminary  measures.  A  prompt  attendance  of  all  persons  interested  is 
earnestly  desired,  the  time  for  action  being  brief,  and  the  preparations  to 
be  made  important." 

Pursuant  to  the  foregoing  call,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  time  and 
place  therein  designated,  and  a  committee,  representing  the  several 
sections  of  the  town,  was  appointed  to  consider  and  report  to  an  adjourned 
meeting  as  to  the  desirableness  of  a  commemorative  celebration,  and  as 
to  the  time,  place,  and  manner  of  arranging  the  same,  and  the  following 
committee  was  appointed  : — 

Theron  Bronson,  Thomas  M.  Clarke, 

Abel  S.  Wetmore,  Charles  H.  Blake, 

Ira  W.  Pettibone,  Samuel  L.  Andrews, 

Isaac  A.  Bronson,  Rollin  L.  Beecher, 

Benjamin  W.  Pettibone,  Charles  Cook, 

Samuel  Hurlbut,  James  R.  Alvord, 

James  L.  Bragg,  John  T.  Rockwell, 

John  Boyd,  George  M.  Carrington, 

William  G.  Coe,  Hiram  Perkins, 

Normand  Adams,  Elias  E.  Gilman, 

Timothy  Hulbert,  Moses  Camp. 

This  committee,  after  mature  consultation,  published  in  the  Winsted 
Herald,  and  in  printed  notices,  circulated  throughout  the  town  the  follow- 
ing call  for  an  adjourned  meeting,  to  be  held  on  the  6th  of  May,  1871 : — 

"  The  town  of  Winchester  was  organized,  and  the  first  town  meeting 
held,  in  July,  1771.  It  is  proposed  that  we  celebrate  that  birth-day  of  a 
hundred  years  ago :  that  we  call  home  the  wanderers  from  the  old  town 


528  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

and  their  descendants,  wherever  scattered,  spread  a  tent,  bring  together 
history,  reminiscences,  and  cheerful  story ;  and  as  a  big  family  reunited, 
talk  over  the  old  times.  Shall  we  do  it  ?  The  undertaking  requires  the 
enthusiastic  aid  of  every  man  and  woman. 

"  Citizens  of  Winsted,  and  of  the  whole  town,  are  requested  to  meet  at 
the  Second  Congregational  Church  this  week,  Saturday  evening,  May  6th, 
at  half-past  seven,  to  decide  the  matter.  Ladies  are  especially  invited* 
and  men  modestly  entreated,  to  attend  and  say  the  celebration  shall  go 
ahead.  Such  preparations  are  already  made  that  this  meeting  can  act 
decisively  find  effect  a  prompt  and  efficient  organization  if  it  will.  If  the 
community  is  indifferent  to  the  project,  neglect  to  attend  this  meeting 
will  effectually  kill  it. 

"THE RON  BRONSON, 

"  Chairman  of  Committee." 


Pursuant  to  the  above  call,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  time  and  place 
therein  named,  and  was  called  to  order  by  Theron  Bronson,  Esq., 
chairman  of  the  advisory  committee.  Rollin  L.  Beecher  was  appointed 
chairman,  and  George  M.  Carrington,  clerk. 

After  remarks  by  Wm.  G.  Coe,  John  Boyd,  M.  P.  Hubbell,  and 
others,  those  in  favor  of  a  celebration  were  called  on  to  manifest  it  by 
rising  ;  carried  by  a  nearly  unanimous  vote.  The  time  of  holding  the 
celebration  was  fixed  for  the  last  two  weeks  in  August,  the  exact  time  to 
be  named  by  a  supervisory  committee  afterwards  appointed. 

The  organization  of  the  first  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  Winchester  having 
occurred  during  the  same  year  with  the  town  organization,  it  was  decided 
that  the  celebration  should  occupy  two  successive  days,  the  first  to  be 
commemorative  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society,  the  services  to  be  held  at 
Winchester  Center,  and  managed  by  citizens  of  that  society,  and  in  the 
evening  a  reunion  of  a  social  character  to  be  held  in  Winsted ;  and  the 
second  day's  exercises  to  be  specially  connected  with  the  town  organiza- 
tion, and  to  be  held  in  Winsted. 


The  following  committees  were  then  appointed  : — 

General  Supervisory  Committee. — William  G.  Coe,  John  T.  Rockwell, 
James  A.  Bushnell,  Samuel  Hurlbut,  Theron  Bronson,  James  L.  Bragg. 

Finance. — Henry  Gay,  Charhs  H.  Blake,  James  H.  Welch,  Rufus 
E.  Holmes,  McPherson  Hubbell,  Silas  Hurlbut,  John  McAlpine,  Samuel 
M.  Munsill,  David  Le  Roy. 

Invitations. — Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  Alva  Nash^ 
John  Boyd,  Ira  W.  Pettibone,  George  M.  Carrington,  Theron   Bronson, 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  529 

John  Hinsdale,  William  C.  Phelps,  B.  B.  Rockwell,  Mrs.  Norris  Coe, 
Mrs.  Leonard  B.  Hurlbut,  Miss  Mary  P.  Hinsdale,  Mrs.  Harvey  L. 
Roberts. 

Exercises  and  Ceremonies. — Samuel  B.  Forbes,  Roland  Hitchcock, 
Thomas  M.  Clarke,  Rev.  Arthur  Goodenough,  Ira  W.  Pettibone,  Isaac 
A.  Bronson,  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  Mrs.  Ellen  A.  Phillips,  Miss  Julia  E. 
Rockwell. 

Tents  and  Audience  Rooms. — David  W.  Coe,  Rollin  L.  Beecher, 
Edward  R.  Beardsley,  Hiram  Perkins,  Samuel  L.  Andrews,  Isaac  A. 
Bronson,  Frank  L.  Whiting,  Frederick  L.  Loomis,  John  J.  Fanning, 
George  Tibbals,  Worthy  B.  Bray. 

Reception  and  Entertainment  of  Guests. — Charles  Cook,  Caleb  J. 
Camp,  James  R.  Alvord,  John  G.  Wetmore,  Aug.  M.  Perkins,  Wm.  P. 
Lathrop,  Lucius  Griswold,  Normand  Adams,  James  L.  Bragg,  Edward 
H.  Bronson,  Lorenzo  S.  Nash  and  wife,  William  W.  Waugh,  Samuel 
Hurlbut  2d,  Mrs.  Harvey  Andrews. 

Collations. — Winsted,  Jabez  Alvord,  George  W.  Kinney,  Jenison  J. 
Whiting,  George  White,  Caleb  P.  Newman,  Mrs.  Lyman  Case,  Mrs. 
Henry  A.  Bills,  Mrs.  Charles  Cook,  Mrs.  William  G.  Coe,  Charles  B. 
Hallett,  Robert  R.  Noble ;  Winchester  Society,  Joseph  M.  Marsh, 
Samuel  M.  Munsill  and  wife,  Dudley  Chase  and  wife,  Isaac  Dayton, 
Samuel  W.  Starks,  William  Johnson,  Luman  Munsill  and  wife,  Martin 
Drake,  Newton  Phelps,  David  Le  Roy,  Harvey  Andrews  and  wife, 
Orrin  Tuller  and  wife,  Benjamin  F.  Waugh,  Alonzo  T.  Parsels  and 
wife,  Frederick  M.  Baldwin  and  wife,  William  L.  Munsill  and  wife, 
Trumbull  H.  Brooks,  Mrs.  William  W.  Waugh,  Mrs.  Catherine  M.  Car- 
rington,  Mrs.  George  W.  Beach,  Miss  Mariette  Whiting,  Mrs.  Sally  Drake, 
Mrs.  Theron  Bronson,  Mrs.  George  Tibbals,  Mrs.  Frank  L.  Whiting, 
Mrs.  Worthy  B.  Bray,  Mrs.  Abel  S.  Wetmore,  Miss  Sarepta  Munsill, 
Elizabeth  Tibbals. 

Decorations  and  Antiquities. — Wm.  L.  Camp,  Clarke  Strong,  David 
W.  Coe,  Miss  Elizabeth  Kilbourn,  Mrs.  Isaac  B.  Woodruff,  Miss  Phebe 
A.  Brazie,  McPherson  Hubbell  and  wife,  Horace  Humphrey,  Mrs.  Le- 
Roy  W.  Wetmore,  Miss  Ellen  Chase,  Miss  Kate  Murray,  Miss  Louisa 
M.  Carrington,  Mrs.  Clara  Turner. 

Music. — Edward  Clarke,  Rufus  E.  Holmes,  John  F.  Peck,  George 
Dudley,  junior,  Joseph  H.  Vaill,  Eugene  W.  Meafoy,  Harvey  Andrews, 
Frederick  Murray,  Mrs.  Luman  Munsill. 

Registration. — Harvey  L.  Roberts,  Rollin  H.  Cook,  Hubert  P. 
Wetmore,  Wilbur  M.  Bronson,  Le  Roy  W.  Wetmore. 

Bonfires  and  Illuminations. —  Lamphier  B.  Tuttle,  George  E. 
Woodford,  Homer  W.  Whiting,  Spencer  G.  Pierce,  Wilbur  F.  Coe, 
Marshall  G.  Wheeler,  Solomon  R.  Hinsdale,  Edward  E.  Dayton,  George 


530  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Tibbals  2d,  Lyman  Tibbals,  Chester  Dayton,  George  E.  Andrews,  James 
F.  Beach. 

Processions  and  Bands. — Winsted,  Colonel  "William  T.  Batcheller, 
Colonel  Jeffrey  Skinner,  William  F.  Hurlbut,  Florimond  D.  Fyler, 
Salmon  A.  Granger,  Eugene  W.  Meafoy ;  Winchester  Society,  Frederick 
Murray,  Henry  Drake,  Nelson  D.  Ford,  Elias  T.  Hatch,  Nelson  Brooks, 
Washington  Hatch. 

Corresponding  Secretary. — George  M.  Carrington. 

Recording  Secretary. — Henry  Drake  2d. 

Marshals. — Colonel  Ira  W.  Pettibone,  Colonel  Wm.  T.  Batcheller. 

The  supervisory  committee  having  fixed  on  the  16th  and  17th  days  of 
August  for  the  commemoration,  the  following  circular  was  issued,  and 
distributed  by  mail  to  all  known  former  residents  of  the  town,  or  their 
descendants,  residing  out  of  the  County  of  Litchfield : — 


■figs  »\     _         SV  M 


It  is  proposed  to  commemorate  the  year  of  the  organization 
of  the  Town  and  of  the  First  Church  of  Winchester,  Conn., 
by  a 

©enfennial     (Stelebrafion, 


lSttL   and    17th   XDays    of  ^TJGrTJST,    1871. 

Arrangements  are  in  progress  for  appropriate  Ceremonies 
and  Services. 

The  Centennial  of  the  Church  will  be  celebrated  in  the  Old 
Society  of  Winchester — where  the  first  church  was  organized — 
on  the  16th,  forenoon  and  afternoon.  In  the  evening  a 
(Reunion  of  a  social  character  will  be  held  in  Winsted.  The 
Centennial  of  the  Town  will  be  celebrated  in  Winsted  on  the 
ljth. 

You  to  whan  this  Circular  is  sent,  whether  allied  to  us  by 
birth,  wedlock,  a  sometime  residence,  or  in  whatever  manner, 
are  cordially  invited  to  attend  this  proposed  (Reunion  of  the 
Sons  and  (Daughters — children  by  adoption  are  children  all 
the  same — of  Winchester,   and  thus  contribute   to  animate  and 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBKATION.  531 

make  memorable  an  occasion  which  can  occur  but  once  in  a 
lifetime.  Come,  bringing  your  sheaves  with  you,  and  let's 
have  a  grand  harvesting  .of  the  crops  whose  seeds  wind  and 
wave  have  been  this  hundred  years  scattering. 


Provision  ivill  be  made  for  the  reception  and  entertainment 
of  those  who  may  signify  to  the  Committee  their  intention  to 
be  present— notice  of  such  intention  to  be  addressed,  as  early 
as  convenient,  to  Geo.  M.  Carrington,  West  Winsted,  Ct. 

FREDERICK  MARSH,  MRS.  HARVEY  L.  ROBERTS, 

JOHN  BOYD,  MRS.  LEONARD  B.  HURLBUT, 

ABEL  S.  WETMORE,  JOHN  HINSDALE, 

GEO.  M.  CARRINGTON,  IRA  W.  PETTD30NE, 

THERON  BRONSON,  WILLIAM  C.  PHELPS, 

MARY  P.  HINSDALE,  ALVA  NASH, 

MRS.  NORRIS  COE,  B.  B.  ROCKWELL, 

Committee  of  Invitation. 


P.  S.—You  are  requested  to  invite  any  descendants  or 
former  residents  of  Winchester  not  specially  invited,  through 
accident,  or  want  of  knowledge,  to  be  present  as  guests  of  the 
town. 


AUGUST    16,    1871. 

The  town  was  filled  with  sons  and  daughters  of  "  Old  Winchester," 
gathered  from  every  section  of  the  country.  The  exercises  of  the  day 
were  at  Winchester,  in  commemoration  of  the  institution  of  the  first 
Congregational  Church. 

"  The  arrangements  were  admirable.  A  large  pavilion  tent  on  the 
Green,  in  front  of  the  Meeting  House,  accommodated  a  large  concourse 
of  people,  the  porch  serving  as  a  platform  and  speaker's  stand.  Theron 
Bronson,  Esq.,  presided,  and  Colonel  Ira  W.  Pettibone  officiated  as 
Marshal,  with  Edward  H.  Bronson  and  Henry  F.  Marsh,  assistants. 
Harvey  Andrews,  musical  conductor."  The  church  front  was'  decorated 
with  evergreens,  and  bore  the  names  of  Pastors  Knapp,  Bogue,  Bassett, 
Marsh,  Dill,  Pettibone,  and  Goodenough. 

Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  ninety-one  years  old,  was  present,  and  took 
part  in  the  exercises. 


532  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER 

The  exercises  were  opened  with  reading  by  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetmore 
of  the  following  hymn,  composed  by  the  reader,  which  was  sung  to  the 
tune  of  "  Auld  Lang  Syne  "  : — 

CENTENNIAL    HYMN. 


[Written  by  request.] 
God  of  our  life,  our  fathers'  trust, 

Thy  blessing  now  we  crave ; 
Deep  in  the  ocean  of  thy  love 

May  our  glad  spirits  lave. 

Unite  our  hearts,  and  tune  each  voice 

Inspire  our  lips  to  sing, 
A  loud  Hosanna  to  thy  name ; 

A  heart-felt  off  ring  bring. 

This  festive  day,  one  hundred  years 
Since  Winchester  was  named, 

We  welcome  friends,  from  far,  and  near, 
And  sing  with  loud  acclaim. 

One  hundred  years,  since  our  grand-sires 

Adopted  this  their  home, 
When  fierce  wild  beasts,  and  savage  men 

The  wilderness  did  roam. 

With  pious  hearts,  and  robust  forms, 

Our  fathers  hither  came, 
A  rustic  temple  reared  to  God, 

In  which  to  praise  his  name. 

This  church  at  once  was  organized, 

A  pastor  soon  ordained ; 
And  we,  this  day,  commemorate 

Our  blessings  thus  obtained. 

Seven  Pastors  here  have  been  installed, 
To  teach,  and  guide  the  flock ; 

Knapp,  Bogue,  and  Bassett,  and  F.  Marsh, 
Of  Puritanic  stock ; 

And  next  came  Dill,  then  Pettibone, 

The  fifth,  and  sixth  in  turn  ; 
We  now  rejoice  in  Goodenough, 

Wise  lessons  may  we  learn. 

Well  may  we  mingle  joys,  and  tears, 

As  we  recount  the  past, 
A  century  ! — a  hundred  years  ! 

Can  old  Time  always  last  ? 

Ah,  no  !  and  when  life's  toils  are  o'er, 

And  we  are  called  away, 
May  each,  enwrapped  in  Christ's  embrace 

Spend  an  eternal  day. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  533 

The  president  announced  that  owing  to  the  illness  of  Rev.  Ira  Petti- 
bone  he  would  call  on  their  pastor,  Rev.  Arthur  Goodenough,  who  read 
the  67th  psalm,  and  invoked  the  blessing  of  the  Deity  as  follows : — 

PRAYER. 

Most  merciful  and  ever  blessed  God  ;  Thou  who  art  the  God  of  our 
fathers,  and  art  still  the  same  to-day,  merciful  and  gracious  and  forbearing 
toward  the  descendants  of  them  that  believed  on  thy  name,  that  loved 
thee ;  shewing  thy  kindness  even  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation ; 
oh,  our  Heavenly  Father,  wilt  thou  be  with  us  and  bless  us  on  this  day 
of  commemoration.  May  we  indeed  feel  that  thou  art  present,  inspiring 
our  thoughts  and  atfections,  raising  our  desires  heavenward,  making  us  to 
rejoice  in  Thee,  and  to  rejoice  in  what  Thou  didst  for  those  who  have  gone 
before  us,  and  for  us  who  have  entered  into  possession  of  that  which  they 
have  left.  Our  Heavenly  Father,  wilt  thou  make  us  all  to  rejoice  in  Thee, 
and  grant  that  harmony  of  feeling  may  prevail  among  all  those  who  gather 
here  to  celebrate  this  day. 

Give  thy  blessing  to  all  who  shall  take  part  in  these  exercises,  that  they 
may  have  thy  grace  resting  upon  them,  and  be  able  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties that  devolve  upon  them ;  and  may  all  present  feel  that  they  are  in- 
structed and  benefited ;  and  may  thy  children  be  strengthened  in  faith ; 
and  may  the  influence  of  the  memory  of  thy  dealings  with  our  fathers, 
and  the  history  of  their  lives  as  it  is  recorded  and  made  known  to  us  to- 
day, be  such  as  shall  enable  us  to  see  thy  favor  to  them,  and  lead  us  back 
to  the  God  of  our  fathers  and  to  the  old  land-marks  of  piety,  faith,  and 
love,  by  which  they  were  guided.  Oh,  our  Father,  wilt  thou  be  near  to 
us,  and  make  us  to  rejoice  in  Thee,  as  thine  own  children ;  and  more  and 
more,  as  we  are  permitted  to  live  in  the  world,  may  we  feel  that  Thou  art 
the  guide  of  all  our  steps ;  and  may  we  commit  our  ways  to  Thee,  that 
Thou  mayest  direct  in  all  our  paths.  Guide  us  and  give  us  thy  grace, 
and  save  us  for  Christ's  sake,  amen. 

The  following  original  hymn  was  then  sung : 

HYMN. 

WRITTEN    FOR    THE    WINCHESTER    CENTENNIAL    BY    DR.  W.  J.  WETMORE. 

Tune — America. 

Here  in  this  sacred  fane, 
Let  us  in  joyful  strain 

Praise  Thee  above ; 
Dear  ones  here  seem  to  stand, 
A  consecrated  band 
From  memories'  hallowed  land, 
Hearts  that  we  love. 
68 


534  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Then  let  our  thanks  arise, 
Like  incense  to  the  skies, 

In  songs  divine; 
Our  gratitude  to  show 
To  those  who  here  below, 
A  hundred  years  ago 

Reared  Faith's  pure  shrine. 

Their  names  are  sacred  yet, 
Nor  shall  we  e'er  forget 

Friends  passed  away 
On  Jordan's  peaceful  shore, 
Life's  toil  and  trouble  o'er, 
They  sleep  forevermore — 

Dear  hallowed  clay. 

Father,  on  Thee  we  call, 
Thou  art  our  hope,  our  all, 

Our  faith  and  love; 
Here  on  each  bended  knee, 
May  we  Thy  glory  see, 
And  dwell  at  last  with  Thee, 

In  Heaven  above. 


ADDRESS  BY  REV.  HENRY  B.  BLAKE. 

The  following  historical  address  was  then  given  by  Rev.  Henry  B. 
Blake,  a  native  of  Winchester,  but  now  a  resident  of  Wilmington,  N.  C. 

Psalm  50  :  2. — Out  of  Zion,  the  perfection  of  beauty,  God  hath  shined. 

Brethren  and  Friends  :  We  meet  here  to-day  for  a  holy  purpose  ; 
we  gather  from  varied  wanderings  at  ihe  old  home.  The  old  hills  greet 
us  on  every  side.  The  houses  in  which  we  were  born  open  their  doors  to. 
us.  We  drink  water  out  of  the  old  wells,  from  their  deep  fountains. 
The  streams  into  which  we  cast  our  first  fi.-hing  lines  murmur  their  glad- 
ness. Trees  that  were  set  since  some  of  us  were  children  whisper  wel- 
come to  us. 

We  renew  to-day  the  memories  and  affections  of  other,  and  perhaps 
distant,  years.  We  enjoy  again  the  pleasures  and  learn  the  les-ons  of  our 
youth.  The  rocks  around  which  we  played  in  our  childhood  are  in  their 
old  places,  and  many  of  the  faces  of  those  with  whom  we  played  then 
are  here  to-day.  Should  we  know  them  if  we  saw  them  in  a  land  of 
strangers?  The  by-gone  years  ask  leave  to  pass  in  review  before  us  and 
show  their  life.  Without  disturbing  their  repose,  we  shall  call  up  the 
dead  that  we  may  see  their  forms  and  hear  their  voices,  giving  them 
a  resurrection  in  our  hearts.  We  would  enshrine  the  influences  and  mem- 
ories of  these  fading  years  before  they  pass  into  oblivion. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  535 

We  who  are  the  children  of  those  years  meet  each  other  with  glad  wel- 
comes to-day.  We  looked  into  the  same  faces,  sat  on  the  same  benches, 
roamed  over  the  same  fields  and  heard  the  same  benignant  tones  in  Sab- 
bath worship,  and  we  have  never  forgotten  our  birth  place.  We  recount 
gratefully  the  loving  Providence  that  has  been  over  all  our  life  and  grown 
young  again  in  the  memory  of  our  early  years. 

A  hundred  years  ago  and  these  hills  and  valleys,  covered,  through  im- 
memorial time,  with  the  silence  of  the  unbroken  forest,  taking  on  the  soft 
verdure  of  spring,  the  sere  and  yellow  leaf  of  autumn,  the  crystal  glory 
of  winter,  rearing  and  giving  to  decay  their  mighty  monarchs  through 
uncounted  centuries,  disturbed  by  no  sound  but  the  voices  of  nature  and 
the  stealthy  footstep  of  the  savage,  had  heard,  for  a  few  years,  the  sound 
of  the  woodman's  axe,  and  felt  the  heat  of  the  woodman's  fire.  Clearings 
were  seen  here  and  there,  and  the  early  dwellings  of  the  pioneer.  Paths 
were  cut  through  the  forests  and  the  signs  of  civilization  began  to  appear. 
Iuis  one  of  the  evidences  of  our  immortality  that  we  are  ever  seeking 
for  something  better.  Men  are  ever  looking  after  a  paradise  somewhere, 
and  so  the  dwellers  in  the  lower  lands  on  our  Southern  shores,  bad  come 
up  here  to  make  homes  for  themselves  and  their  children.  There  was  a 
divine  hand  in  it. 

True  to  the  iustincts  of  their  puritan  origin,  these  settlers  early  made 
provision  for  Christian  institutions,  and  on  the  30th  of  October,  1771, 
Rev.  Amini  R.  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  and  Rev.  Nathan  Roberts  of  Farm- 
ington,  constituted  Mary  Loomis,  Hannah  Averit,  Dinah  Filley,  wife  of 
William,  John  Hills,  Seth  Hills,  Adam  Mott,  Abiah  Mott,  Lent  Mott, 
Abram  Filley,  Robert  Macune,  Joseph  Preston,  Mary  Preston,  Amy,  wife 
of  Joel  Beach,  and  Elizabeth  Agard  the  first  Church  in  Winchester.  I 
suppose  the  constitution  of  the  Church  was  in  the  first  meeting  house 
which  was  built  probably  in  17  G9.  It  stood  half  a  mile  south  of  the 
present  site,  about  twenty  rods  to  the  right  of  the  present  road  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill.  It  was  a  rude  unfinished  building,  24  by  30,  resting  on 
chestnut  logs,  and  having  rough  seats  of  planks  or  slabs. 

Imagine  the  settlers  on  a  crisp  October  morning,  the  hills  just  swept  of 
their  autumnal  glories,  gathering  in  such  a  structure,  for  such  a  purpose. 
The  smoke  is  rising  from  the  log  houses  in  the  clearings  here  and  there 
among  the  hills.  There  is  not  a  wheeled  vehicle  in  the  town,  there  are 
no  roads,  only  paths.  These  two  pioneer  ministers  come  in  from  their 
distant  homes.  The  people  are  in  homespun,  and  the  place  is  rude.  But 
the  occasion  is  momentous',  the  beginning  of  a  Church  of  Christ,  the 
home  of  Christian  influences,  the  center  of  all  that  is  worth  any  thing  in 
this  human  life,  and  the  source  of  all  our  hopes  in  the  eternal  future. 

Credentials  are  examined,  and  with  psalm  and  prayer,  and  the  word  of 
God,  these  fourteen  believers  solemnly  assent  to  the  great  doctrines  of  the 


536  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

puritan  faith,  and  enter  into  solemn  covenant  with  God  and  with  each 
other.  Then  five  more,  on  the  same  confession,  are  added  to  their  num- 
ber, and,  with  psalm  and  benediction,  the  services  are  closed,  and  the  in- 
fant church  begins  its  course. 

The  society  was  constituted  before  the  church,  in  1768.  There  were 
several  candidates  for  the  ministry.  Among  them  we  find  the  names  of 
Mills,  Starr,  Johnson,  Potter,  and  Brooks.  Father  Mills  preached  a 
considerable  time.     In  the  old  parish  book,  we  find  these  entries : 

Voted,  if  Mr.  Mills  cannot  come  to  try  Mr.  Johnson. 

Voted,  if  Mr.  Johnson  cannot  come  to  apply  to  the  Association  for  ad- 
vice. 

Voted,  That  Mr.  Bellamy  hire  a  candidate  for  us. 

Voted,  That  Mr.  Robbins  assist  Mr.  Bellamy. 

Voted,  David  Austin  to  read  the  psalm. 

Voted,  That  Beriah  Hills  shall  assist  in  reading  the  p-alm. 

Voted,  That  John  Hills  and  Abram  Filley  shall  set  the  psalm. 

The  first  pastor  of  this  church  was  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp,  a  native  of 
Danbury,  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  in  1770.  He  was  ordained  here 
November  11,  1772.  The  Council  consisted  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Bellamy  of 
Bethlem.  Roberts  of  Torrington,  Lee  of  Salisbury,  Brinsmaid  of  Wash- 
ington, Farrand  of  Canaan,  Canfield  of  New  Milford,  Newell  of  Goshen, 
Benedict  of  Woodbury,  Day  of  New  Preston,  Robbins  of  Norfolk,  Hart 
of  North  Canaan,  and  Starr  of  Warren,  with  their  delegates.  Mr.  Rob- 
bins preached  the  sermon,  which  was  published  and  of  which  some  copies 
remain.  Mr.  Farrand  offered  the  ordaining  prayer,  and  Dr.  Bellamy 
gave  the  charge. 

Mr.  Knapp  is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  fluent  and  ready  gifts,  not  studi- 
ous, and  somewhat  careless  in  worldly  matters.  Fie  was  sound  in  the 
faith  and  a  strenuous  opposer  of  the  half-way  covenant,  and  by  his  influ- 
ence the  church  was  established.  Mr.  Knapp  was  dismissed  October  13, 
1789.  He  preached  afterwards  in  New  Hartford,  North  Canaan,  and 
Milton  in  this  county,  and  Hamilton,  N.  Y.,  and  ended  his  days  with  his 
son-in-law,  Dea.  Abel  Hinsdale,  in  Torrington,  March  23,  1816.  His 
grave  is  here  with  his  first  people. 

In  1783  and  1784,  there  was  a  revival  of  religion  here  and  eighty-four 
persons  were  admitted  to  the  church  during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Knapp. 

The  first  deacon  in  the  church  was  Seth  Hills,  born  Sept.  13,  1736; 
chosen  deacon  Dec.  15,  1772 ;  died  at  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  June  3,  1826.  He 
was  the  son  of  Benoni  Hills,  who  was  a  native  of  Northampton,  and  came 
here  from  Torrington,  and  died  at  the  age  of  93.  His  children  were 
numerous. 

The  selection  of  Deacon  Hills  is  evidence  enough  of  his  supposed  emi- 
nent fitness  for  his  office  ;  his  life,  I  am  told,  justified  their  estimate.     He 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  537 

removed  to  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  in  1798.  His  son,  Deacon  Ira  Hills,  of  that 
place,  is  with  us  to-day.  His  sister,  Mary  Hills,  was  the  mother  of  Dea- 
con Loomis  The  second  deacon  was  Samuel  Wetmore,  chosen  in  1777  ; 
died  March  2,  1809. 

Deacon  Wetmore,  if  we  may  judge  of  him  from  tradition  as  well  as 
from  what  we  know  of  his  descendants,  known  to  so  many  of  us,  and  so 
many  of  whom  are  here  to-day,  was  a  man  of  marked  ability,  and  we  are 
assured  of  his  eminent  piety  and  usefulness.  The  farm  which  he  subdued 
is  supposed  to  be  the  only  land  in  the  town  which  has  been  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  same  family  a  hundred  years.  It  is  now  the  home  of  his 
great-grandson,  Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetmore. 

On  the. 16th  of  March,  1773,  Samuel  Wetmore  leased  to  Seth  Hills, 
Wareham  Gibbs,  Oliver  Coe,  and  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
society,  for  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years,  a  piece  of  ground  for  a 
burying  place.  You  know  where  it  is  with  its  enlargements.  There  are 
but  few  of  us  who  have  not  trodden  the  paths  to  it  with  sorrowing  feet. 
There  our  dead  wait  the  trump  of  the  archangel  and  the  resurrection 
morning.  Let  it  be  the  joy  as  it  is  the  duty  of  those  who  dwell  here  to 
keep  it  as  becomes  the  receptacle  of  such  precious  treasures  till  He  whose 
eye  is  ever  on  the  sleep  of  his  beloved  comes  to  call  his  own. 

The 'second  church  edifice  was  built  in  1786,  and  was  54  feet  by  40. 
Many  of  us  remember  it,  as  it  stood  alone  in  unadorned  grandeur  on  the 
Green,  with  its  high  pulpit  and  sounding-board,  its  high  pews  and  narrow 
singers'  seat,  and  its  tything-men.  We  remember  too  the  preaching  we 
heard  in  it,  even  when  we  were  so  young  our  friends  supposed  it  made  no 
impression  on  us,  and  .we  shall  remember  it 

"While  life  ami  thought  and  being  lasts, 
And  immortality  endures." 

Rev.  Publius  V.  Bogue,  the  second  pastor  of  this  church,  was  ordained 
Jan.  26,  1791.  He  was  the  son  of  a  minister  in  Avon,  and  was  born 
March  30,  1764.  His  father  died  when  he  was  two  years  old,  and  his 
early  education  was  limited.  For  a  time  he  was  in  the  army  of  the  Rev- 
olution. He  was  converted  at  18  and  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1787. 
He  was  licensed  by  the  Hamp-hire  Association  at  Feeding  Hills,  Mass. 
Mr.  Bogue  was  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  address,  and  an 
able  and  useful  preacher.  He  was  dismissed  on  the  20th  of  March,  1800, 
much  to  the  regret  of  his  people,  and  his  wife  said  that  he  used  to  say  in 
after  years  that  he  had  never  been  sorry  he  left  Winchester  but  once,  and 
that  was  always.  He  finished  the  house  in  which  I  was  born,  long  occu- 
pied by  Dr.  Wetmore,  and  now  by  Leonard  B.  Huilbut. 

After  leaving  Winchester,  Mr.  Bogue  preached  at  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  at 
Georgia,  Vt.,  at  Paris,  N.  Y.,  and  his  ministry  was  greatly  successful.     He 


538  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

died  suddenly  at  his  house  in  Clinton,  N.  Y.,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age 
and  the  forty-fifth  of  his  ministry.  "The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 
A  general  revival  of  religion  occurred  near  the  close  of  Mr.  Bogue's 
ministry.  Its  fruits  were  lasting  and  blessed.  He  received  fifty-one 
members  to  the  church. 

Eliphaz  Alvord  was  chosen  Deacon  June  19,  1799,  and  died  April  15, 
1825,  a°-ed  83.  He  was  eminent  for  many  years  in  the  church  and  in 
civil  affairs.  The  history  of  the  town  cannot  be  given  without  an  extended 
notice  of  him.  He  began  at  his  house  the  Thursday  evening  prayer  meet- 
ing, which  was  continued,  almost  without  interruption,  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  parish  for  forty  years. 

Robert  McEwen — Macune — descended  from  the  Scotch  Covenanters, 
came  from  New  Stratford  at  22  years  of  age  in  1766  or  '67,  took  up  four 
hundred  acres  of  land,  cleared  the  forest  with  his  own  hands,  and  built 
his  house.  He  married,  about  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  church, 
Jerusha  Doolittle,  of  Stratford.  He  brought  his  bride,  who  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  to  their  new  home  on  a  pillion,  making  the  journey,  forty 
miles,  in  a  single  day.  She  endured  the  ride  bravely  till  it  was  dark,  and 
they  were  coming  up  through  the  dense  hemlock  forest  below  the  hill 
when  she  exclaimed,  "  "Where  are  we  going?"  "  We  are  almost  there," 
he  replied,  and  soon  they  came  out  into  the  cheerful  clearing. 

For  two  or  three  years,  while  Mr.  McEwen  was  hewing  down  the 
forest,  he  often  attended  public  worship  in  Norfolk.  In  a  leaf  of  a  diary 
of  his  which  I  have  seen  is  this  entry.  "July  y°  17  in  yr  1770.  Heard 
ye  famous  Mr.  Whitfield  preach  at  Norfolk  from  John  ye  5 :  25,  which  i 
hope  was  a  word  in  season  to  me."  Perhaps  this  was  the  day  of  his  con- 
version. 

When  the  church  was  organized  he  was  chosen  Moderator  and  Clerk, 
and  the  early  records  show  that  the  meetings  were  often  holden  at  his 
house.  The  house  he  built,  now  owned  by  Deacon  Munsill,  is,  I  judge, 
one  of  the  oldest  in  the  town.  He  was  chosen  Deacon  July  12,  1799, 
and  died  November  16,  1816.  Of  him  and  his  family  you  will  hear  more 
as  these  exercises  go  on.  His  son  was  that  eminent  minister  of  the  gos- 
pel, Abel  McEwen,  for  fifty  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  New  London, 
a  fine  scholar,  a  courtly  gentleman,  a  genial  friend,  a  builder  of  the 
wastes  in  Eastern  Connecticut,  a  leader  of  his  generation,  a  man  of  whom 
it  might  have  been  said  when  he  was  seventy  years  of  age,  that  though 
he  had  never  lived  in  his  native  county  since  his  majority,  he  knew  more 
of  its  history,  more  of  the  life  of  its  men,  than  any  man  who  had  always 
had  his  home  in  it. 

His  son,  Rev.  Robert  McEwen,  is  now  living  at  New  London.  Of 
him  I  may  say,  after  a  long  and  thorough  acquaintance,  he  is  one  of  the 
most  complete  Christian  men  I  have  ever  known.  Though  laid  aside 
from  a  very  useful  ministry,  his  life  is  a  blessing  wherever  it  is.    • 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  539 

The  second  daughter  of  Dea.  McEwen  was  married  to  James  Beebe, 
who  came  from  Litchfield,  succeeded  to  the  farm,  and  was  iu  my  boyhood 
a  leading  man  in  the  church,  and  in  the  town.  "  Squire  Beebe"  he  was 
always  called.  If  the  pastor  was  sick  or  away,  he  read  the  sermons  in 
the  sabbath  service.  He  was  moderator  of  parish  and  town  meetings,  a 
Christian  magistrate,  a  representative  and  a  senator  in  our  general  assem- 
bly. He  had  a  large  and  intelligent  family,  none  of  whom  remain  in  the 
town.  He  died  at  a  very  advanced  age  only  a  few  years  since  in  Ohio. 
When  he  was  very  aged,  Dr.  McEwen  made  him  a  visit,  and  he  said  it 
was  worth  a  journey  to  Ohio  to  see  the  look  of  joy  that  came  in  Bro. 
Beebe's  face  when  he  recognized  him. 

It  belongs  to  another  to  sketch  the  families  prominent  here  in  the  last 
generation.  I  may  be  allowed,  on  the  score  of  filial  piety,  a  brief  notice 
of  two  men  who  came  here  before  1800. 

Adna  Beach  came  from  Go-hen.  He  was  a  grandson  of  John  Beach, 
one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Goshen,  whose  descendants  are  almost  number- 
less and  found  in  all  departments  of  life.  He  first  settled  a  mile  west  of 
the  meeting-house,  but  removed  north  into  the  forest,  which  he  cleared 
and  there  he  built  his  house.  His  wife  was  Mary  Stanley.  One  of  the 
earliest  things  I  remember  is  the  funeral  of  my  grandfather,  which  oc- 
curred in  April,  1820,  before  I  was  three  years  old.  He  had  nine  child- 
ren, and  they  all  lived  till  the  eldest  was  seventy  years  of  age.  Twenty 
of  his  grand-ons  and  nearly  as  many  of  his  granddaughters  are  now  iu 
active  life.  Three  of  his  grandsons  are  in  service  in  the  ministry,  and 
others  are  successful  and  useful  in  other  pursuits.  He  and  his  wife  and 
several  of  his  children  and  grandchildren  were  membei's  of  the  church. 

Elijah  Blake  came  here  in  1798  from  Torriugford,  where  his  sous  in 
their  boyhood  were  the.  playmates  of  Samuel  J.  Mills.  He  was  a  de- 
scendant of  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Dorchester,  Mass.  He  was  not 
a  member  of  the  church  but  always  maintained  family  prayer  and  a  con- 
sistent life.  He  died  in  1853.  His  wife  was  Sarah  Hamlin.  She  died 
in  1811.  Father  Mills  attended  her  funeral  and  said  in  testimony  of  her 
worth,  that  his  mind  went  back  to  Joppa  when  the  widows  stood  weeping 
aiound  the  dead  body  of  Dorcas,  showing  the  coats  and  garments  she  had 
made.  You  may  find  a  large  number  of  the  names  of  the  children 
and  grandchildren  of  this  family  on  the  rolls  of  the  church.  One  son 
and  one  grandson  have  held  the  office  of  Deacon.  One  great-grandson 
fills  a  popular  Unitarian  pulpit  in  Boston,  and  another  has  a  large  law 
practice  in  New  York. 

The  third  minister  of  this  people  was  Rev.  Archibald  Bassett.  He  was 
a  native  of  Derby,  and  graduated  at  Yale  College  in  1796.  He  was  or- 
dained here  May  20,  1801.  Pie  was  a  fine  scholar  and  an  able  writer 
and  preacher,  but  his  ministry  here   was   short.     He  was  dismissed  Aug. 


540  ANNALS  OP  WINCHESTER, 

27,  1305.  He  afterwards  settled  at  Walton,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  at  an 
advanced  age.  Thirteen  were  received  to  the  church  during  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  Bassett,  and  eleven  before  his  settlement  after  the  dismission  of 
Mr.  Bogue. 

And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  fourth  pastor  of  this  church  ?  We  thank 
God  that,  after  a  life  of  more  than  sixty  years  among  his  people,  and 
past  the  age  of  ninety,  he  is  with  us,  to-day,  linking  us  to  the  earlier  life 
we  commemorate.  The  companion  of  those  ancient  men,  as  we  look  into 
his  face,  some  of  us  after  the  lapse  of  years,  the  tide  of  time  rolls  back, 
our  fathers  and  mothers,  the  venerable  men  and  women  of  our  early 
years,  gather  around  him  and  we  stand  in  the  midst  of  our  departed  ones. 

Of  the  man  who  married  my  father  and  mother,  and  baptized  all  these 
children,  and  gathered  almost  every  one  of  us  into  the  church,  and  buried 
those  who  died  early,  who  was  with  us  when  we  gathered  at  the  golden 
wedding  around  the  old  altar,  and  who  when  the  time  of  their  departure 
in  peace  and  triumph  came,  was  with  us,  as  we  laid  our  dead  away  to  rest 
till  the  cGmiug  of  Christ,  from  whom  I  received  gratuitous  instruction  by 
which  I  gained  admission  to  college,  whose  constant  friendship  has  been 
a  joy  in  our  family  for  sixty  years,  whose  life  has  been  a  benediction  in 
this  community,  I  must  speak  though  he  is  with  us. 

Frederick  Marsh  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  September  18,  1780.  His 
youth  was  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Griffin,  in  the  midst  of  those  re- 
markable revivals  of  religion  whose  influence  he  has  felt  and  extended  in 
all  his  life.  He  fitted  for  college  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Robbins,  of  Norfolk, 
graduated  at  Yale  College  in  180.3,  studied  Theology  with  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Hooker,  of  Goshen,  was  licensed  at  Salisbury  in  180G,  and  ordained  here 
February  1st,  1809.  He  relinquished  his  salary  and  asked  for  a  colleague 
Feb.  1,  1846,  and  was  dismissed  Oct.  2,  1851.  Of  the  ability  and  faith- 
fulness, the  earnestness  and  zeal  of  this  ministry,  and  the  simplicity,  purity 
and  benevolence  of  this  life,  I  shall  not  speak  at  length.  The  record 
is  in  our  hearts  and  on  high.  Early  in  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Marsh  there 
came  to  the  parsonage,  one  September  evening  about  nine  o'clock,  a  young 
lady  who  was  teaching  the  school  in  Danbury  Quarter.  She  had  ridden 
on  horseback,  with  Sarah  Benedict,  over  the  hills  to  Deacon  Alvord's  to 
attend  the  conference  meeting,  and  had  come  from  that  meeting  to  tell  the 
young  pastor  that  she  was  in  great  anxiety  about  her  soul.  After  the 
interview,  which  added  to  her  distress,  they  mounted  their  horse  and  rode 
up  through  the  dark  woods  to  Danbury  Quarter.  In  the  morning  she 
resumed  her  school  and  soon  became  a  happy  Christian.  I  need  not  tell 
what  Polly  Grant  has  done  in  her  generation.  She  was  the  first  convert, 
so  far  as  he  knows,  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Marsh. 

I  cannot  speak  at  length  of  the  revivals  that  occurred  during  this  pe- 
riod.    Their  history  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  our  New  England.     How 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  541 

pungent  their  convictions  of  guilt  were,  how  keen  was  the  anguish  of  those 
experiences,  some  of  you  know.  What  sources  of  heroic  life  and  glorious 
death  they  were,  the  world  knows.  How  they  peopled  the  mansions  of 
the  Father's  house,  how  they  swelled  the  songs  of  heaven,  will  be  known 
in  the  day  of  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God.  No  other  such  scenes 
of  solemnity  and  joy  does  this  earth  witness.  They  were  in  1813,  1815 
and  '16,  1820  and  '21,  1826,  1831,  and  1842.  Two  hundred  and  three 
persons  were  added  to  the  church  in  this  ministry.  Since  his  dismission 
Mr.  Marsh  has  done  a  good  deal  of  pastoral  work  among  his  people, 
and  received  many  tokens  of  their  kindness.  On  the  11th  of  March,  1860, 
Mrs.  Marsh  left  her  family  and  this  world,  and  entered  into  rest.  A  na- 
tive of  the  same  town,  the  fitting  companion  of  such  a  man,  Parnal  Mer- 
rill was  married  to  Mr.  Marsh  on  the  22d  of  May,  1S09.  The  patient, 
untiring,  and  efficient  helper  of  her  husband  in  all  his  work,  the  faithful 
and  loving  mother  of  her  children,  the  courteous,  hospitable  mistress  of 
her  home,  the  kind  friend  of  all  who  came  within  the  sphere  of  her  life, 
she  deserves  an  honored  and  loving  remembrance,  now  that  we  are  trying 
to  gather  up  the  treasures  of  our  past,  and  put  them  for  safe-keeping  into 
the  casket  of  the  future. 

Their  children  were  eight,  of  whom  five  still  live.  The  same  house 
has  been  the  home  of  the  family,  and  largely  the  home  of  the  whole 
people,  for  more  than  sixty  years. 

If  it  please  God  may  this  life  be  continued  a  little  longer,  for  it  seems 
to  us  the  sunlight  and  shadow  will  fall  more  lovingly  on  these  hill-sides, 
and  we  know  that  the  affections  of  many  a  wanderer  will  cluster  more 
sweetly  around  the  old  spot,  while  it  lasts ;  and  when  it  passes  it  will  be 
to  hear  sweeter  welcomes  and  to  greet  a  goodlier  company  than  surround 
our  venerated  Father  to-day,  and  that  heavenly  voice,  "  Servant  of  God, 
well  done." 

Deacon  Lorrain  Loornis  was  chosen  to  his  office  Feb.  28,  1812.  He 
was  born  in  Torrington  Jan.  9,  1764.  He  became  a  Christian,  as  he  sup- 
posed, when  he  was  a  little  more  than  18  years  of  age.  I  have  often 
thought  that  if  I  were  asked  to  make  a  list  ofthe  most  eminent  Christians 
I  have  ever  known,  nearly  first,  if  not  first,  would  be  the  name  of  Deacon 
Loomis.  He  is  said  to  have  said  early  to  a  young  friend,  "Jesse,  the 
world  are  living  on  the  failings  of  Christians  ;  let  us  starve  them  to  death." 
That  was  the  key-note  of  his  life.  For  thirty  years  he  was  an  instructor 
of  youth,  and  my  friend,  the  historian  of  the  town,  says  he  was  the  only 
district  school-master  he  ever  loved.  He  once  taught  a  school  in  Albany 
and  had  occasion  to  punish  a  boy,  the  son  of  a  Dutchman.  The  father 
came  to  him  in  great  wrath  and  threatened  to  spit  in  his  face.  "  You  can 
if  you  wish,"  was  the  reply,  "  I  can  wipe  it  off."  He  was  so  near  his 
Master  that  when  he  was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again.  His  heart  was 
69 


542  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

full  of  love  to  all  men.  He  furnished,  at  his  own  expense,  the  first  stove 
ever  put  in  the  old  meeting  house.  Those  of  us  •who  remember  the  in- 
tense suffering  from  cold  in  that  house  must  bless  his  memory.  It  was  just 
like  him.  The  only  accusation  ever  brought  against  him  was,  he  gives 
too  much.  Blessed  is  the  man  of  whom  a  carping  world  can  say  noth- 
ing worse. 

The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  him.  Deacon  Loomis 
sometimes  said  to  his  intimate  friends  that  he  was  just  as  sure  of  the  com- 
ing of  a  revival  of  religion  before  there  were  any  outward  signs  of  it,  as 
in  the  midst  of  its  glories.  It  has  passed  into  our  current  literature  how 
Lorrain  Loomis,  Micajah  Hoyt,  and  Stephen  Wade,  in  a  coal  cabin  on 
our  northwestern  hills,  entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  to  pray  for  the  con- 
version of  Lemuel  Hurlbut  till  he  should  be  converted,  or  he  or  they 
should  pass  away  from  earth.  They  desired  the  conversion  of  Mr.  Hurl- 
but  because  of  their  high  regard  for  him,  and  his  great  influence  in  the 
community.  I  do  not  know  that  it  ever  has  been  told  how,  when  his 
associates  had  long  been  dead,  and  he  was  more  than  ninety  years  of  age, 
Deacon  Loomis  and  Mr.  Hurlbut  met  to  rejoice  together  over  that  for 
which  the  three  had  prayed  so  long. 

I  remember  well  a  prayer  meeting  on  a  cold  winter's  night  at  Squire 
Beebe's.  I  suppose  it  must  have  been  in  January,  1834.  Deacon 
Loomis  was  present,  though  not  living  in  town.  He  had  just  reached 
the  end  of  his  seventieth  year.  I  think  it  was  his  birthday.  How 
tenderly  he  spoke  of  his  great  unworthiness,  of  the  shortness  of  his  life, 
and  his  expectation  of  dying  soon.  How  modestly  he  spoke  of  his  hopes 
of  Heaven  !  How  meltingly  he  exhorted  us  to  holy  living  and  prepara- 
tion lor  death.  Yet,  he  lived  after  that  almost  twenty-five  years.  For 
several  years  he  was  steward  and  accountant  at  the  Foreign  Mission 
School  at  Cornwall,  a  position  of  great  usefulness.  He  lost  his  property 
in  middle  life,  and  he  worked  many  months  after  he  was  seventy  years 
of  age,  at  twelve  dollars  a  month,  to  get  money  to  pay  obligations 
assumed  for  others  long  before.  I  thank  God  that  this  earth  has  been 
consecrated  by  the  lives  of  such  men.  Their  feet  have  trodden  it ;  their 
tears  have  baptized  it.  Its  air  is  holy  with  the  perfume  of  their  saintly 
lives.  God  made  good  to  him  his  promise  to  the  liberal  soul,  in  abundant 
provision  for  his  old  age.  He  died  July  7,  1857,  aged  ninety-three  and  a 
half  years.  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  for  ever 
and  ever." 

.  Benjamin  Benedict  was  chosen  deacon  in  1812,  July  9.  He  is  spoken 
of  as  an  excellent  man.  He  eniigrated  early  to  Coventry,  Chenango 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  July  22,  1850,  aged  83. 

Levi  Piatt  was  chosen  deacon  in  1819,  April  30.     No  two  men  could 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  543 

well  be  more  unlike  in  form  and  temperament  than  Deacon  Loomis  and 
Deacon  Piatt.  Deacon  Piatt  was  gigantic  in  form,  of  stern  stuff,  a 
patriarch,  a  puritan.  Deacon  Loomis  was  slender  and  loving  as  a  child, 
a  very  lamb  for  gentleness.  Yet  these  men  wrought  together  in  most 
loving  partnership  all  the  long  years  of  their  connection  with  the  church, 
and  I  do  not  believe  any  pastor  ever  trusted  more  implicitly  in  any  two 
men  than  Mr.  Marsh,  who  was  the  junior  of  both,  trusted  these  two  men. 
They  were  the  Aaron  and  Hur  that  stayed  the  hands  of  our  leader  to 
the  promised  land. 

My  most  vivid  recollections  of  Deacon  Piatt,  as  a  church  officer,  are 
in  the  prayer  meetings  holden  in  the  old  school-house  south  of  Hurlbut's 
store,  in  the  Sabbath  intermissions  of  the  summer  of  1831.  In  these 
meetings  he  prayed,  and  talked,  and  wept,a.s  though  he  believed  that  men 
must  speedily  submit  to  God  or  be  lost  in  eternal  perdition.  He  did 
believe  it. 

Deacon  Piatt  died  August  14,  1856,  aged  90  years,  eight  months, 
having  been  a  member  of  the  church  more  than  seventy  years  —  a  vene- 
rable and  holy  man.  "The  righteous  shall  be  in  everlasting  remembrance." 
He  was  a  son-in-law  of  Deacon  Alvord. 

Stephen  Wheadon  was  chosen  deacon,  May  30,  1823.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  character,  and  gave  promise  of  eminent  usefulness,  but  he  died 
suddenly  December  2,  1824,  aged  40,  "And  devout  men  carried  Stephen 
to  his  burial,  and  made  great  lamentation  over  him." 

Micajah  Hoyt  was  chosen  deacon,  December  2,  1825.  He  was  emi- 
nently a  man  of  prayer.  He  emigrated  to  Barton,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
died  April  14,  1848,  aged  77. 

David  Bird  was  chosen  in  1835,  and  served  the  church  faithfully  till 
his  removal  in  1857.     He  died  in  1863,  aged  59  years. 

Allen  Blake  was  chosen  in  1835,  and  served  faithfully  till  his  death  in 
1850,  at  the  age  of  58. 

Of  the  eleven  deacons  of  this  church  who  have  died,  three  were  more 
than  ninety  years  of  age,  three  more  were  more  than  eighty-three,  two 
more  averaged  seventy-five,  and  the  whole  average  is  more  than  seventy- 
five.  "  Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand,  and  in  her  left  hand  riches 
and  honor." 

The  living  men  who  have  held  the  office  of  deacon  are  Abel  S. 
Wetmore,  chosen  in  1835,  Marcus  Munsill,  chosen  in  1858,  Elijah  F. 
Blake,  chosen  in  1858,  and  Isaac  A.  Bronson,  chosen  in  1865.  The 
church  has  had  fifteen  deacon*. 

Mr.  James  H.  Dill  was  ordained  colleague  with  Mr.  Marsh,  August 
26,  1846.  Mr.  Dill,  like  all  his  predecessors,  was  a  graduate  of  Yale. 
He  came  here  in  his  youth,  and  labored  earnestly  a  few  years,  and  was 
dismissed  October  2,  1851.     He  afterward  had  a  successful  ministry  in 


544  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Spencerport,  N.  Y.,  and  in  Chicago.  His  name  is  on  that  long  roll  of 
honor  which  the  nation  saved,  will  ever  keep  bright.  He  was  a  chaplain 
in  the  army,  and  died  in  his  work. 

After  the  dismission  of  Mr.  Pill,  Rev.  John  Cunningham  preached 
several  months,  and  accepted  a  call,  but  the  consociation  refused  to  settle 
him. 

Rev.  Ira  Pettibone  was  installed  here  in  October,  1857,  and  left  his 
pastorate  in  18G6.  Mr.  Pettibone  is  now  pastor  of  the  church  in  West 
Hartford.  In  his  life  he  has  given  a  good  deal  of  time  to  the  cause  of 
education.  "While  here  he  founded  and  conducted  the  Winchester 
Institute.  That  beautiful  building  is  one  of  the  marks  he  made  here. 
Members  of  the  church  gave  their  money  to  assist  in  its  erection,  and 
others  have  since  given  their  money  to  put  it  into  the  hands  of  trustees  as 
a  perpetual  gift  to  the  community.  Of  these  last,  Mrs.  Jonathan  Blake 
and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Mitchell,  are  worthy  of  special  mention,  they 
having  given  $4,500  for  this  purpose,  which  is  the  largest  sum  any  one 
family  has  placed  in  this  enterprise.  It  is  now  in  the  care  of  Colonel 
Ira  W.  Pettibone,  and  if  the  people  of  Winchester  are  wise  they  will 
cherish  it,  for  besides  its  incalculable  advantages  to  }'our  children, 
nothing  draws  a  good  population  like  a  good  school,  and  there  is  a  grow- 
ing demand  for  places  of  education  away  from  the  vicious  influences  of 
our  large  towns.  Seventy-two  persons  were  added  to  the  church  here 
during  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Pettibone.  Mrs.  Pettibone,  whose  death 
occurred  here  April,  1865,  was  Louisa  Welch,  of  Norfolk.  She  was  an 
early  teacher  of  mine.  I  have  always  felt  the  stimulus  of  her  instruc- 
tions, and  had  pleasant  memories  of  her.  I  believe  she  was  universally 
beloved. 

Rev.  Wm.  M.  Gay  supplied  the  place  of  a  pastor  for  two  or  three 
years. 

Rev.  Arthur  Goodenough,  the  present  pastor  of  the  church,  was  installed 
Pec.  28,  1 870.  He  is  a  native  of  Jefferson,  N.  Y.,  and  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College. 

The  church  has  had  five  hundred  and  twenty-three  members.  If  it  has 
not  grown  larger  the  population  has  not  increased  around  it.  It  has  given 
largely  to  other  churches,  as  to  the  church  in  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  a  majority 
of  her  first  members.  We  rejoice  that  the  town  has  steadily  increased 
and  that  other  churches  strong  in  numbers  and  influence,  occupy  the  ground 
where  the  population  is  largest.     May  the  Pivine  life  grow  in  them  all. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  raised  Aug.  2fi,  1841,  and  dedicated 
June  30,  1842.  It  has  recently  been  thoroughly  repaired  and  speaks  for 
itself. 

Honorable  mention  should  be  made  of  those  who  supported  with  a  lib- 
eral hand  the  institutions  of  religion  even  while  they  were  not  members 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  545 

of  the  church.  Messrs.  S.  &  L.  Hurlbut,  for  a  long  course  of  years,  paid 
one-quarter  of  the  salary  of  Mr.  Marsh,  and  supplemented  the  salary 
with  large  gifts  which  they  continued  as  long  as  they  lived.  They  also 
paid  at  least  one-third  of  the  cost  of  the  present  house  of  worship.  The 
late  Isaac  Bronson  and  his  brothers  were  liberal  supporters  of  the  society 
in  the  early  years,  as  his  children  have  been  in  the  more  recent,  and  there 
have  been  many  others. 

It  is  hardly  possible  10  touch  anything  in  the  history  of  the  last  hundred 
years  without  dwelling  on  the  changes  in  the  lite  of  the  world.  Our 
presence  here  and  the  journeys  we  have  come  are  significant  of  these 
changes.  The  steamboat,  the  railway,  and  the  telegraph  have  made  pos- 
sible the  wide  dispersion  of  this  family,  and  this  pleasant  re-union.  In 
this  hundred  years  these  agencies  have  come  into  use,  and  are  the  instru- 
ments by  which  freedom,  knowledge,  and  Christianity  are  doing  the 
mighty  work  of  regenerating  the  world. 

When  the  fathers  began  here  they  were  a  part  of  some  feeble  colonies 
of  Great  Britain  planted  along  the  Atlantic  coast  of  this  wilderness  con- 
tinent. We  are  a  part  of  the  mightiest  nation  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
I  speak  advisedly  when  I  say  the  mightiest  nation.  I  do  not  estimate  the 
might  of  a  nation  simply  by  the  number  of  her  people,  her  wealth,  or  her 
armies.  I  take  in  the  character  of  her  people  and  the  power  of  her  prin- 
ciples, and  I  say  that  a  nation  that  has  a  domain  from  ocean  to  ocean,  and 
from  tropic  seas  to  polar  ice,  capable  of  sustaining  a  thousand  millions  of 
people  ;  that  has  spanned  a  continent  with  a  great  highway  of  the  nations, 
bringing  London  within  forty  days  of  Canton  ;  that  established  a  system 
of  popular  education  that  has  become  a  necessity  and  an  inevitable  destiny 
for  the  civilized  world ;  that  has  made  chattel  slavery  henceforth  impossi- 
ble anywhere;  that  has  shaken  by  the  simple  power  of  her  principles 
every  throne  in  Europe  ;  that  has  made  a  republic  certain  in  Great  Britain 
at  no  distant  day ;  that  is  giving  a  home  under  her  free  institutions  to  the 
natives  of  every  land,  and  gathering  under  her  tutelage  representatives  of 
every  nation  and  sending  them  forth  with  her  stamp  on  them  to  give  her 
life  to  the  world — may  claim  without  arrogance  to  be  the  mightiest  nation 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  I  say  that  no  other  nation  has  so  much  power 
in  the  life  of  this  world  to-day  as  these  United  States  of  America. 

A  hundred  years  ago  and  there  was  but  little  general  education  in  the 
world,  save  in  these  N.  E.  colonies.  Within  this  century  the  boundaries 
of  knowledge  have  had  a  marvelous  enlargement.  The  stars  have  been 
measured  and  the  mighty  movements  of  the  firmament  have  been  discov- 
ered. Matter  and  life  have  given  up  their  secrets  till  sometimes  it  seems 
as  though  the  gates  of  the  mysterious  were  to  swing  wide  open  and  reveal 
all  their  treasures  to  the  vision  of  man. 

Now,  the  mightiest  states  enforce  the  education  of  all  their  people,  the 


546  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

essential  equality  of  all  men  is  seen,  and  what  is  known  to  our  highest 
civilization  is  soon  to  be  known  everywhere. 

A  hundred  years  ago  despotism  prevailed  in  the  world.  Chattel  slavery, 
with  all  its  abominations,  existed  under  all  governments,  and  the  labor  a.nd 
life  of  the  people  were  sacrificed  to  the  aggrandizement  and  luxury  of 
kings  and  nobles.  The  young  giant  of  freedom  now  stalking  over  the 
earth  and  shaking  thrones  was  in  the  birth  throes. 

Now  slavery  is  virtually  abolished  everywhere.  The  mightiest 
governments  are  free,  and  kings  hold  only  a  barren  scepter.  The 
people  are  rising  in  their  majesty  with  the  rising  tides  of  intelligence  to 
their  true  place. 

A  hundred  years  ago  and  Christianity  was  confined  within  narrow 
limits.  Darkness  covered  the  earth,  and  gross  darkness  the  people. 
Now  the  outposts  of  the  church  are  in  all  lands,  the  Bible  is  known  in 
all  human  languages,  and  the  onward  march  of  time  is  pregnant  with 
prophetic  voices,  saying,  "  Now  is  cane  salvation  and  strength,  and 
the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his  Christ." 

To  come  back  to  our  text.  How  much  have  this  church,  and  others 
like  it,  done  in  the  line  of  these  changes  ?  "  Out  of  Zion  the  perfection 
of  beauty  God  hath  shined."  How  much  have  they  done  for  popular 
education  ?  General  Garfield,  in  a  speech  at  Williams  College  at  the 
last  commencement,  said  he  was  at  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1867,  and 
one  morning  a  friend  called  him  out  of  the  building  to  show  him  some- 
thing. Going  outside  he  saw  a  farmer's  house,  a  cottage,  framed  in  our 
west,  taken  across  the  water,  and  set  up  there,  and  beside  it  a  school- 
housevand  the  crowned  kings  and  representatives  of  the  nations  were 
looking  at  it.  It  needed  but  one  thing  more  to  represent  the  trinity  of 
our  American  life  —  the  home,  the  church,  the  school-house.  Our  fathers 
built  their  rude  homes,  then  the  church  of  God,  then  the  school-house,  and 
their  children,  as  they  have  created  new  states,  have  followed  their 
example,  only  often  the  school  house  has  come  before  the  church  and 
served  the  double  purpose. 

Popular  education  is  an  outgrowth  and  a  necessity  of  our  congrega- 
tionism.  A  democratic  church,  as  well  as  a  democratic  state,  must  have 
an  intelligent  constituency,  and  the  New  England  Church  inaugurated 
popular  education  for  the  world. 

How  much  have  these  churches  done  for  freedom  ?  A  few  weeks  since, 
in  the  first  flush  of  this  summer's  verdure,  I  stood  in  one  of  those  cities  of 
our  patriot  dead  that  are  here  and  there  in  the  South.  It  was  on  the 
bank  of  a  running  stream,  and  was  well  enclosed,  with  graded  drives  aud 
walks,  and  more  than  two  thousand  graves.  A  thousand  flags  waved 
from  the  head  boards,  the  skies  were  bright  and  peaceful,  and  as  the 
procession  filed  in,  marshaled  by  the  colored  police  of  the  city,  lately 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBKATION.  547 

slaves,  anil  a  colored  band  playing  the  dirges,  followed  by  hundreds  of 
colored  citizens,  and  the  children  of  the  schools  singing  patriotic  songs, 
and  scattering  with  their  dusky  fingers  floral  offerings  on  the  graves  of 
the  heroes ;  the  scene  was  both  touching  and  significant.  New  England 
first  lighted  the  fires  of  freedom.  New  England  said  the  virgin  soil  of 
the  continent  should  be  free.  The  place  was  holy  with  the  dust  of  the 
sons  and  grandsons  of  New  England.  New  England  sent  the  men  and 
women  who  opened  the  mysteries  of  knowledge  to  these  dark  souls,  from 
whose  hands  New  England  bravery  had  wrenched  the  manacles.  And 
these  are  but  the  vanguard  of  a  mighty  host,  redeemed  themselves,  and 
ministers  of  redemption  to  a  mighty  continent  soon  to  stretch  out  her  . 
hands  unto  God. 

The  congregational  church,  arising  out  of  the  fires  of  persecution  a  free 
church,  gave  type  to  the  civil  government — created  the  Republic.  The 
leaven  of  freedom  that  was  in  her  beginning  is  fast  leavening  our  humanity. 
New  England  saved  the  Republic  in  the  day  of  her  mortal  peril.  No 
thoughtful  man  who  was  in  the  Northwest  in  the  great  Rebellion  could 
fail  to  see  that  New  England  principles  vitalized  those  great  states,  kept 
them  true  to  loyalty,  and  sent  their  armies  into  the  battle  fields,  over  which 
our  flag  of  victory  finally  wa^ed  in  triumph. 

How  much  have  these  churches  done  for  Christianity  ?  There  is  a 
germ  of  infidelity  in  every  human  heart.  "The  fool  hath  said  in  his 
heart,  there  is  no  God."  There  are  two  tilings  that  are  ever  alive  in  the 
world  as  antidotes  to  this :  the  providential  government  of  God  and  the 
church.  When  I  see  one  who  .has  spent  life  in  the  service  of  an  unseen 
God,  trusting  in  him,  when  his  days  of  active  service  are  over  receiving 
in  ways  as  unexpected  and  supernatural  as  though  it  had  dropped  from 
heaven,  the  supply  of  daily  want,  I  cannot  be  an  infidel.  Sodom  in  her 
day,  Jerusalem  in  her  day,  Rome  in  her  day,  Paris  in  her  day,  have  pro- 
claimed through  the  centuries  the  presence  in  human  affairs  of  an  unseen 
almighty  and  all-avenging  God. 

Men  may  reason  as  they  please.  Darwin,  Huxley,  Herbert  Spencer, 
Renan.  We  who  have  felt  the  influence  of  the  ministry  of  Frederick 
Marsh,  and  heard  Lorrain  Loomis  and  Levi  Piatt  pray,  and  seen  how 
they  lived,  and  the  holy  men  and  women  that  were  around  them  fifty 
years  ago,  cannot  be  infidels.  John  Randolph  said  he  should  have  "  been 
an  infidel  1-ut  for  the  remembrance  of  the  hour  when  his  mother  laid  her 
hand  on  his  head  and  taught  him  to  say  '  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven.'  " 
How  many  of  us  have  felt  the  same  influences.  A  church  with  such 
mothers  as  we  had  is  impregnable  against  all  the  assaults  of  infidelity. 
How  much  have  these  churches  done  for  missions  for  the  regeneration  of 
the  world  ?  I  know  of  no  spot  where  this  question  could  be  better 
answered  than  in  this  hill  country  of  Connecticut.     Six  mdes  from  this 


548  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

spot,  eighty-eight  years  ago,  there  was  horn  a  son  to  the  pastor  of  a  sister 
church.  Grown  to  manhood,  he  became  the  subject  of  a  remarkable 
religious  experience.  In  one  of  the  most  beautiful  valleys  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  among  the  majestic  hills  of  Northern  Berkshire,  in  sight  of  one 
of  our  honored  colleges,  is  a  park  of  twenty  acres,  and  a  grove  and  a 
marble  monument,  marking  the  spot  where  that  young  man  gathered  his 
companions  for  prayer,  and  where  one  day,  when  they  were  sheltered 
from  a  passing  shower  by  a  hay-stack,  he  first  proposed  to  them  to  go  on 
a  mission  to  the  heathen.  He  stimulated  a  missionary  spirit  everywhere. 
Samuel  John  Mills  is  known  through  the  earth  as  the  father  of  that 
mighty  missionary  movement  of  modern  times  which  has  its  home  in  this 
country.  He  it  was  who  said  to  a  friend,  "You  and  I  are  very  little 
beings,  but  we  can  make  our  influence  felt  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  and 
he  did,  whether  you  measure  space  or  time. 

Fifty-two  years  ago,  in  sight  of  this  ground,  two  young  men  were 
ordaiiied  to  the  missionary  work.  They  were  the  actors  in  that  mar- 
velous drama  of  modern  times,  the  creation  of  a  Christian  state  in  those 
volcanic  islands  in  the  Pacific,  once  peopled  by  savages.  Why  were 
they  ordained  here?  Because  this  was  historic  ground.  Here  Mills  was 
born.  Here  was  the  first  auxiliary  of  the  American  Board.  Here  was 
the  Foreign  Mission  School  which  grew  out  of  the  romantic  history  of 
the  landing  of  Henry  Obookiah  on  our  shores.  Here  was  a  group  of 
pastors  who  were  fanning  the  missionary  spirit  into  a  flame,  whose 
glorious  brightness  fills  the  land. 

The  first  pastor  of  this  church  had  a-  grandson,  born  just  over  our 
border,  near  the  spot  where  the  first  settler  of  the  town  made  his  home, 
who  ended  a  devoted  and  brilliant,  hut  brief,  life  as  a  missionary  in 
Persia. 

Has  this  church  done  her  part  in  the  mighty  changes  of  the  century  in 
which  her  sisters  have  had  so  potent  an  agency.  If  she  has  not,  her 
centennial  year  is  not  worth  celebrating.  Samuel  J.  Mills  was  not  born 
here.  The  first  missionarie  \  to  the  Sandwich  Islands  were  ordained  at 
Goshen.  The  Foreign  Mission  School  was  at  Cornwall.  I  do  not  know 
that  this  church  has  ever  sent  any  of  her  members  to  the  heathen,  though 
Mr.  Daniel  II.  Austin,  who  was  born  here,  was  a  missionary  to  the 
Osage  Indians,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  any  pastor  ever  did  more  to 
foster  a  missionary  spirit  among  his  people  than  Mr.  Marsh.  I  do  not 
believe  that  any  m  ruber  of  any  of  our  churches,  that  did  not  go  or  send 
a  child  to  the  field,  ever  did  more  for  missions  than  Deacon  Loomis  or 
Deacon  Piatt.  I  know  that  this  church  has  had  many  members  that 
have  been  mighty  in  prayer  for  the  extension  of  the  Kingdom  of  Christ. 
I  know  that  she  has  had  a  great  many  sowers  and  reapers  in  the  great 
field  of  the  world.    A  considerable  number  of  ministers  have  grown  up  here 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  549 

for  come  rom  families  who  have  emigrated  from  here.  I  mention  Rev. 
Noble  Everitt  of  the  early  days,  Rev.  David  Goodwin,  Rev.  Eliphaz  A. 
Piatt,  Rev.  George  Baldwin,  Rev.  James  R.  Coe,  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

This  church  has  not  been  behind  in  the  reformatory  movements  of 
the  age.  When  Mr.  Marsh  came  here  he  found  the  usual  drinking 
customs,  but  after  the  attempt  to  accept  the  proffered  ho-pitalities  of  his 
people  for  one  or  two  whole  dajs  of  pastoral  visitation,  he  told  them  they 
need  never  more  offer  him  any  alcoholic  drinks,  and  when  the  temper- 
ance reformation  began,  he  and  the  leading  men,  and  the  great  body  of 
the  church,  came  promptly  into  it.  and  there  they  have  remained. 

If  the  church  did  not  come  into  the  anti-slavery  movement  as  soon  as 
some  others,  she  was  true  to  freedom  and  loyalty  in  our  great  struggle, 
and  gave  of  her  life  for  the  life  or  the  nation. 

I  know  not  how  it  was  with  the  early  pastors  of  the  church,  but  I 
know  that  Mi*.  Marsh  always  supervised  the  schools,  as  he  did  every 
thing  else,  thoroughly  and  well,  and  the  church  fostered  education. 

We  have  sent  forth  a  great  many  teachers  of  the  young.  Fifty  years 
since  there  was  a  quiet,  silent  young  man  here,  who  did  a  great  deal  to 
stimulate  culture  and  prepare  teachers  in  all  the  surrounding  country. 
He  fired  many  a  young  heart  with  his  own  love  of  learning,  and  sent 
many  with  his  own  stamp  on  them  to  every  corner  of  the  land.  Only 
when  we  fully  comprehend  that  mysterious  spiritual  thing  we  call  influ- 
ence, which  grows  broader  and  deeper,  like  the  rivers  as  they  near  the 
sea,  and  lasts  through  the  centuries  as  the  forests  that  grow  from  the 
scattered  seed,  will  it  he  known  what  Silas  H.  McAlpine  did  for  the 
world.  The  same  influences  have  been  at  work  since,  are  at  work  now 
here,  and  I  know  of  no  spot  more  favorable  for  the  training  of  the  young. 

And  what  shall  I  say  of  the  work  of  the  church  in  these  hundred 
years  in  our  sainted  ones  and  in  ourselves  ?  How  many  struggling  with 
imperfection  and  sin  have  been  made  meet  for  heaven?  How  many 
have  crowned  a  Christian  living  with  a  Christian  dying?  This  air  seems 
to  me  to  be  astir  with  the  breath  of  lives  that  have  been  transferred  to 
immortal  scenes,  and  yet  are  immortal  here.  Our  fathers  and  mothers, 
though  dead,  yet  speak.  Our  dead !  Their  life  was  far  away  from  the 
scenes  of  excitement  that  consume  us.  Engaged  in  the  same  round  of 
toil  day  by  day,  and  year  by  year,  they  found  their  pleasure  in  their 
religious  life.  The  Sabbath  was  to  them  a  day  of  benedictions.  They 
delighted  in  prayer.  From  youth  to  hoary  age  they  walked  with  God, 
and  when  they  came  to  die,  though  we  saw  it  not,  they  saw  in  the 
golden  sunlight  the  chariot  and  horses  of  fire,  and  the  cloud  of  glory  on 
which  the  spirit  went  up  to  its  home. 

We  who  know  something  what  we  owe  to  a  mother's  prayers,  and  who 
70 


550  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

cherish  her  memory  in  our  heart  of  hearts,  know  that  she  received  the 
secret  of  her  power  and  drew  the  inspiration  of  her  life  in  the  church. 
If  there  is  a  God,  Infinite,  Almighty,  and  full  of  love,  He  has  been  in  the 
church.  If  there  is  a  home  of  goodness,  glorious  above  all  description, 
she  has  been  furnishing  residents  for  it.  If  you  would  measure  her  work 
you  must  measure  eternity.  If  you  would  compute  her  work  you  must 
compute  the  bliss  of  heaven. 

Let  our  dead,  whom  the  years  one  by  one  have  been  carrying  away  to 
their  rest,  from  their  high  seats  as  they  wait  in  their  songs  to  greet  us  to- 
day, tell  what  the  church  has  done.  Let  the  children  and  grandchildren 
of  the  church  scattered  over  the  earth,  working  for  our  humanity,  give  in 
their  testimony.  Let  the  unfolding  future,  the  better  ages  that  are  com- 
ing, reveal  it.  We  commit  the  question  to  that  eternity  which  alone  can 
show  the  boundless  wealth  of  good  there  is  in  a  true  church  of  the  living 
God! 

How  shall  we  greet  the  new  century  of  our  organized  life  ?  Will  it 
see  as  many  changes  as  the  buried  years  ?  Will  it  see  as  many  holy  lives 
and  as  many  triumphant  deaths  as  the  old  ?  Will  it  send  forth  as  many 
sons  and  daughters  to  help  in  the  final  battles  and  final  victories  of  truth 
and  righteousness  in  the  world  ?  There  have  been  times  when  it  has 
seemed  that  the  new  agencies  would  depopulate  the  hills,  and  cause  some 
of  these  old  churches  to  become  extinct.  Now  I  have  a  fancy  that  the 
same  agencies,  bringing  these  hills  with  their  health-bearing  breezes 
and  their  summer  beauty  near  the  great  centers  of  life,  may  soon  repop- 
ulate  them,  covering  them  with  new  homes  of  beauty  and  a  better  culture, 
making  them  radiant  with  new  life.  May  it  be  as  good  as  the  old,  and 
better  !  The  church,  fragrant  with  the  memory  of  our  sainted  ones,  en- 
shrined in  the  perpetual  life  of  those  who  have  entered  into  rest,  will  live 
and  God  will  live  in  her.  The  coming  years  will  take  us  from  this  earthly 
scene.  May  they  take  us  to  the  departed,  the  general  assembly  and 
church  of  the  first  born  ! 

Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice  !  This  world  has  been  waiting  long  for  its 
king.  He  who  died  once  is  to  reign  forever,  and  the  mightiest  changes  are 
to  go  on  till  He  comes.  The  children  of  men  are  not  always  to  sit  in 
the  region  and  shadow  of  death.  Poverty,  enforced  and  unrequited  toil, 
ignorance  and  vice,  pestilence  and  famine,  are  not  to  curse  the  earth  for- 
ever. Not  forever  are  the  nations  to  seek  glory  in  the  destruction  of  each 
other.  Not  forever  shall  the  earth  groan  beneath  the  battle  of  the  war- 
rior with  confused  noise  and  garments  rolled  in  blood. 

Down  the  dark  future,  through  long  generations, 
The  echoing  sounds  grow  fainter  and  then  cease; 
And  like  a  bell  with  solemn  sweet  vibrations, 
I  hear  once  more  the  voice  of  Christ  say  peace. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  551 

Peace !  and  no  longer  from  its  brazen  portals, 
The  blast  of  war's  great  organ  shakes  the  skies, 
But  beautiful  as  songs  of  the  Immortals 
The  holy  melodies  of  love  arise. 

The  choir  then  sang  the  hymn,  "  Oh,  for  a  thousand  tongues  to  sing,"  &c. 


ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME  BY  THE  RON  BRONSON,  Esq., 
PRESIDENT  OF  THE  DAY. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen  : — In  assuming  the  duties  assigned  me  I 
have  hut  a  word  to  say. 

I  rejoice  at  seeing  so  many  familiar  faces  hefore  me  of  half  a  century 
ago.  It  calls  to  mind  most  vividly  many  pleasing  scenes  of  our  early 
childhood ;  and  I  rejoice  at  the  privilege  of  tendering  to  you  to-day  a 
most  joyous  welcome. 

Welcome  in  our  hearts ;  welcome  to  our  homes ;  enjoy  with  us  this 
social  gathering.  And  to  all  the  friends  who  this  day  honor  us  with  your 
presence,  we  bid  you  a  hearty  welcome ;  doubly  welcome  to  the  humble 
entertainment  which  it  is  our  privilege  to  offer  you. 

And  to  my  venerable  friend  on  my  right  (Deacon  Ira  Hills),  from  the 
State  of  New  York,  in  behalf  of  our  Reverend  Father  (Rev.  Frederick 
Marsh),  permit  me,  sir,  to  extend  to  you  a  most  joyous  greeting;  and  to 
you,  venerable  fathers,  whose  years  reach  back  almost  to  the  period  we 
this  day  commemorate,  who,  under  a  kind  Providence,  have  stood  for  so 
long  a  period  of  years  as  beacon  lights,  thus  uniting  the  past  with  the 
present — and  may  we  not  hope  with  the  future,  by  the  divine  permission, 
to  the  completion  of  a  full  century  —  may  your  last  days  be  your  best  days  ; 
and  as  your  setting  sun  shall  wane,  may  your  remaining  days  be  as  calm, 
as  peaceful,  and  as  joyous  as  your  former  ones  have  been  prosperous  and 
victorious;  and  beyond  life's  pilgrimage  may  a  glorious  immortality  be 
yours. 

And  now  to  the  young  before  me :  —  Permit  me  to  ask  where  are  the 
fathers  and  the  mothers,  that  little  band  of  fourteen,  for  the  commemora- 
tion of  whose  noble  acts  of  a  hundred  years  ago  we  are  this  day  assembled  ? 
For  an  answer,  go  to  yonder  grave-yard ;  see  there  inscribed  the  names 
of  that  immortal  band,  upon  the  most  unpretending,  humble  tablets,  and 
that  apparently  almost  by  nature's  hand.  And  the  question  recurs  to  us, 
where,  at  the  next  centennial,  will  be  every  person  here  assembled  to-day? 
The  history  of  our  fathers  but  too  plainly  answers.  We  stand  here  to-day 
as  did  our  fathers,  occupying  the  front  ranks  in  the  history  of  the  next 
century.  Let  me  say  to  these  youth,  remember  that  little  baud;  emulate 
their  example ;  cherish  their  memory ;   live  lives  devoted  to  usefulness, 


552  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

that  unborn  generations,  whose  privilege  it  shall  he  to  celehrate  the  next 
centennial,  shall  rise  up  and  call  you  blessed.  I  doubt  not  the  recollec- 
tions of  to-day  will  be  with  you  until  these  hearts  shall  cease  to  beat. 

The  formal  exercises  of  the  forenoon  were  then  closed  with  a  benedic- 
tion by  Rev.  Frederick  Marsh,  as  follows :  May  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God  the  Father,  and  the  communion  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  be  and  abide  with  us  now  and  forever,  Amen. 

A  procession  was  then  formed  to  visit  the  locality  of  the  first  church? 
and  after  returning  to  the  scene  of  the  previous  exercises,  upon  the  green 
in  front  of  the  church,  a  most  bountiful  collation  was  partaken,  the  divine 
blessing  having  been  first  invoked  by  Rev.  Joseph  Eldridge,  D.  D.,  of 
Norfolk : 

Invocation. 

Our  Father  in  Heaven,  we  thank  Thee  for  Thy  providential  government 
over  the  world  and  for  the  establishment  and  preservation  of  Thy  church 
among  men.  We  thank  Thee  that  Thou  didst  extend  Thy  care  over  those 
that  came  to  this  land  and  those  who  have  descended  from  them.  We 
thank  Thee  for  all  Thy  favor  to  those  who,  one  hundred  years  ago,  dwelt 
here  ;  and  for  all  the  prosperity  and  all  the  blessings  conferred  upon  them 
and  their  descendants,  and  that  in  circumstances  of  so  much  favor  we  may 
meet  on  this  beautiful  day ;  and  that  this  day  we  have  been  permitted  to 
commemorate  their  history  and  derive  lessons  from  their  experience  and 
their  service,  and  enter  into  the  blessings  that,  through  Thy  grace,  they 
have  transmitted  to  us.  We  thank  Thee  for  all  the  blessings  of  the  past 
and  of  this  occasion.  May  we  deliver  the  blessings  granted  to  us  unim- 
paired to  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  so  that  when  a  hundred  years 
have  passed  away,  our  descendants  may  look  back  towards  us  as  we  now 
look  towards  those  who  dwelt  here  a  hundred  years  ago ;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Redeemer,  Amen. 

The  collation  occupied  nearly  an  hour,  and  was  everywhere  praised  for 
its  richness  and  abundance. 


AFTERNOON  EXERCISES. 

The  assembly  having  been  called  to  order  by  the  President  of  the  Day, 
Rev.  Samuel  T.  Seelye,  D.  D.,  of  Easthamnton,  Mass.,  was  introduced, 
who  spoke  briefly  as  follows  : 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  553 

ADDRESS  OF  Rev.  SAMUEL  T.  SEELYE,  D.D.,  of  Easthampton,  Mass. 

Mr  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen: — I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  looking 
over  your  programme,  and  I  see  you  have  a  very  large  and  rich  entertainment  provided 
for  the  afternoon.  I  will  not,  therefore,  venture  to  trespass  upon  your  time,  allotted 
to  those  who  have  specially  prepared  themselves  to  entertain  you.  But  it  requires  an 
effort  on  this  occasion,  with  so  much  to  inspire  one,  not  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of 
making  a  speech  for  I  fully  enter  into  sympathy  with  this  occasion,  and  am  glad  to 
see  Old  Winchester  to-day  in  all  her  glory.  As  I  was  for  twenty-five  years  the  minis- 
ter in  an  adjoining  town,  and  used  to  come  here  occasionally  to  see  you,  I  am  glad  to 
find  so  many  here  to-day  whom  I  did  not  expect  to  see.  High  as  my  opinion  was  of 
the  good  people  of  Winchester,  I  must  say  I  did  not  know  you  could  do  as  well  as  you 
have  done  to-day  ;  and  I  am  glad  to  he  here.  I  can  say  this  with  special' unction  and 
force  after  the  grand  collation  you  have  provided.  And  if  everybody,  and  more  too, 
is  not  satisfied,  it  is  not  the  fault  of  the  good  people  of  Winchester;  and  what  the 
speakers  are  to  do  after  having  eaten  so  much  just  now,  I  do  not  know. 

While  I  rejoice  to  be  here  on  this  grand  occasion,  and  feel  the  inspiration  which  stirs 
all  your  hearts,  I  am  especially  glad  to  see  here  my  honored  Father  Marsh  ;  and  in  fact 
I  came  to  Winchester  expressly  to  see  him  and  take  him  by  the  hand.  I  never  shall 
forget  him  ;  for  although  my  relations  with  my  brethren  with  whom  I  associated  in 
Litchfield  county  were  always  pleasant  and  profitable,  no  man  did  so  much  for  my  good, 
by  his  example  and  teaching,  and  the  influence  which  I  felt  coining  from  him,  as 
Father  Marsh.  I  shall  never  forget  his  kindness  at  my  examination,  when  theological 
controversies  were  more  in  vogue  than  to-day,  and  how  Father  Marsh  poured  oil  upon 
the  waters;  and  he  has  always  been  a  peace-maker,  not  given  to  strife.  I  have  hon- 
ored him  for  the  way  in  which  he  has  lived,  for  the  example  he  has  set  his  brethren 
in  the  ministry  ;  and  I  am  sorry,  for  one,  that  I  have  come  so  far  short.  But  that  is 
not  his  fault;  his  light  has  been  shining  steadily  all  the  time. 

One  thing  I  know  of  him  that  perhaps  many  of  you  do  not,  and  which  has  been  of 
great  service  to  me.  You  know  what  Father  Marsh's  estate  has  been ;  how  many 
acres  of  land  ;  how  large  an  income  he  has  had.  He  said  to  me  years  ago,  that  not- 
withstanding his  wants  might  be  ever  so  pressing,  he  always  had  the  Lord's  drawer 
in  which  was  something,  though  not  very  much,  which  he  consecrated  to  the  Lord,  and 
which  he  used  for  benevolent  purposes.  He  said  that  more  than  twenty  years  ago. 
That  has  remained  in  my  heart  and  influenced  me  as  much  as  any  one  thing  I  ever 
heard.  And  I  bless  God  for  that  example,  and  for  that  evidence  of  the  consecration 
of  property  and  all  that  he  had  to  God  and  His  service.  And  I  have  tried  to  do  my 
duty  better  and  be  more  liberal  and  more  generous,  because  of  my  reverend  father. 

But  Father  Marsh  is  not  perfect.  There  was  one  thing  that  I  heard  long  ago  that 
was  a  comfort,  one  thing  that  showed  he  had  our  weak,  human  nature ;  and  to  a  man 
who  is  as  great  a  sinner  as  I  am,  that  is  a  comfort.  But  I  never  heard  that  Father 
Marsh  came  short  and  came  to  a  dead  halt,  and  lost  his  faith  in  his  Christian 
principles  but  once.  A  go-id  lady  in  Wolcottville  related  this,  and  said  she  never  knew 
but  one  bad  thing  of  Father  Marsh;  that  on  one  occasion,  when  his  good  wife  pre- 
sented him  with  a  pair  of  twins,  the  good  man  was  overcome.  (Laughter.)  That  was 
the  only  time  when  his  faith  was  staggered.  (Renewed  laughter.)  But  that  did  not 
last  long:  he  soon  got  over  that.  I  told  the  lady,  my  informant,  that  probably  the 
tears  shed,  if  any,  were  tears  of  joy,  because  the  blessings  God  sent  him  were  so  much 
more  abundant  than  he  expected.  (Continued  laughter.) 

I  could  say  much  more  to  show  my  appreciation  of  Father  Marsh,  but  I  can  simply 
express  the  hope  that  God  may  keep  him  to  his  hundredth  year  and  more  to  bless  us 
and  our  children,  if  we  are  so  fortunate  as  to  have  children.     (Applause). 


554  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


ADDRESS  BY  REV.  ARTHUR  GOODENOUGH. 

It  is  thought  proper  that  I  should  say  a  few  words  on  this  occasion,  not  because  it 
was  thought  I  have  anything  to  say  to  this  audience  that  may  be  especially  interesting, 
but  to  show  that  the  church  in  Winchester  has  a  pastor,  and  I  come  forward  on  this 
occasion  to  make  that  announcement. 

Our  chairman  has  already  extended  to  you  a  cordial  welcome  here,  and  in  the 
words  that  he  has  used  I  have  no  doubt  he  expressed  the  sentiments  of  this  entire 
community.  I  can  but  repeat  that  we  are  glad  to  see  you  here  to-day,  that  we  sin- 
cerely hope  that  nothing  has  occurred  or  will  occur  to  mar  the  joy  of  this  occasion. 

As  we  recall  the  events  of  our  local  history  for  the  past  hundred  years,  we  value 
that  history  not.  alone  for  the  fathers'  sake,  not  alone  for  the  sacred  influence  which 
it  throws  around  our  homes  today,  we  value  it  for  the  bond  by  which  it  unites  so 
many  loving  he  rts,  separated  so  far  and  wide,  with  a  common  love  of  these  old 
memories.  The  fact  that  I,  a  stranger  to  most  of  you,  assume  to  welcome  you  on 
this  occasion,  shows  to  many  of  you  undoubtedly  that  your  childhood's  home  is  not 
in  all  respects  what  you  once  knew  it;  that  changes  are  taking  place.  I  myself  have 
known  something  of  the  sadness  that  comes  from  a  consciousness  of  a  past,  that  will 
not  and  cannot  join  hands  with  the  present,  and  I  sincerely  hope  that  none  of  you  will 
experience  changes  to-day  that  will  cause  sadness  as  you  visit  these  old  familiar 
places.  Surely  the  rocks,  and  the  hilis,  and  lakes  are  ready  to  welcome  you  with  a 
glad  smile  of  recognition,  and  if  many  well  known  faces  have  passed  away,  and  others 
have  changed  almost  beyond  the  power  of  recognition,  yet  we  believe  that  the  spirit 
of  the  elder  times  has  not  departed,  even  the  spirit  of  the  fathers.  The  spirit  that 
wrought  in  and  with  the  fathers  abides  to-day  where  they  dwelt,  and  will  not  let  us 
forget  them,  but  pointing  to  their  foot-marks  will  say  to  generations  yet  unborn, 
"  This  is  the  way,  walk  ye  in  it." 

And  now  that  myself  and  others  enter  into  your  places,  we  do  not  come  so  much  to 
be  agents  of  change  as  we  come  to  learn  the  lessons  which  these  grand  hills,  with 
their  hallowed  memories,  may  teach,  and  to  enter  into  possession  of  the  influences 
which  the  lives  of  good  men  and  women  in  the  past  have  established  here. 

It  is  not  right  that  I  should  intrude  myself  too  long  upon  your  attention,  or  inter- 
rupt the  greetings  more  appropriate  to  this  occasion.  We  have  the  evidence  before 
us,  not  merely  in  historical  statements  of  what  has  been  here,  but  in  the  living 
examples,  in  the  institutions,  the  church,  the  schools,  the  homes,  and  the  scenes  which 
the  Great  Creator  calls  upon  us  to  admire,  that  these  have  not  been  in  vain.  Poets 
are  born  here  ;  they  learn  to  think  here.  They  may  go  away  from  us  to  the  crowded 
city,  to  the  din  and  hum  of  busy  life ;  but  they  are  born  here.  Such  men  cannot  be 
born  in  the  great  Babylons,  and  we  are  thankful  that  they  delight  to  return  to  us  and 
lay  their  garlands  of  triumph  before  our  feet.  I  do  not  intend  to  try  to  prove  it  by 
any  arguments  of  mine,  but  we  shall  piove  it  in  a  better  way,  and  I  shall  now  intro- 
duce to  you  the  poet  of  the  day,  Dr.  W.  J.  Wetmore.  But  I  would  not  have  you 
think  we  bring  forward  all  our  poets  to-day.  Those  of  you  who  know  the  plaee 
know  something  of  what  we  can  do  in  this  direction.  I  know  it  was  said  of  an  old 
Greek  who  had  a  house  to  dispose  of,  that  since  he  could  not  carry  around  the  house 
to  show  he  took  a  brick  of  the  same  material  as  that  with  which  the  house  was  con- 
structed as  a  specimen,  and  desired  the  people  to  look  at  it.  We  bring  you  now  our 
chosen  poet,  only  as  a  specimen  brick.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  555 


POEM  BY  WM.  J.  WETMORE,  M.  D.,  New  York  City. 

Kindred  and  friends,  why  are  we  met  together 
Within  this  tent  this  lovely  summer  weather? 
Why  gather  here  on  this  delightful  day, 
To  pass  a  few  reflective  hours  away  ? 
'Tis  not  to  hoast  of  martial  conquest  here, 
Bought  at  the  price  of  blood  that  costs  so  dear, 
But  'tis  the  song  of  peace  that  floats  around, 
And  where  we  stand  seems  consecrated  ground. 
Here  did  our  fathers  their  first  altar  raise, 
Where  hearts  sincere  could  join  in  prayer  and  praise ; 
Here  they  first  met,  their  pious  zeal  to  show, 
Their  trust  in  God  a  hundred  years  ago. 

A  hundred  years  ago !  from  thence  we  date 
The  birth  of  this  old  town,  so  fixed  by  fate, 
When  law  and  order  over  chaos  reigned, 
And  with  increasing  age  new  vigor  gained. 
Young  hearts,  strong  arms,  here  strove  with  fresh  delight, 
When  rising  beauties  cheered  the  welcome  sight ; 
Bright  dwellings  rose  to  glad  the  traveler's  way, 
Though  Winter  frowned,  or  smiled  the  flowery  May. 

A  hundred  years  ago  !  like  swallows  on  the  wing 
Come  floating  back  loved  scenes  of  boyhood's  Spring  ; 
And  forms  and  faces  seem  to  gather  here, 
Long  since  departed,  but  forever  dear; 
Here  on  these  rugged  hills,  with  artless  grace, 
Our  fathers  lived  and  toiled,  a  sturdy  race; 
They  tilled  the  soil  so  rough  in  its  repose, 
And  made  the  fields  to  blossom  like  the  rose. 
Among  the  many  well-tilled  farms  I  see, 
With  rock  and  hillside,  meadow,  brook,  and  tree ; 
One  with  its  fond  associations  well  I  know, 
My  grandsire's  home  a  hundred  years  ago : 
Though  somewhat  changed  with  steady  lapse  of  time, 
'Tis  much  the  same  as  when  in  early  prime ; 
The  old  domain,  some  buildings  yet  the  same, 
And  dearer  still,  my  old  ancestral  name. 
These  still  remain  a  pleasure  and  a  joy, 
And  make  me  almost  feel  again  a  boy ; 
These  add  a  priceless  value  to  the  place 
Of  one's  own  birth,  his  kindred  and  his  race. 

The  church  our  fathers  reared  beneath  the  hill, 
The  first,  though  humble,  had  its  comforts  still : 
From  summer's  heat  and  winter's  piercing  cold, 
It  shielded  both  the  shepherd  and  his  fold : 
And  though  the  tempest  scowled  along  the  sky, 
O'er  those  true  hearts  the  storm  swept  harmless  by : 
But  soon  that  little  church  proved  far  too  small, 


556  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

To  hold  the  crowd  within  its  narrow  hall, 

When  farther  north  a  better  site  was  found, 

To  rear  a  shrine  where  faith  might  more  abound : 

Our  ancient  fathers  planned  with  cunning  skill, 

Another  church  with  zealous  hands  and  will, 

When  soon  a  beauteous  temple  rose  to  view, 

Where  faith  might  light  her  vestal  flame  anew : 

There  oft  the  faithful  worshipers  repaired, 

And  all  its  blessings,  all  its  comforts  shared. 

The  saintly  Knapp  there  ministered  awhile, 

And  Bogue  with  pleasant  voice  and  winning  smile; 

Then  Marsh  new  courage,  new  existence  gave 

To  fainting  hearts,  and  made  the  thoughtless  grave. 

To  him  a  debt  of  guititude  I  owe, 

For  favors  past,  for  kindness  long  ago  : 

With  him  I  studied  first  the  poet's  art, 

When  Virgil's  lines  I  scanned  and  learned  by  heart ; 

And  as  the  days  sped  happily  along, 

I  loved  the  teacher  and  the  poet's  song. 

But  time  rolls  on  and  other  change  takes  place, 
That  church  is  gone,  and  strange  seems  every  face ; 
The  dear  old  congregation  is  no  more, 
The  sweet  old  songs  that  pleased  so  well  are  o'er; 
And  those  we  knew  and  met  from  day  to  day, 
Are  now  in  other  lands  far,  far  away, 
Or  down  on  Burial  Hill,  cold,  slumbering  clay! 
Sleep  on,  beloved  dust!  till  that  blest  morn  arise, 
To  waft  your  souls,  redeemed,  beyond  the  skies  : 
Where  kindred  spirits  in  reunion  sweet, 
In  bliss  immortal  shall  each  other  greet: 
May  none  be  lost,  but  all  through  grace  and  love, 
Meet  their  kind  Father  God,  in  realms  above  ! 

But,  dear  old  town !  you've  had  your  joys  and  cares, 
Your  men  severe,  your  wit  that  never  spares  : 
And  as  we  feared  the  one,  we  loved  the  other, 
And  laughed  to  hear  their  jokes  of  one  another. 
One  man  I  knew,  whose  heart  seemed  e'er  inclined 
To  call  men  fools  or  ignorantly  blind, 
Who  dared  to  say  this  globe  did  not  stand  still, 
And  sun  and  moon  rolled  through  the  sky  at  will ; 
For,  if  the  world  turned  over,  on  his  head 
He  sure  must  stand  or  tumble  out  of  bed : 
Long  Lake,  alas !  its  oozy  bed  must  leave, 
And  thirsty  turtles  for  lost  waters  grieve; 
The  perch  and  pickerel  mourn  the  absent  flood, 
And  eels  and  bullheads  flounder  in  the  mud, 
But  this  was  only  one  particular  Case, 
The  last,  if  I  mistake  not,  of  his  race. 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  557 

Another,  skilled  in  mythologic  lore, 
Brought  spirits  forth  at  will,  from  Stygean  shore; 
Old  Pluto's  realms  he  studied  well,  by  heart, 
And  knew  each  god  and  goddess  on  the  chart; 
And  while  he  read  and  learned  their  wondrous  power, 
He  sought  the  graces  in  their  native  bower ; 
But  oft  like  Orpheus  mourned  with  unfeigned  woe, 
His  fair  Eurydice  in  shades  below. 
The  planets,  too,  that  glittered  in  the  sky, 
Their  names  he  called  as  each  one  met  his  eye : 
And  in  their  course  astrology  sublime 
Rang  on  his  heart  its  planetary  chime. 
His  home  was  humble,  but  his  heart  sincere, 
And  what  he  lacked  in  wealth  made  up  in  cheer: 
Indeed,  the  Dugway  would  have  been  forgot, 
But  Alvord's  name  immortalized  the  spot. 

O'er  these  old  hills  my  footsteps  oft  have  strayed, 
Where  I,  with  youthful  friends,  delighted  played; 
Their  names  on  memory's  tablet  brightly  shine, 
And  fleeting  time  but  makes  them  more  divine : 
Oh  Beebe  !  how  I  loved  your  generous  heart, 
Devoid  of  guile  or  hypocritic  art : 
But  ever  true  and  faithful  to  defend 
From  envy's  spite  misfortune  or  a  friend. 
And  other  names  I  dearly,  fondly  trace, 
With  joy  recall  each  pleasant,  smiling  face  ; 
The  Blakes,  the  Hubbells,  and  the  Coits  appear, 
With  Hurlbuts,  Marshes,  and  McAlpines  dear; 
Wade,  Nash,  and  Bronson  in  our  circle  shine, 
While  Piatt  and  Hoyt  to  sanctity  incline ; 
Chase,  Goodwin,  Murray  put  the  blues  to  flight, 
While  Hills  and  Benedict  gave  fresh  delight ; 
Miner  and  Clarke,  as  ancient  dates  will  show, 
Here  pitched  their  tents  a  hundred  years  ago. 
Everitt  and  Brooks  in  youth  we  often  met, 
Nor  can  we  ancient  Chamberlain  forget! 
Who  built  his  home  upon  the  coldest  hill, — 
(I  wonder  if  that  old  house  stands  there  still !) 
Andrews  and  Loomis,  kindly  and  sincere, 
Like  Hatch  and  Adams,  left  their  impress  here ; 
Humphrey  and  Riggs,  both  noblemen  and  peers, 
Their  names  shall  live  along  the  flight  of  years. 
But  why  l'ecall  the  varied  names  of  old, 
Their  life's  career  is  briefly,  quickly  told; 
Stern  in  their  duty — honesty  their  pride, 
They  lived  respected,  and  lamented  died. 
These  were  the  good  old  times,  when  virtue  shone, 
And  men  had  merits  honestly  their  own; 
Though  Joel  Beach  and  Lent  Mott  wake  a  smile, 
Blue  street  without  them  would  been  bluer  still : 


71 


558  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

So  many  a  visage  with  expression  droll, 
Provokes  a  smile  we  scarcely  can  control : 
Even  now  we  see  them  dance  hefore  the  eyes, 
A  motley  crowd  of  every  form  and  guise : 
The  Prestons,  Jacklins,  Ellwells  now  appear, 
With  Gordon  Root,  the  pundit  and  the  seer; 
While  Church  and  Tucker  gave  peculiar  grace 
To  every  spot  where'er  they  showed  their  face : 
Around  the  Little  Pond  the  chattering  jays 
Made  Rattling  Valley  vocal  with  their  lays ; 
While  Beckley  whistled  as  he  trudged  along, 
And  charmed  the  wood  nymphs  with  his  rustic  song. 
But  let  us  not  forget  one  hero  brave, 
Who  fought  and  hied,  his  country's  life  to  save; 
His  name  was  Leach  —  his  fame  we  all  well  know 
As  warlike  scars  he  proudly  loved  to  show : 
•  Gained,  as  he  said,  on  bloody  fields  of  strife, 
Where  many  times  he  died  —  then  came  to  life, 
To  fight  again  till  legions  ran  away, 
And  left  him  victor,  hero  of  the  day : 
But  spare  the  muse  —  this  record  nobly  won, 
Was  blasting  rocks  from  morn  till  set  of  sun ; 
Blown  out  of  wdls  and  hurled  from  many  a  rock, 
He  fell,  at  last,  reduced  by  nature's  shock : 
Brave  soldier,  let  him  rest,  life's  toils  are  o'er, 
He'll  blast  out  rocks,  and  battles  fight  no  more. 


But  what  a  change !  few  spii  its  yet  remain, 
Few  living  links  in  memory's  golden  chain ; 
Loved  scenes  and  places  change  as  time  rolls  on, 
Men  tread  life's  stage,  the  actors  soon  are  gone; 
But  here  again  they  pass  in  swift  review, 
And  smiles  and  tears  alternate  rise  anew : 
And  though  again  these  scenes  theatric  glow, 
Time's  curtain  soon  will  fall  on  all  below, 
Death  soon  will  bring  life's  drama  to  a  close, 
The  final  exit  to  earth's  joys  and  woes. 
Change  comes  to  every  circle  here  on  earth, 
And  fond  affection  mourns  departed  worth; 
That  dear  old  home  so  cherished  in  my  youth, 
Still  calls  me  back  in  tenderness  and  truth  : 
For  there  my  father,  mother  lived  and  died, — 
They  watched  my  youth  with  all  a  parent's  pride : 
But  now  the  town  to  me  deserted  seems, 
And  pleasures  past  appear  but  idle  dreams. 
My  playmates  scattered,  once  a  numerous  band, 
While  here,  returned,  almost  alone  I  stand, 
Reviewing  days  and  years  forever  past, 
Too  bright  for  earth,  too  beautiful  to  last. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  559 

Life  is  a  dream,  the  story  of  a  day, 
A  flower  thit  blooms  to  perish  and  decay, 
But  as  our  friendship  on  love's  altar  burns, 
Youth  with  its  pictured  memories  returns: 
And  as  we  view  each  well-remembered  place, 
We  see  reflected  many  a  welcome  face, 
That  brings  up  joys  and  pleasures  once  so  dear, 
That  had  remained  forgotten  many  a  year. 

The  Lake  where  summer  days  I  loved  to  float 
With  friends  delighted  in  our  uncouth  boat, 
I  now  recall,  while  youth  and  pleasure  beam, 
The  brightest  jewels  in  a  poet's  dream. 
0,  lovely  lake!  no  fairer  waters  shine, 
No  wave  reflects  a  brighter  sheen  than  thine ; 
No  other  lake  a  purer  wave  can  show, 
No  brighter  skies  above  their  waters  glow. 
Although  unsung,  still  round  thy  rocky  shore, 
Those  old-time  songs  seem  sounding  evermore : 
On  every  breeze  they  fondly,  sweetly  swell, 
The  dear  old  songs  we  loved  in  youth  so  well ; 
They  tell  of  days  departed,  hopes  and  fears, 
That  floated  off"  with  swiftly  fleeting  years; 
But  now  return  on  echo's  airy  wing, 
Like  Heaven's  own  doves  that  bring  perennial  Spring. 
The  heart  seems  touched  as  by  some  magic  spell, 
A  pensive  charm  that  makes  the  bosom  swell 
With  fond  emotion  as  those  scenes  appear 
With  spirits  of  the  past  now  gathered  here; 
Not  e'en  the  gondolettas  of  Italian  seas 
Charm  with  a  cadence  half  so  sweet  as  these. 
They  're  deathless  as  the  music  of  thy  waves, 
That  seems  to  rise  from  out  thy  hidden  caves ; 
Ear  down  beneath  the  watery  depths  below, 
Where  Naiads  dwell  and  glittering  jewels  glow, 
Where  elfins  gather — then  at  evening  glide, 
In  songs  and  dances  o'er  thy  rippling  tide. 

Turn  from  this  picture  in  antique  repose, 
Another  still  upon  the  canvass  glows  ; 
O  !  Winsted,  'tis  of  thee  I  fondly  sing, 
And  to  thy  shrine  my  humble  offering  bring ; 
A  few  short  years  have  scarcely  rolled  away, 
Since  dwellings  plain  along  Mad  River  lay; 
A  humble  village  one  would  scarcely  note, 
A  hamkt,  far  from  busy  life  remote; 
But  now  a  city  rears  its  strength  so  great, 
It  wields  a  telling  power  throughout  the  State ; 
There  toil  and  labor  their  best  trophies  bring, 
While  listening  ears  hear  numerous  anvils  ring ; 
Sloth  cannot  find  a  single  foot-hold  there, 
But  every  soul  its  bounteous  wealth  can  share; 


560  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Though  mountains  darkly  frown  on  either  side, 

And  brawling  streamlets  through  the  meadows  glide  ; 

There  strength  and  beauty  hand  in  hand  repair, 

And  each  their  several  burdens  freely  bear. 

The  church  with  open  doors  invites  to  peace, 

And  bids  our  worldly  cares  and  sorrows  cease ; 

There  law  in  justice's  scales  impartial  weighs 

The  felon's  crimes  —  the  penalty  he  pays ; 

And  to  the  mind  diseased  or  body  frail, 

There  Esculapean  skill  should  never  fail. 

The  Press,  that  source  of  intellectual  light, 

The  news  of  nations  spreads  before  the  sight ; 

It  comes  from  North  and  South,  from  East  and  West, 

The  "  Winsted  Herald"  proves  a  welcome  guest; 

Such,  such  is  Winsted  now,  and  still  apace, 

It  grows  and  thrives  in  every  art  and  grace : 

Its  schools  well  taught,  its  teachers  full  of  zeal, 

Fit  men  for  business  and  the  public  weal; 

Indeed,  in  every  part,  on  every  hand, 

It  seems  the  smiling  Auburn  of  our  land. 

Who  cannot  call  to  mind  the  crazy  mill, 
Hard  by  Long  Lake  that  overtopped  the  hill ; 
Where  grain  was  taken  and  where  grists  were  ground, 
And  with  revolving  wheels  the  jest  went  round? 
There  Skinner  reigned,  the  genius  of  the  place, 
And  honest  merit  marked  his  genial  face ; 
Down  that  steep  hill  I've  journeyed  many  a  time, 
And  stopped  to  hear  the  distant  belfrey's  chime. 
I  scarcely  dreamed  that  at  some  distant  day, 
The  men  so  oft  I  met  could  pass  away, 
So  noble,  generous,  and  so  good  were  they. 
That  Rockwell,  Hinsdale,  Wakefield,  Boyd,  and  Coe, 
Could  join  the  army  of  a  hundred  years  ago, 
But  still  those  old  and  honored  names  remain, 
To  show  those  pioneers  lived  not  in  vain. 

But  Winchester,  thou'rt  like  a  parent  old, 
Whose  strength  has  failed,  whose  heart  seems  dull  and  cold: 
Who  grieves  that  sturdy  manhood  cannot  last, 
And  now  sits  mourning  over  glories  past. 

But  such  is  life  —  in  youth  we're  filled  with  mirth 
And  scarcely  feel  how  much  our  being's  worth : 
But  time  rolls  on  — old  landmarks  pass  away, 
And  joys,  like  short-lived  blossoms,  soon  decay; 
We  could  not  dream  in  youth  it  could  be  so, 
Of  change  so  great  since  fifty  years  ago  : 
But  when  around  these  dear  old  hills  I  roam, 
I  stop  and  ask — "  Where  is  my  dear  old  home  ?  " 
The  pleasant  faces  that  I  used  to  meet, 
And  talk  and  chat  in  accents  fondly  sweet ; 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  561 

They're  gone  forever  —  every  well-known  face, 

And  desolation  marks  each  favorite  place ; 

Still,  few  I  greet,  as  friends  I  knew  of  yore, 

But  seldom  seen,  —  perhaps  to  see  no  more  ! 

But  when  our  days  are  ended  here  below, 

And  eyes  that  shone  have  lost  their  cheerful  glow; 

Though  through  life's  struggle  souls  seem  tempest-tost, 

May  all  a  haven  reach,  no  spirit  lost ; 

But  all  redeemed,  and  through  a  Savior's  love, 

Meet  wiih  our  dearest  friends  in  realms  above; 

Where  every  heart  a  record  pure  can  show, 

To  join  our  fathers  of  a  hundred  years  ago  ; 

And  when  another  hundred  years  shall  glide, 

Down  time's  swift  current,  time's  returnle^s  tide, 

And  other  lips  shall  talk  of  dear  ones  fled, 

Oh  !  may  they  pay  one  tribute  to  the  dead  : 

Breathe  one  short  prayer  for  those  who've  gone  before, 

And  now  lie  sleeping  on  death's  silent  shore  : 

Remember  those  in  life  from  far  and  near, 

The  friends  and  kindred  loved  now  gathered  here ; 

And  while  our  hearts  with  grateful  memory's  swell, 

To  one  and  all  I  bid  a  kind  farewell. 

The  reading  of  the  poem  was  followed  by  singing  by  the  choir,  "  Blow 
ye  the  trumpet,  blow,"  &c. 

Rev.  Arthur  Goodexough. — We  have  b°cn  talking  a  good  deal  about  ourselves 
to-day.  I  suppose  it  is  proper  for  the  most  modest  people  to  be  guilty  once  in  a  while 
of  a  little  glorification  of  themselves.  I  have  not  heard  anything  about  our  family  to- 
day. But  in  the  changes  of  these  hundred  years  we  have  had  a  little  daughter;  at 
least  she  seems  to  be  a  little  daughter,  nov  growing  up  and  settled  down  in  a  little 
obscure  valley,  out  of  the  wat,  in  a  place  we  call  Winsted.  After  being  prosperous 
there  a  little  while  she  had  another  daughter,  that  seems  to  be  coming  up  a  lively  sort 
of  a  girl,  and  has  come  and  settled  a  little  nearer  to  her  old  grandmother.  We  think 
they  are  rather  promising  girls,  and  we  want  to  give  them  a  chance  to  talk  a  little 
while  now.  They  cannot  tell  much;  they  have  not  lived  long  enough.  Perhaps  they 
think  they  know  almost  as  much  as  this  grandmother.  But  I  hope  they  will  be 
wiser,  and  grow  in  grace.  But  we  will  not  talk  much  about  them;  they  are  able  to 
speak  for  themselves. 

RESPONSE  BY  DEACON  ELIAS  E    GILMAN,  of  the  First  Congregational 

Church,  Winsted 

As  allusion  has  been  made  by  the  last  speaker  to  having  a  daughter  residing  in  an 
adjacent  valley,  and  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  residing  in  that  village  is  absent  for 
his  vacation,  it  becomes  me,  as  senior  deacon  of  that  church,  to  respond. 

I  am  happy,  in  behalf  of  that  church,  to  retun  our  thanks  to  the  parent  church  for 
the  kindness  and  sympathy  which  they  have  this  day  and  ever  before  exhibited 
towards  that  daught  r,  planted  in  that  "obscure"  village.  But  I  will  just  s  y  that 
the  church  formed  from  this  parent  stock  was  organized  in  1784,  as  the  records  show. 

The  first  member  was  John  Ralcom,  senior.  Eight  hundred  and  thirty-six  (836) 
additions  have  been  made  to  the  church.  At  the  present  time  there  are  about  one 
hundred  and  eighty  (180)  members  belonging  to  it.    And  we  think,  as  young  people  are 


562  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

apt  to  think  at  the  present  day,  that  our  grandsircs  did  not  know  but  a  little;  but  still 
we  look  upon  the  par<  nt  church  with  interest  and  affection,  and  think  they  are  what 
they  have  always  manifested  themselves  towards  us,  our  faithful  friends,  and  when 
Father  Marsh  comes  over  to  speak  to  us  we  hear  him  with  rejoicing;  hearts,  and  we 
look  back  to-day  with  thankfulness  that  he  lias  been  spared  so  long',  and  is  now  per- 
mitted to  participate  in  this  centennial  celebration.  If  our  church  is  spared  to  see  its 
hundredth  year,  we  hope  Father  Marsh  may  also  be  span  d  to  celebrate  it  with  us. 

RESPONSE  BY  REV.  CHARLES  WETHERBY,  Pastor  of  the  Second 
Congregational  Church,  West  Winsted. 

I  was  married  to  this  granddaughter  of  this  church  some  five  years  ago,  and  she 
has  made  me  on  the  whole,  with  a  little  trouble  now  and  then,  a  pretty  good  wife. 
I  have  passed  a  great  many  pleasant  days  with  her,  and  hope  to  a  great  many  more. 
But,  as  the  representative  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church  in  Winsted,  I  come 
here  before  this  grandmother  to  stand  before  this  church  that  has  carried  my  own  in 
her  heart's  love,  with  something  of  the  feeling  of  the  college  boy  when  returning  from 
college  days  and  college  scenes,  he  comes  to  the  old  farmhouse  and  homestead.  As  I 
look  upon  the  brain  and  brawn  that  have  given  strength  and  nerve  and  energy  to  the 
boy,  so  do  I  feel  that  the  virtue,  and  power,  and  strength  of  the  Winsted  Churches  is 
the  result  of  the  culture,  influence,  and  power  that  has  been  bestowed  upon  them  from 
these  old  hills. 

I  come  here  to  the  grandmother  church  to  preach  once  in  a  while,  and  as  I  listen  to 
her  praises  to-day,  and  have  done  before,  I  feel  that  there  is  a  great  power  in  these  old 
churches;  their  influence  has  been  a  great  power.  And  we  send  back  greetings  from 
Winsted  to  this  old  church  on  the  hill  for  the  piety  she  has  endeavored  to  stamp  upon 
the  heart  of  her  descendants.  We  send  back  greetings  to  the  old  church  for  the  loving 
care  with  which  she  has  watched  over  our  tender  years  ;  we  send  back  greetings  for  all 
the  New  England  purity  and  New  England  principle  that  she  has  sent  out  all  over  the 
land.  I  have  seen  men  here  to-day  from  the  west,  from  New  York,  and  from  many 
places  abroad.  I  have  taken  hold  of  the  hands  of  those  who  have  passed  from  you 
and  taken  up  their  abode  in  far  off  states,  and  they  come  back  here,  and  I  see  as  I 
look  in  your  faces  that  the  faces  of  the  ladies  are  all  beautiful,  and  those  of  the  men 
all  full  of  strength  and  power,  and  the  recollection  crowds  upon  me  that  such  as  these 
have  planted  New  England  institutions,  and  the  New  England  churches,  and  I  am 
thankful  to  God,  who  cares  for  all  and  watches  over  all,  that  he  has  reared  up  here  on 
these  hills  such  a  power  and  such  an  influence  to  go  abroad  into  all  the  land. 

I  suppose  it  is  true,  as  the  speaker  who  introduced  us  said,  that  the  grandmother 
thinks  she  knows  a  little  more  than  we  do  who  live  in  the  humble  valley.  She  has 
reason  to  think  so,  for  in  the  first  place  she  is  up  the  highest  in  the  world ;  I  think  she 
is  eight  or  nine  hundred  feet  above  us,  and  that  is  a  great  deal  we  find  when  we  come 
up  here  to  pay  her  a  visit.  I  know  a  lit: le  boy  who  stood  up  by  the  side  of  his  father 
to  measure  his  height,  and  he  said,  "Papa,  I  shall  be  bigger  than  you  are  by  and 
bye."  But  we  never  expect,  grandmother,  that  we  shall  be  able  to  lift  ourselves  up  to 
he  high  as  you  are.  You  are  uine  hundred  feet  above  us,  and  you  always  will  be. 
(Laughter). 

I  was  thinking  this  morning,  as  I  listened  to  that  excellent  address,  how  much  of 
the  history  of  these  towns  never  will  be  told  After  all  the  eloquent  account  we  had 
to-day,  the  real  struggles,  the  real  triumphs,  and  real  conquests  of  the  fathers  and 
the  mothers  who  planted  themselves  a  hundred  years  ago  along  these  hills  will  never 
be  told.  But  when  those  men  came  from  Hartford  to  settle  Winchester,  and  when 
the  men  from  Winchester  went  forth  to  settle  other  places,  they  all  carried  the  church 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  563 

and  the  school  with  them;  they  carried  sobriety  of  character,  temperance,  a  sabbath- 
keeping  spirit,  a  home  spirit,  a  law-abiding  spirit;  they  carried  a  large-hearted,  sanc- 
tified spirit  wherever  they  went.  When  we  hear  about  new  settlements  in  the  west 
now,  we  expect  to  hear  a  good  deal  about  whiskey  saloons,  about  riotous  proceedings 
generally,  about  western  roughness;  a  great  deal  about  law-breaking,  and  a  great  deal 
about  those  activities  and  sentiments  that  are  not  brought  under  the  restraint  of 
principle  and  duty.  And  the  question  by  contrast  comes  back,  why  do  we  not  expect 
to  hear  of  such  things  in  the  old  New  England  settlements  1  It  is  because  every  New 
England  town,  when  it  planted  itself  on  these  high  hills,  where  the  free  air  is  playing 
ever,  and  where  the  sun  is  shining  brightly  ever,  planted  also  the  church ;  and  the 
sound  of  the  sabbath  bell,  the  sabbath  song,  and  sabbath  prayer  went  forth,  reminding 
men  of  immortality. 

Oh,  friends,  Ic  us  thank  God  to-day,  on  this  centennial  occasion,  for  the  fathers' 
prayers,  the  fathers' faith,  and  the  fathers'  hope;  and  God  grant  that  the  churches  you 
have  planted  down  in  the  valley  of  Winsted,  down  where  the  streams  are  flowing,  and 
where  the  workmen  are  so  busy;  where  the  sound  of  the  hammer  is  heard  all  day 
long.  Oh,  may  God  grant  that  as  those  churches  grow  strong  —  as  they  are  growing 
strong  in  numbers  —  they  shall  have  all  the  love,  all  the  purity,  all  that  moral  power, 
and  all  that  sublime  devotion  to  principle  and  duty  which  sustained  the  fathers  when 
they  planted,  on  this  free  New  England  soil,  "  a  church  without  a  bishop,  and  a  state 
without  a  king,"  but  a  land  governed  by  God. 

Music  by  the  band. 

Rev.  Joseph  Eldridge,  D.D.,  of  Norfolk,  was  then  introduced, 
and  spoke  substantially  as  follows: — 

ADDRESS  OE  REV.  JOSEPH  ELDRIDGE,  D.D. 

Mr.  President,  I  should  not  presume  to  appear  before  such  an  audience  as  this 
without  more  preparation  than  it  has  been  in  my  power  to  make,  were  not  the  circum- 
stances such  as  they  are.  I  arrived  home  last  evening,  and  received  a  notice  of  this 
meeting,  and  found  my  name  down  on  the  programme.  But  I  am  very  happy  to 
learn  that  it  Ins  been  removed.  Still,  1  have  been  called  upon  to  say  something,  and 
I  present  myself  before  you,  somewhat  as  the  pastor  of  this  church  said  he  did,  merely 
to  go  through  with  the  motions  of  appearing  before  you. 

If  I  recollect  what  the  programme  calls  for,  I  am  to  speak  somewhat  in  reference  to 
the  pastors  of  this  church.  My  memory  does  not  go  back  of  the  ministry  of  our 
venerable  father,  whose  presence  cheers  us  this  day.  Forty  years  ago,  the  25th  of 
next  April,  was  the  day  on  which  I  first  saw  Reverend  Frederick  Marsh.  He  was 
then  present,  and  took  part  in  my  examination,  and  in  my  ordination  and  installation 
over  the  parish  where  I  have  remained  since  that  day.  And,  perhaps,  as  my  recollec- 
tion goes  back  to  this  period,  it  might  be  interesting  for  you  to  know  something  about 
the  ministers  at  that  time  in  this  region,  and  the  state  of  feeling  that  existed  during 
that  period  on  various  subjects. 

We  are  sometimes  disposed,  and  especially  men  who  have  reached  my  time  of  life, 
to  look  back  and  think  that  every  thing  that  is  past  is  preferable  to  any  thing  now  in 
existence.  There  was  a  state  of  things  just  about  that  time,  in  reference  to  points 
of  doctrine,  that  was  exceedingly  exciting.  It  was  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  most 
bitter  theological  controversies  that  has  existed  in  this  state  when  I  was  settled.  And 
after  my  settlement,  when  ministers  met  for  the  purpose  of  examining  a  candidate,  the 
great  point  was  to  ascertain  not  how  much  he  knew  on  subjects  in  general,  but  what 
were  his  particular  ideas  on  special  points  which  were  then  in  discussion,  and  as  Mr. 


564  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Marsh  comes  in  somewhat  in  that  matter  in  a  particular  way  that  will  strike  you  as 
an  illustration  of  the  state  of  feeling,  I  will  relate  an  anecdote  in  regard  to  an  event  in 
which  I  took  a  part. 

At  thiit  time  it  was  not  unfrcqucnt  that  ministers  had  what  they  called  Four  Days 
Meetings,  during  which  they  invited  the  n  ighboring  clergyim  n  to  assist  them,  as  the 
case  might  seem  to  require.  One  of  the  ministers  in  one  of  these  churches  had  had 
such  a  scries  of  meetings  on  a  certain  occasion,  and  invited  me  to  come  and  preach  a 
sermon.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the  mud  was  very  deep,  and  I  was  a 
little  late  in  reaching  the  place.  I  was  to  he  there  to  preach  in  the  afternoon.  When 
I  reached  the  church,  the  exercises  of  a  preliminary  nature  had  been  gone  through 
with,  s.nd  the  clergyman  was  just  about  to  give  out  the  hymn  before  the  sermon,  so 
that  I  had  only  an  opportunity  of  showing  him  what  sermons  I  had,  of  mentioning 
their  texts,  and  giving  a  sort  of  statement  of  the  points  in  each  of  them.  I  asked  him, 
knowing  as  he  did  the  state  of  the  congregation,  to  mention  that  which  he  thought 
would  be  most  appropriate.  Just  at  that  time  the  door  opened,  and  our  reverend 
friend,  Mr.  Marsh,  entered,  and  walked,  in  his  meek,  humble  way  up  the  aisle,  and 
took  his  seat  in  one  of  the  pews.  Then  the  clergyman  said  to  me,  selecting  a  parti- 
cular sermon,  "preach  that;  that  will  cut  np  Brother  Marsh."  (Laughter).  That 
man  twisted  up  his  Taylorism  so  strongly  that  it  fairly  kinked. 

On  another  occasion — to  show  you  to  what  extremes  he  had  carried  his  views  —  I 
had  been  with  him  two  days,  preaching  in  a  parish  near  by,  and  it  so  happened  that 
he  was  to  preach  the  final  sermon.  It  was  one  of  those  parishes  that  did  not  entirely 
sympathise  with  him  in  his  peculiar  ideas  on  the  subjects  then  in  controversy.  But 
the  pastor  of  that  church  was  a  magnanimous  man,  and  although  he  attached  some 
importance  to  these  points  of  difference,  he  still  was  willing  to  have  his  brethren 
around  him  supply  his  place  occasiona'ly.  There  was  some  feeling  in  the  congrega- 
tion, as  the  result  of  the  two  days'  service  which  we  had  previously  had.  My  brother, 
who  was  my  colleague,  and  was  to  preach  the  last  sermon,  chose  for  his  text,  "  Make 
yourselves  a  new  heart,"  and  his  doctrine  was,  the  duty  of  man  to  regenerate  himself, 
a  result  that  could  only  be  applied  to  those  who  are  self-made.  Though  the  thoughts 
presented  were  to  a  certain  extent  true,  yet  the  idea  of  a  man  regenerating  himself 
could  apply  only  to  the  man  who  could  make  himself.  I  bring  up  these  cases  to  show 
the  extremes  to  which  the  feelings  were  carried  at  that  time.  Happily,  I  think, 
without  any  relinquishment  of  sound  views  on  that  and  kindred  topics,  that  state  of 
feeling  has  passed  away  ;  and  although  I  have  lived  to  see  a  great  many  generations 
of  ministers  all  around  me,  and  to  regret  the  removal  of  those  who  have  preceded  me, 
by  death  or  otherwise,  jet  I  am  delighted  with  the  class  of  young  ministers  that  now 
surround  me.  I  love  them ;  but  while  I  love  them  well,  I  do  not  forget  the  old 
ministers.  I  do  not  forget  Father  Beach ;  I  do  not  forget  Mr.  Prentice,  Mr.  Perry, 
and  Dr.  Lathrop ;  I  do  not  forget  any  of  that  class  of  men  who  have  passed  away. 
They  were  good  men. 

But  we  had  great  times  in  those  days  as  to  our  incomes.  I  think,  if  I  recollect 
right,  my  reverend  friend  (Mr.  Marsh)  during  the  whole  of  his  ministry  never  received 
more  than  $430  per  annum.  Whatever  he  has  done  for  this  church,  whatever  he  has 
done  for  this  community,  whatever  he  has  done  for  the  world,  he  has  received  as  a 
pecuniary  compensation  for  it,  while  he  did  receive  anything,  $430  per  annum !  I 
hink  my  brother  Beach,  in  that  nourishing  village,  received  $500.  But  one  of  my 
parishioners  said  they  meant  to  have  me  have  a  fat  salary,  and  that  should  be  $650, 
and  it  was  that  for  a  long  series  of  years.  So  we  had  great  times  in  those  days  as  to 
tmaking  money  and  getting  rich  ! 

But  there  is  one  thing  that  I  ought  to  notice.  A  great  deal  has  been  said,  and 
justly  said,  with  which  I  entirely  sympathise,  in  commendation  of  my  venerable  and 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  565 

long-tried  friend,  Mr.  Marsh.  His  influence  over  his  brethren,  as  one  of  them  has 
already  testified,  has  been  silent,  modest,  not  obtrusive;  not  so  much  that  of  great 
intellectual  power  as  of  sincerity,  truth,  self-sacrifice,  and  unfeigned  devotion.  No 
jealousy  in  his  mind  of  his  brethren  if  they  had  gifts ;  no  jealousy  of  their  reputation 
if  they  acquired  it ;  no  jealousy  of  their  influence,  but  delighted  by  it,  wherever  it  was 
manifesting  itself. 

One  other  thing  I  may  notice,  unless  I  exceed  my  time.  It  is  said,  and  I  do  not 
know  but  it  is  true,  for  I  never  have  had  any  experience  of  the  kind  myself,  that  an 
ex-minister,  residing  in  the  place  where  he  has  been  a  pastor,  is  likely  to  be  —  and 
often  proves  —  one  of  the  most  uncomfortable  of  parishioners  that  it  is  possible  to  find. 
My  venerable  friend  has  been  an  ex-minister  longer  and  sooner  perhaps  than  he  ought 
to  have  been,  but  I  will  not  insist  on  that.  But  in  all  that  time  he  has  never  in  any 
instance  exerted  a  disturbing  influence  on  the  congregation  He  never  has  been 
otherwise,  than  willing  to  become  small  and  to  retire,  while  his  successor  came  forward 
and  occupied  the  place  that  he  had  filled  so  long.  I  think  this  is  a  great  test  of 
character,  for  if  we  have  had  influence  in  a  community  it  is  with  difficulty  that  we 
consent  to  relinquish  our  position. 

But  I  fear  if  I  proceed  further  on  this  theme  I  shall  exceed  my  time  and  abuse  your 
patience.  I  wish  simply  to  say  that  I  also  feel  that  the  influence  of  our  venerable 
friend  has  been  good  over  me,  and  I  thank  God  that  He  has  lengthened  his  days  for 
this  very  purpose,  that  he  mi^ht  exhibit  these  beautiful  traits  as  the  fruits  of  that 
gospel  which  he  has  preached  so  long  and  so  successfully.  I  love  him,  and  he  loves 
me,  and  we  cheer  each  other;  but,  as  I  said,  I  love  all  the  young  ministers  too.  I  feel 
almost  as  though  I  was  young,  although  they  begin  to  tell  me  that  I  am  old. 

The  choir  then  sang  the  hymn,  "  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name," 
&c. 

Mr.  Coridon  A.  Alvord,  of  Hartford,  was  next  introduced,  and 
spoke  as  follows  : — 

Mr.  Chairman  : — I  did  not  expect  this  honor,  and  am  therefore  quite  unprepared 
to  respond  satisfactorily ;  and  yet  the  occasion,  the  old  friends  I  see  before  me,  and  the 
feeling  of  love  for  the  dear  old  town,  ever  active  in  my  mind,  combine  and  impel  me 
to  say  a  few  words.  Forty  years  ago  I  was  a  Printer's  Devil, — a  harmless  Imp,  I 
trust,  but  still  a  Devil.  While  in  that  form,  C.  W.  Everest,  having  some  knowledge 
of  the  Typographic  Art,  labored  a  few  hours  every  day  in  the  regions  where  I  was 
Imp,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  means  wherewith  to  pay  his  board  while  obtaining 
an  education,  for  verily,  like  every  other  genius,  he  was  poor.  C.  W.  E.  was  fond  of 
music,  was  a  Poet,  and  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  and  with  all  these  inspirations  in 
his  sonl,  he  often  encouraged  our  "  Quartette  Club,"  which  never  existed  except  when 
"P.  C."  was  out  of  the  office,  ("P.  C."  was  our  master,)  to  sing  sentimental  songs. 
Eventually  our  store  became  exhausted,  and  we  produced  the  only  one  we  had  left,  the 
air  of  which  pleased  him  very  much,  but  he  was  not  satisfied  with  the  words.  The 
next  morning  he  took  from  his  pocket  an  original  manuscript  which  he  had  composed 
the  previous  evening,  and  requested  us  to  sing  it  to  the  old  air  he  loved  so  well ;  and 
as  it  seems  so  fitting  to  the  present  occasion,  I  will  recite  it,  for  we  subsequently  sang 
it  to  him  so  frequently  that  I  shall  never  forget  it. 

72 


566  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  friends  we  loved  in  childhood, 

Oh  whither  have  they  fled  ? 
Beneath  the  village  church  yard 

They  slumber  with  the  dead. 
In  peace  they  rest  beneath  the  sod, 

Their  earthly  labors  o'er ; 
The  friends  we  loved  in  early  youth 

We  meet  on  earth  no  more. 

The  friends  we  loved  in  childhood, 

When  life  was  young  and  gay, 
How  blithesome  were  their  footsteps 

Throughout  the  joyous  day ; 
And  lightly  tripped  their  merry  feet 

Across  the  flowery  plain, 
But  the  friends  we  loved  in  early  youth 

We  ne'er  shall  meet  again. 

The  friends  we  loved  in  childhood, 

How  fond  their  memory  seems ; 
They  haunt  us  in  our  slumbers, 

They  whisper  in  our  dreams ; 
And  then  we  wake  with  saddened  heart 

To  find  our  bliss  but  vain, 
For  the  friends  we  loved  in  early  youth 

We  ne'er  shall  meet  again. 

The  friends  we  loved  in  childhood, 

Oh  peaceful  be  their  rest ; 
And  green  may  be  the  willow 

That  sighs  above  their  breast , 
And  when  in  death  we  lowly  sleep, 

Secure  from  all  our  pain, 
Oh  the  friends  we  loved  in  early  youth 

May  we  meet  in  peace  again. 

Most  good  landscape  paintings  have  their  shades,  shadows,  and  perspective,  —  their 
high  lights,  and  their  deep  shadows.  I  have  given  you  the  shady  part  first.  It  may 
not  be  agreeable,  but  it  is  full  of  rich  color,  and  is  an  excellent  study.  Now,  look 
this  way  and  see  how  beautifully  the  light  breaks  in  upon  it  from  beyond  McAlpine's 
hill,  and  there  we  see  several  of  those  nice  little  girls  who,  not  very  long  ago,  tripped 
merrily  with  us  "  across  the  flowery  plain,"  over  the  hills,  and  through  the  woods,  in 
pursuit  of  blackberries,  partridge  berries,  chestnuts,  pleasure,  and  health,  in  all  the 
simplicity  of  innocence  and  co  fidencc;  studied  the  dreaded  lessons  with  us  at  school, 
rode  down  the  steep  hills  with  us  on  our  hand  sleds,  and  husked  corn  with  us  at  the 
evening  gathering  in  the  well  filled  old  brown  barn,  and  were  not  afraid  to  lau^h  when 
a  red  ear  came  to  their  hand,  though  they  fully  understood  its  tremendous  conse- 
quences. They  are  here  in  goodly  numbers;  a  little  more  mature,  indeed,  but  still 
essentially  the  same.  And  here  again  is  a  motley  group  of  those  barefooted,  earnest 
looking  little  boys,  fresh  from  the  pasture,  the  field  and  the  garden,  who  never  liked 
to  rake  after  the  cart  when  father  or  the  hired  man  wielded  the  pitchfork,  especially 
if  hurried  by  the  approach  of  a  shower,  and  somehow  or  other  father  always  seemed  to 
fancy  that  there  was  a  shower  coming  up  when  we  were  getting  in  hay.     But  those 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  567 

boys  did  like  to  get  their  task  finished  and  then  go  down  to  the  brook,  or  over  to  the 
pond,  and  catch  a  good  string  of  fish.  The  Sunday  School  is  prominent  here  in  the 
foreground,  and  just  there  to  the  left  is  the  Singing  School,  with  the  Pitch  Pipe  in  the 
hand  of  a  very  short,  pleasant  looking  man,  and  a  reasonable  sized  violoncello  in  front 
of  a  still  pleasanter  and  younger  man,  who  strikingly  resembles  a  prominent  musical 
one  upon  the  present  stage.  It  seems  to  me  that  I  can  see  in  that  smoke  a  pleasant 
afternoon  tea  party  of  old  ladies,  with  their  bright  knitting  needles  snapping  away  in 
an  animated  style,  and  we  can  almost  hear  them  gossiping,  but  noc  really  slandering 
anybody  very  much ;  and  there  is  surely  an  accidental  evening  gathering  of  men  at  a 
neighbor's  house,  with  the  ever-present  dish  of  apples  and  pitcher  of  cider  upon  the 
table,  and  we  can  imagine  them  discussing  politics,  breaking  roads,  and  giving  the 
Minister  a  "  spell." 

Far  back  in  the  dim  distance  we  can  discern  men  riding  to  meeting  on  horseback, 
each  with  a  woman  behind  him  on  a  pillion,  for  wagons  arc  scarce,  the  roads  are  rough, 
and  go  straight  from  point  to  point  over  the  tops  of  the  highest  hills,  with  thick  for- 
ests on  every  hand,  and  occasionally  a  black  bear  and  a  brown  Indian  from  the  thicket 
glare  at  them  as  they  pass  quietly  along,  but  do  not  molest  them,  for  these  are  days  of 
wonderful  advancement  and  civilization  as  compared  with  the  wilder  ones  immediately 
preceding.  That  is  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  a  choice  and  cherished  few  present 
have  been  almost  to  the  threshold  of  that  enchanted  castle,  but  not  one  can  really  say 
that  he  saw  it,  though  he  remembers  many  who  resided  within  its  walls;  yet  we  all 
contribute  ourselves  and  our  lives  to  make  up  portions  of  this  plain  picture  of  the  past. 

And  now  turn  we  to  the  right,  and  just  square  before  us  opens  another  picture,  more 
brilliant,  more  beautiful,  and  much  more  agreeable  to  contemplate,  because  so  much 
of  it  is  illumined  with  the  high  lights  of  the  hopeful  future.  See  how  broad  and  even 
all  the  roads  are,  and  with  what  graceful  curves  and  easy  grades  they  wind  around 
those  beautiful  elevations,  which  in  the  other  picture  seemed  such  ugly  hills,  because 
presenting  so  sharp  an  obstacle  to  progress.  See  those  open,  airy,  gorgeous  carriages, 
each  containing  from  six  to  ten  persons,  as  elegantly  dressed  as  their  carriages  are 
ornamented,  and  unconcernedly  moving  on  over  this  once  rough  country,  at  the  com- 
fortable rate  of  sixtv  miles  an  hour,  impelled  by  that  element  once  so  much  feared  and 
so  little  understood,  but  now  theiaithful,  powerful,  humble  servant  of  enlightened  man, 
electricity.  Those  are  all  our  own  descendants,  and  I  believe  they  are  going  to  the 
renowned  city  of  Winsted,  to  celebrate  the  bi-centennial  of  their  native  town,  and  re- 
hearse, with  occasional  touches  of  affectionate  derision  the  stupid  customs  of  their 
savage  ancestors,  when  none  but  men  made  the  laws,  while  women  cooked  the  food 
and  took  special  care  of  the  young,  and,  absurd  as  it  may  seem,  many  will  believe  it. 

I  believe  my  time  has  expired,  and  I  will  take  my  seat. 

Music  by  the  band. 

Deacon  Abel  S.  Wetmore  then  briefly  related  a  few  anecdotes  illustrative  of 
the  character  and  habits  of  the  people  of  the  earlier  days  of  the  town,  and  began  by  a 
reference  to  two  former  deacons  of  the  church,  who  were  spoken  of  in  the  address  of 
the  morning  as  being  very  pious  and  godly  men — namely,  Deacon  Seth  Hills  and 
Deacon  Samuel  Wetmore,  who  were  said  to  occupy  together  the  front  seat  before  the 
pulpit,  and  to  love  each  other  very  much.  But  on  one  occasion  they  had  such  a  dis- 
pute about  the  sawing  of  some  logs,  at  the  mill  of  Deacon  Wetmore,  as  to  prove  they 
still  had  a  little  human  nature  about  them;  but  after  some  sharp  words  they  retired  to 
a  thicket  near  the  mill,  and  doubtless  became  completely  reconciled  by  mutual  confes- 
sion and  forgiveness,  as  they  came  out  with  shining  faces,  and  never  gave  any  occa- 
sion in  the  future  for  doubt  as  to  their  genuine  regard  for  each  other. 


568  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  real  origin  of  the  name  of  Blue  street  was  from  a  sort  of  agreement  made 
among  the  settlers  in  that  street,  amounting  to  a  regular  code  of  laws.  One  rule  was 
that  every  man  must  have  his  wood  pile  cut  out  by  such  a  day  in  Spring,  and  every 
man  must  have  his  grain  threshed  out  by  a  certain  date.  One  man  by  the  name  of 
Beach  failed  to  come  up  in  this  respect  to  the  rule,  and  one  very  dark  night  the  rest 
of  the  neighbors  got  into  the  barn  and  took  positions  on  the  floor  so  that  they  would 
not  beat  each  other,  and  began  threshing  the  grain  with  all  their  might.  They  waked 
up  the  old  gentleman  and  his  wife,  and  after  some  hesitation  the  two  started  for  the 
barn  to  see  what  was  going  on  there.  The  old  gentleman  took  his  lantern,  but  the 
men  in  the  barn  being  in  the  dark,  when  they  saw  the  light  shining  through  the 
cracks  of  the  barn  became  still  as  mice,  except  to  keep  the  threshing  going.  This  so 
frightened  the  old  man  that  he  went  back  and  told  his  wife  he  believed  there  was 
"  some  evil  design  if  not  evil  spirits  out  there." 

There  was  a  man  living  in  the  centre  by  the  name  of  Theodore  Goodwin,  a  very 
benevolent  man  to  all  the  poor,  though  not  a  professor  of  religion.  Uncle  Jed.  Coe 
lived  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  north.  He  was  in  moderate  circumstances,  and 
was  preparing  to  move  to  Vermont.  Mr.  Goodwin  took  it  into  his  head  to  collect 
some  money  to  help  neighbor  Coe.  He  went  down  to  Mr.  Beach  to  get  some  money, 
and  took  another  man  to  go  in  with  him  to  see  how  he  succeeded  in  getting  a  sub- 
scription. On  going  in  Mr.  Goodwin  said,  "  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Beach  ?"  "  Pretty 
well ;  how  do  you  do,  Mr.  Goodwin  V  Said  he,  "  This  gentleman  and  I  have  had  a 
little  discussion  about  a  certain  passage  in  Scripture.  The  passage  is,  '  Cast  thy 
bread  upon  the  waters,  and  thou  shalt  find  it  after  many  days.'  What  does  that 
mean  ?"  Says  Uncle  Joel  (Mr.  Beach)  :  "  I  am  pretty  ignorant,  but  I  suppose  it  means 
that  if  you  don't  give  when  any  body  wants  help  you  will  be  a  covetous  old  hunk." 
Says  Uncle  Theodore  Goodwin,  'I  vow  that's  just  as  I  thought,  exactly.  I  am 
doing  something  for  Mr.  Coe,  and  I  came  in  to  see  what  you  would  do  for  him !  " 
Mr.  Beach  drew  out  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  and  said,  "  Mr.  Goodwin,  I  wish  you  would 
be  good  enough  to  hand  that  to  Mr.  Coe." 

Rev.  F.  A.  Spencer,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  was  next  called  upon.  He  did  not  know 
why  he  was  invited  to  speak,  as  he  was  not  a  native  of  the  town.  His  father  and 
mother  moved  away  a  little  too  quick.  His  grandfather,  however,  was  buried  here. 
He  came  to  the  town  about  ninety-nine  years  ago.  His  grave  is  by  that  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Knapp,  whose  gravestone  is  in  three  pieces. 

The  Spencers  came  to  this  country  about  245  years  ago  with  old  Parson  Hooker 
of  the  First  Church  of  Hartford,  and  I  hold  in  my  hand  the  cane  that  my  grand- 
father walked  through  Winchester  with  a  hundred  years  ago,  and  notwithstanding  the 
changes  of  the  fashion,  it  is  still  in  the  fashion  of  today.  It  is  250  years  old  at  least. 
I  have  also  another  specimen  that  appertains  to  Winchester.  It  is  my  grandfather's 
account  book.  Here  are  the  names  of  the  old  men  whom  Mr.  Blake  mentioned  in 
his  address  this  morning.     These  charges  were  made  almost  a  century  ago,  in  1774 — 

In  October  1774  Cap.  Alvord  Debter  to  horse 


to  torrington  twice 

00 

02 

00 

0 

to  soling  your  shoes 

00 

1 

2 

0 

to  washing  your  shirt  sundry  times 

00 

3 

to  spining  your  wool 

00 

1 

8 

0 

to  nitten  mitten 

00 

1 

4 

00 

to  nitten  stokens, 

00 

1 

6 

My  grandfather  was  a  farmer,  and  he  lived  on  the  farm  which  Mr.  Eggleston  now 
owns.     The  old  house,  I  am  told,  is  torn  down,  but  when  I  came  here,  eighteen 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  569 

years  ago,  I  went  to  see  it,  then  standing,  and  found  my  elf  in  the  room  where  Uncle 
Jonathan  Coe  said  all  the  courting  was  done,  for  there  were  seven  or  eight  daughters. 
In  regard  to  the  cane,  my  English  ancestor  gave  it  to  his  son  Thomas,  because  he 
bore  his  name.  It  has  upon  it  still  the  initials,  T.  S.  My  grandfather  died  before  I 
was  born.  He  loved  his  minister,  and  lies  buried  by  his  side.  My  parents  were 
married  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bogue. 

Mr.  John  R.  Pitkin  was  the  next  speaker,  who  said  that  though  Colebrook  was 
his  native  town  he  came  to  Winchester  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  remained  here 
for  some  time.  He  said  he  was  at  eight  o'clock  this  morning  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
and  he  had  made  all  possible  haste  to  be  present  to  attend  this  meeting.  He  then 
went  on  to  relate  some  incidents  that  he  was  familiar  with  when  a  boy  in  that  part  of 
Winchester  called  Millbrook.  One  man  lived  there  who  always  kept  his  word.  He 
was  in  company  at  one  time  with  six  young  ladies,  and  fell  in  love  with  the  whole  of 
them.  He  finally  said  he  would  marry  the  one  that  spoke  first,  agreeing  to  it.  One 
accepted  him  at  once,  and  they  were  married,  and  lived  happily.  That  man  was 
Reuben  Hungerford.  Mr.  Hungerford  was  a  farmer,  and  he  measured  his  hay  so 
that  he  knew  exactly  how  much  to  give  out  every  day  of  the  year.  He  cut  his  pork 
into  a  certain  number  of  pieces,  so  as  to  have  a  piece  for  each  day.  He  had  about  an 
acre  of  grass  cut  down  at  one  time,  and  nearly  ready  to  be  put  in  the  barn,  but  he 
said  to  himself, v'  I  will  turn  it  out  once  more  before  I  go  to  dinner."  He  commenced 
but  there  came  up  a  heavy  thunder  shower  while  he  was  at  work.  I  happened  to 
stand  in  front  of  the  field,  and  saw  him  keep  on  during  the  shower,  turning  nis  hay, 
first  one  way  and  then  another.  After  the  shower  he  came  up  and  laid  his  hand  on 
the  fence,  and  said,  "  I  don't  know  but  you  think  it  odd  to  see  me  turning  hay  in  the 
rain,  but  I  said  I  would  do  it,  and  I  thought  I  would  finish  it." 

Other  incidents  were  related,  showing  the  same  characteristic  trait  in  Mr.  Hunger- 
ford, and  the  speaker  then  proceeded  to  tell  of  his  own  experiences  :  first  in  Torrington, 
where  he  taught  a  rather  disorderly  school,  and  brought  it  to  a  good  condition  without 
the  use  of  the  rod,  so  fashionable  in  those  days ;  then  going  back,  he  spoke  of  his 
boyhood  at  Millbrook,  and  of  his  working  there  for  Mr.  Erastus  Woodford  for  $5  a 
month,  and  closed  by  a  short  sketch  of  his  future  life. 

The  Benediction  was  then  pronounced  by  Rev.  Mr.  Marsh,  and  the 
meeting  was  adjourned  till  1\  o'clock  at  the  Second  Congregational 
Church  in  Wintted. 


EVENING  MEETING  AT  THE  SECOND  CONGREGATIONAL 
CHURCH,  WEST  WINSTED. 

B.  B.  ROCKWELL,  President. 

The  meeting  was  promptly  called  to  order  at  half  past  seven  o'clock, 
at  which  time  the  church  was  filled  to  overflowing. 

Welcome  by  the  President. 

Old  Friends  and  Acquaintances  :  —  I  have  been  thinking,  since  I  sat  here  this 
evening,  about  the  familiar  scenes  that  used  to  transpire  at  our  home,  where  father 
and  mother  sat  aruund  the  fire,  and  the  children  began  to  come  in  from  their  play  and 


570  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

the  men  from  their  work ;  neighbors  began  to  drop  in  and  the  circle  widened  all  around 
the  room,  and  there  was  a  kind  greeting  for  all.  I  believe  that  we  who  are  the  present 
residents  of  Winsted  feel  pretty  much  so  when  we  see  our  friends  come  back  as  you 
have  done  on  this  occasion.  We  bid  you  welcome  ;  we  are  glad  to  see  you.  We  have 
had  to-day  sermon  and  song  and  excellent  entertainment  at  the  other  Society ;  to-night 
we  meet  in  a  more  informal  manner.  The  names  of  several  gentlemen  have  been 
handed  me,  and  I  shall,  perhaps,  call  on  some  others  whom  I  have  met.  There  are 
many  here  whom  we  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from. 

The  first  gentleman  called  upon  was  James  Miller,  Esq.,  of  Grand 
Rapids,  Michigan,  a  native  of  Winsted. 

He  commenced  by  a  reference  to  his  profession,  that  of  a  lawyer,  and  thought  it 
time  that  lawyers  were  oftener  invited  to  participate  in  meetings  of  this  character; 
that  clergymen  should  not  enjoy  all  the  front  seats,  as  they  have  done  since  the  land- 
ing of  the  Mayflower.  His  father  was  the  first  lawyer  who  settled  in  Winsted,  and 
practiced  here  more  than  twenty-five  years,  having  settled  in  town  about  1806,  and 
having  acquired  the  name  here,  although  he  was  a  lawyer,  of  honest  Jo.  Miller. 

Many  things  recollected  by  the  speaker  as  having  occurred  here  in  his  boyhood  were 
recited.  He  was  only  eleven  years  old  when  his  father's  family  removed  to  Michigan  ; 
and  it  was  in  part  because  his  father  thought  it  not  a  good  place  in  which  to  bring  up 
his  sons,  that  he  removed  West.  In  fact,  the  older  boys  had  been  drawn  into  some 
rude  scenes  that  troubled  their  father's  spirit,  one  of  which  was  a  sort  of  calithumpian 
concert  on  the  occasion  of  the  marriage  of  a  spinster  named  Candace  Scoville.  On 
one  occasion,  his  father,  returning  from  Litchfield  where  he  had  been  attending  court, 
brought  home  some  boys'  hats  that  did  not  please  the  older  brothers,  for  whom  they 
were  intended;  and  so,  to  be  rid  of  them,  they  put  them  on,  one  Independence  day, 
and  wore  them  to  the  place  where  the  cannon  was  being  fired,  and  as  it  was  loaded, 
they  clapped  one  hat  into  the  other,  and  both  over  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  when,  as  the 
word  fire  was  given  by  Joseph,  the  elder  boy,  the  hats  disappeared  in  the  smoke;  but 
two  hatless  boys  had  a  flogging  that  evening  as  a  part  of  the  day's  celebration.  Sev- 
eral other  reminiscences  of  his  early  days  were  recalled,  bearing  upon  the  habits  of 
certain  individuals  then  residing  here,  as  they  appeared  to  the  eyes  of  a  child ;  among 
others,  the  names  of  his  early  teachers  were  mentioned,  particularly  that  of  Mr.  Hunt- 
ington, teacher  of  the  Academy,  and  those  of  his  playmates.  As  one  of  the  experi- 
ments in  chemistry  and  physiology,  Mr.  Huntington  h;id  a  trial  of  laughing  gas. 
Among  others  who  took  this  gas,  was  George  Gaylord,  who  was  not  much  affected  by 
it  at  first,  but  after  a  time  he  "made  a  straight  wake  for  a  young  lady  by  the  name 
of  Champion,  and  put  his  arms  around  her  neck  and  kissed  her,  which,  on  her  part, 
did  not  seem  to  be  considered  much  out  of  the  way." 

"  When  I  think  of  the  changes,"  said  he,  "  which  have  occurred  in  New  England  in 
the  past  forty  years,  when  I  see  what  I  have  seen  during  the  past  week  or  two  in  trav- 
eling through  this  section,  and  that  it  is  a  country  of  the  most  surpassing  loveliness 
that  ever  met  the  eye  of  man ;  and  when  I  see  how  much  man  has  done  to  beautify  it, 
I  wonder  that  my  father  ever  emigrated  to  the  West,  and  why  those  who  have  gone 
out  on  the  prairies  do  not  come  back  to  this  land  of  loveliness.  New  England,  to-day, 
I  believe  to  be  the  very  centre  of  the  planet,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  everything  that  is 
worthy'  of  human  aspiration  and  human  desire.  I  may  not  look  upon  it  with  impartial 
eyes,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  here  is  a  return  to  the  rejuvenated  paradise."   (Applause.) 

The  President.  I  find  here  the  name  of  a  man  who  was  so  unfortunate 
as  not  to  be  born  here ;  but  he  did  the  next  best  thing,  he  came  here  and 
married  a  wife  —  Rev.  Dr.  Seelye,  of  Easthainpton. 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  571 


REMARKS  OF  REV.  SAM'L  T.  SEELYE,  D.  D  ,  of  Easthampton,  Mass. 

Mr.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen:  —  lam  sorry  for  several  things,  but 
glad  of  many  more.  I  am  sorry  there  is  not  a  platform  here  instead  of  a  pulpit;  I 
am  sorry  there  are  not  more  lawyers  to  relieve  the  ministers  from  the  necessity  of  ad- 
dressing you  this  evening.  It  is  such  a  luxury  for  ministers  to  keep  still,  it  is  always 
a  pleasure  to  listen  to  others.  I  am  glad  we  have  had  one  lawyer  to  address  us.  I 
am  sorry  to  be  in  the  pulpit  and  to  be  compelled  to  take  up  a  new  subject  so  that  I 
cannot  take  a  text,  and  consequently  cannot  turn  the  barrel  over  for  an  old  sermon  ; 
for  I  was  requested  to  say  something  about  the  Is  dies.  What  shall  I  say?  Most  of 
us  express  the  honest  sentiments  of  our  hearts  in  the  question,  what  could  we  do 
without  them?  Now  and  then  I  hear  a  man  say,  what  can  we  do  with  them'? 
(Laughter.)  But  I  am  satisfied  that  the  first  class  are  largely  in  the  majority  here; 
and  I  am  happy  to  say  a  word  for  them,  and  to  express  here  in  this  public  manner  my 
indebtedness  to  them.  I  believe  no  man  enters  into  this  celebration  with  a  more  joyous 
heart  than  I  do  ;  that  no  man,  even  if  he  be  a  lawyer,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
born  in  Winsted,  has  a  better  right  to  speak  to  you  on  this  occasion  than  I  have  to-day ; 
because  I  don't  think  that  all  of  these  gentlemen  who  were  born  here  in  Winsted  —  I 
don't  think  one  of  them  —  appreciates  the  privileges  he  has  enjoyed  as  I  appreciate  those 
which  have  been  given  to  me.  I  found  my  wife  here.  She  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Winchester  and  borough  of  Winsted.  And,  my  friends,  it  is  a  thing  I  have  never 
told  before,  even  privately ;  but  it  was  in  the  town  of  Winchester,  twenty-three  years 
ago,  that  I,  with  that  tremor  which  some  of  you  have  felt,  I  am  sure,  and  that  sinking 
of  heart,  plead  with  a  Winchester  girl  to  take  pity  upon  me.  (Laughter.)  And  she, 
blushing  sweetly,  herein  the  town  of  Winchester,  with  great  diffidence,  consented  to  share 
the  trials  and  the  joys  of  a  poor  minister's  life.  She  has  been  by  my  side  through 
these  twenty-three  years,  an  unfailing  and  blessed  help-meet,  making  every  day  brighter 
by  her  sunny  presence.  To  her  I  owe  everything ;  all  the  happiness  with  which  my 
life,  for  these  twenty-three  years,  has  been  filled. 

And  I  am  glad  to  say  this  to  you  to-night,  and  to  give  you  this  reason  for  the  joy 
that  fills  my  whole  heart  on  this  glad  occasion,  this  Centennial  Celebration.  Now, 
who  of  you  rejoices  as  I  do  on  this  occasion  ?  There  are  some  of  you  who  have  been 
blessed  as  I  have,  and  can  share  my  joys ;  but  these  men  that  were  simply  born  here, 
they  have  no  right  to  this  platform  to-night,  I  am  very  sure ! 

Now  I  owe  to  the  ladies  what  I  owe  to  Winchester,  and  I  shall  express  my  obligation 
to  them  all.  But  I  hardly  know  where  to  begin  when  I  am  obliged  to  do  this  in  ten 
minutes.  When  boys  have  been  sitting  near  the  clock  while  I  was  speaking,  I  have 
known  them  to  stop  it ;  but  I  know  t..ose  young  ladies  in  the  gallery  this  evening  will 
not  do  it.     There  is  one  contrast  in  their  f:wor. 

When  my  brother  was  giving  the  contrast  between  the  state  of  society  a  hundred 
years  ago  and  now,  he  said  nothing  about  the  ladies,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  if  we 
could  have  a  picture  before  us  of  the  young  lady  of  a  century  ago,  by  the  side  of  a 
young  lady  of  to-day,  we  should  see  what  changes  had  come  over  this  world  of  ours 
more  clearly  than  we  do  see  them  by  the  representations  of  the  material  progress  in 
other  directions,  to  which  our  attention  is  commonly  turned.  Now  that  shows  to  me 
the  changes  wrought  in  a  hundred  years  better  than  the  railroads  and  telegraphs,  and 
all  the  inventions  in  which  we  pride  ourselves. 

I  remember  my  grandmother,  who  was  a  young  lady  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago, 
dressed  in  her  short  gown  and  flannel  petticoat.  (Laughter).  Some  of  you  have' 
seen  such  a  dress.  There  she  was,  at  the  expense  of  a  dollar  and  fifty  cents,  well 
dressed,  with  a  dress  fit  for  all  the  demands  of  her  household  and  her  farm.     What 


572  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

was  her  house-keeping  ?  She  has  told  me  many  a  time  how  she  used  to  put  the  pot 
on  the  fire  in  the  morning,  and  the  logs  were  big  enough  in  the  fire-place  to  keep 
burning  all  the  forenoon,  and  at  this  season  of  the  year  she  used  to  go  out  and  help 
her  husband  in  the  harvest  and  hay  field,  and  when  they  came  in  at  dinner  time  it  was 
all  ready,  all  that  was  wanted  was  to  put  it  on  the  table.  There  was  little  ceremony, 
but  they  ate  as  heartily  and  with  as  much  satisfaction  as  we  eat  to-day.  What  a 
change  !  Dress  up  a  young  lady  now  in  a  short  gown,  not  over  a  yard  and  a-half, 
and  a  flannel  petticoat,  and  put  her  by  the  side  of  the  young  ladies  of  to-day. 
(Laughter.)  Why,  I  could  not  begin  to  mention  the  articles  in  my  ten  minutes  that 
go  to  make  up  a  lady's  dress  of  to-day,  and  then  the  expense  of  it  all !  A  dollar  and 
a  half  ?  What  do  they  charge  for  making  a  dress  ?  I  have  occasion  to  know,  for  my 
wife  asks  me  for  the  money.  Why,  Mrs.  Flint  of  Boston,  you  know,  charged  $1,500 
for  making  a  single  dress!  What  a  contrast!  And  what  a  glorious  change! 
(Laughter.)  As  the  picture  comes  to  my  eye,  see  what  an  advance  has  been  made  in 
our  civilization.  (Great  Laughter.)  Who  would  wish  to  go  back  to  those  days? 
Why,  my  wife,  much  as  I  love  her — to  see  her  dressed  in  a  short  gown  and  a  flannel 
petticoat  —  why,  we  could  not  get  used  to  it,  and  I  could  not  love  her  as  well  as  now. 
What  taste  they  manifest  in  arranging  the  colors ;  what  a  vast  amount  of  material 
they  require;  how  much  time  they  spend  in  shaping  ;  how  improving  to  their  minds; 
what  a  means  of  mental  and  moral  improvement;  how  expanding  to  the  intellect. 
(Laughter.)  Why,  what  taste  there  is  exhibited  in  a  little  bonnet,  little  as  it  is,  so 
small  that  you  can  cover  it  with  the  palm  of  the  hand !  Who  would  wish  to  go 
back? 

Why,  I  rather  have  such  a  young  lady  than  my  grandmother.  (Great  laughter.) 
Who  would  not?  Now,  here  is  an  evidence  of  the  advancement  made  in  the 
last  one  hundred  years.  Don't  talk  about  the  Atlantic  cable,  and  flashing  your 
thoughts  over  the  ocean  or  under  it  in  an  instant,  and  reading  the  news  of  Europe  to- 
day at  your  breakfast  table  to-morrow  morning.  Don't  talk  about  that !  Just  think 
of  your  grandmother ;  there  you  have  the  whole  thing  right  before  you  in  an  instant. 
(Renewed  merriment.) 

Well,  my  friends,  in  another  respect  there  has  been  a  great  change.  My  grand- 
mother used  to  sew,  and  make  my  grandfather's  clothes.  She  took  the  wool  and 
carded  and  spun  it,  and  then  she  wove  it  into  cloth.  And  my  grandfather  was  a  good- 
looking  man,  appeared  admirably,  as  you  might  imagine,  and  dressed  in  his  home- 
spun suit,  every  bit  of  it  made  by  my  grandmother.  Then  my  grandmother  helped 
him  in  the  field,  and  rode  behind  him  on  a  pillion.  The  lady  then  acknowledged  the 
husband  as  the  head  of  the  house ;  his  word  was  law.  But  this  lady  of  the  present 
day  ;  whose  word  is  law  to  her  ?  Now  the  gentleman  has  to  put  his  hat  under  his 
arm  and  stand  as  a  humble  servant.  What  a  wonderful  change,  and  what  an 
improvement!  (Laughter.)  How  much  better  fitted  to  guide  the  world.  Put  a 
young  lady  of  to  day  by  the  side  of  my  grandfather,  splendid  man  as  he  was,  and  how 
much  better  fitted  to  tell  him  what  the  men  ought  to  do  than  my  grandmother  was  ! 

But  I  want  to  say  of  the  grand  old  celebration  up  in  Winchester,  the  thing  that 
delighted  me  as  much  as  any  thing  was  to  find  —  as  the  razor-strop  man  used  to  say  — 
a  few  more  left,  like  my  wife.  There  are  ladies  like  her,  young  gentlemen,  and  I 
hope  you  will  profit  by  my  example.  By  the  way,  speaking  of  the  razor-strop  man 
reminds  me  of  one  way  in  which  I  got  the  better  of  my  wife  ;  about  the  only  time. 
When  we  began  life  we  were  bored  by  having  agents  of  all  sorts  who  wanted  to  come 
and  stop  with  us.  That  was  because  they  found  my  wife  was  a  good  cook,  and  they 
liked  to  come  and  stay  a  good  while,  till  I  got  tired  of  it.  My  temper  is  not  so  sweet 
as  hers,  and  I  cotdd  not  endure  their  crowding  upon  us  as*  well  as  she  did.  There 
was  one  codger  came  at  one  time  and  brought  a  paper  showing  that  he  was  a  member 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  573 

of  the  New  Haven  North  Consociation,  and  said  lie  had  a  claim  on  me.  I  did  not  see 
how  that  was.  It  was  in  the  forenoon  ;  I  was  busy  writing  my  sermon.  He  said,  "  I 
have  nine  children."  I  said,  "You  have?"  and  kept  on  with  my  writing.  I  did  not 
want  to  be  bothered  by  him,  and  let  him  go.  When  he  had  gone  out,  my  wife  thought 
I  was  too  bad,  and  so  I  rushed  to  the  door  and  said,  "  Brother  Butts,  if  you  cannot  find 
any  place  for  dinner,  come  here  to  dinner."  That  was  the  most  cordial  Invitation  I 
gave  him.  He  did  not  come  to  dinner,  but  he  came  to  tea,  and  stayed  over  a  week, 
peddling  books  throughout  Wolcottvillc  One  night  I  went  to  bed  early,  and  he  did 
not  get  in.  The  next  evening  he  asked  me,  "Brother  Seelye,  when  do  you  goto 
bed  ?  "  I  said,  "  When  nobody  is  in."  After  that  he  came  in  every  evening  early. 
(Laughter.)  One  day  a  German  Jew  came  along  peddling,  and  wanted  to  trade. 
"  No,"  I  said,  "  clear  out."  Said  he,  "  Don't  you  want  a  razor  for  twenty-five,  cents  V 
"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  I  do."  All  those  chaps  would  borrow  my  razor,  and  dull  it,  and  it 
struck  me  that  that  was  just  the  thing  I  wanted  for  them.  Next  week  a  brother  came 
along,  amouncing  himself  as  Brother  Simmons.  He  has  gone  now,  I  trust,  to  Heaven, 
though  I  am  anxious  about  him.  (Laughter.)  He  came  to  stay  with  me,  of  course, 
and  my  wife's  influence  was  sufficient  for  that.  Tke  next  morning  while  I  was 
dressing  he  came  down,  with  an  enormous  black  beard,  and  looked  as  though  he  had 
not  shaved  for  a  week.  He  wanted  to  borrow  my  razor.  So  I  let  him  have  the  new 
one  that  had  never  seen  a  hone,  and  I  gave  him  soap  and  a  brush,  and  lie  went  back, 
and  I  was  happy  for  half  an  hour.  At  the  end  of  that  time  Brother  Simmons  came 
down,  with  just  as  much  hair  on  his  face  as  when  he  went  up.  (Laughter.)  Said  he, 
"  I  want  to  ask  one  question.  Did  you  ever  shave  you  with  that  razor "? "  "  No,  sir, 
1  got  it  for  just  such  chaps  as  you."  He  never  came  again,  and  that  is  where  I  got 
the  better  of  my  wife. 

Now  I  come  back  to  my  subject,  the  ladies.  There  was  a  lady  in  my  first  parish 
who  was  of  the  old  school,  for  she  lived  nearly  a  century  ago,  and  she  managed  her 
household,  for  a  wonder,  as  a  premonition  of  what  was  to  be  at  this  time.  I  was 
invited  there  to  tea,  and  when  we  had  seated  ourselves  at  the  table,  I  supposed,  as  her 
minister,  and  the  only  pastor  present,  she  was  going  to  invite  me  to  ask  a  blessing. 
She  said,  "  Mr.  Seelye,  I  would  like  to  ask  you  a  question."  I  looked  up.  Said 
she,  "  I  would  like  to  enquire  whether  you  ask  a  blessing  at  the  beginning,  and  return 
thanks  at  the  close,  or  do  you  do  it  all  up  under  one r!  "  I  said,  "  I  usually  do  it  up 
under  one."     Said  she,  "Then  please  to  do  it."     (Laughter  and  applause.) 


Singing  by  the  Choir. 


Rev.  Samuel  Rockwell,  of  New  Britain,  Connecticut,  was  then 
introduced. 

I  am  requested,  Mr.  President,  to  speak  of  the  pioneers  of  this  town,  and  of  their 
work.  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  speak,  for  the  short  time  allowed  me,  in 
recalling  to  mind  some  of  my  6wn  cotemporaries  of  sixty  years  ago,  as  they  appeared 
to  my  youthful  eyes.  I  would  like,  if  there  were  time,  to  single  out  the  individuals 
and  give  their  characteristics  as  they  presented  themselves  to  me;  to  speak  of  your 
Cocs,  your  Cooks,  Boyds,  Hinsdales,  and  many  other  honored  names,  who  bore  no 
mean  part  in  laying  the  foundations  of  the  social  structure  of  this  now  populous  and 

73 


574  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

thriving  town.  I  would  like  to  pay  my  respects  to  that  honored  lady  and  teacher  who 
taught  our  village  school.  She  kept  a  trundle  bed  in  her  school  room  for  the  benefit 
of  those  little  urchins  who  were  weary  even  with  their  listless  want  of  occupation,  and 
became  drowsy  on  the  warm  summer  days.  It  was  the  great  aspiration  of  many  who 
attended  that  school  to  occupy  a  place  in  the  trundle  bed. 

I  recollect  many  honored  names  of  the  past  generation,  from  the  Old  Society,  as  they 
came  over  the  hills  to  this  then  growing' village.  One  of  this  class  I  recollect,  who 
came  over  one  stormy  winter's  day  when  the  wind  was  whistling  and  the  snow  flying. 
He  remarked  that  when  he  got  to  Winsted,  he  felt  as  if  he  had  got  into  Abraham's 
bosom.  Whether  those  who  now  come  here  from  the  Old  Socitty  feel  precisely  in  that 
way,  I  leave  them  to  determine. 

I  might  recall  the  name  of  the  daring  innovator  upon  the  customs  of  society  and 
the  church,  who,  it  was  feared,  was  far  in  advance  of  the  age,  when  he  advocated  the 
introduction  of  the  bass-viol  into  the  village  choir.  Some  of  you  may  remember  the 
strong  and  bitter  controversy  which  arose  on  that  occasion  in  regard  to  that  innova- 
tion. But  there  were  at  that  period  many  such  scenes  of  scandal  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  They  did  not  proceed  so  far  here  as  in  one  place  of  which  you  may  have 
heard,  where  the  clergyman,  after  exhausting  his  arguments  against  the  introduction 
of  instrumental  music  into  the  choir  in  vain,  determined  to  try  ridicule;  and  in  order 
to  make  the  practice  appear  as  incongruous  as  possible,  as  he  rose  to  read  the  morning 
hymn,  he  said,  with  as  much  gravity  as  he  could  assume,  "  Let  us  fiddle  and  sing  to 
the  praise  of  God  the  1 1 9 1 h  Psalm,  fourth  part,  long  metre."  (Laughter.) 

The  men  of  that  period,  as  I  recall  them,  were  men  of  laborious  toil,  and  they  had 
a  hard  soil  to  cultivate.  It  is  said  that  a  traveler,  passing  through  the  north  part  of 
Winchester,  going  towards  Colcbrook,  in  those  early  days,  meeting  a  person,  inquired, 
"  Can  you  tell  me  where  I  am,  and  where  I  am  going'?  "  "  You  are  in  Winchester, 
and  you  are  going  to  hell,"  w^s  the  reply.  "Well,"  responded  the  traveler,  "I 
thought,  from  the  looks  of  the  country  and  the  inhabitants,  I  could  not  be  very  far 
distant."  (Laughter.) 

I  rejoice,  Mr.  President,  in  such  a  celebration  as  this,  for  various  reasons.  It  brings 
together  a  great  number  of  those  who  have  formerly  been  acquainted,  and  it  recalls 
many  very  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  early  history  of  our  New  England  towns; 
and  it  also  establishes  many  important  facts  of  history  which  will  be  found  of  great 
value  at  some  future  period.  These  facts  of  history,  which  we  now  esteem  of  so  little 
importance,  will  hereafter  be  regarded  as  of  the  greatest  consequence,  as  they  stand 
connected  with  the  progress  and  advancement  of  the  country.  And  for  this  do  I  re- 
joice in  such  celebrations  as  recount  the  virtues  of  the  settlers  of  the  New  England 
towns,  because  they  laid  broad  and  deep  the  foundations  of  public  virtue  in  private 
Christian  lives,  in  the  church  and  in  the  cultivation  of  all  those  graces  which  adorn 
humanity,  which  strengthen  the  cause  of  good  order  among  men,  and  which  prove  to 
be  at  the  very  basis  of  all  civil  government  and  all  true  advancement  in  Society. 

I  find  in  the  organization  of  these  New  England  towns,  based  as  they  are  upon  broad 
and  liberal  Christian  principles,  the  solution  of  one  of  the  most  difficult  and  one  of 
the  most  important  problems  which  now  agitates  the  various  nations  of  the  world,  as 
it  bears  upon  the  true  source  of  political  power,  and  the  most  effective  means  of  pro- 
moting true  social  advancement  and  high  intellectual  culture.  Sir,  these  towns  are 
the  aggregate  of  the  Christian  families.  Stat  >s  and  empires,  where  well  organized, 
are  the  aggregates  of  towns  and  municipal  corporations;  but  these  towns  and  munici- 
pal corporations  are  but  the  aggregate  of  well-ordered  families;  and  I  find  in  these 
New  England  families,  built  up  upon  Christian  principles,  the  very  germs  of  all  our 
social  order  aud  public  virtue,  of  all  that  constitute  the  elements  of  greatness  in  the 
community. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  575 

I  rejoice  in  it  therefore,  and  would  gladly  recall  the  names  and  the  labors  of  those 
men,  who  have  taken  even  the  humblest  part  in  this  great  work  of  laying  the  founda- 
tions of  our  social  structure  thus  broad  and  deep,  so  that  future  generations  may  rise 
and  call  them  blessed. 

It  is  sometimes  charged  against  us  as  a  people,  by  foreigners  and  even  our  own  cit- 
izens who  have  traveled  abroad,  that  we  have  here  no  public  monuments.  We  look 
around  in  vain  for  those  stupendous  columns  of  marble  or  brass  which  are  erected  to 
commemorate  some  splendid  event  in  war.  They  are  not  here.  But  a  year  ago  my 
daily  walk  in  Paris  took  me  under  the  shadow  of  that  majestic  column  in  the  Place 
Vendome,  where,  but  a  few  months  later,  the  brainless  mob  vented  their  spite  and 
hate  against  the  man  whose  image  crowned  its  summit  by  bringing  all  the  resources 
of  their  engineering  art  to  level  it  with  the  dust.  You  may  go  through  Europe  and 
find  everywhere  a  veneration  for  antiquity,  and  in  every  city  some  splendid  monument 
of  the  past,  something  that  has  existed  for  a  thousand  years  or  more.  The  whole 
people  take  a  pride  in  these  noble  monuments.  But  when  foreigners  or  our  own  citi- 
zens tell  us  we  have  no  public  monuments,  I  reply,  we  have  something  better ;  we  have 
founded  and  built  institutions,  which  extend  their  benign  influence  over  all  classes  of 
society,  which  carry  their  blessings  to  every  fireside  and  every  individual,  which  define, 
protect,  and  sacredly  guard  individual  rights  as  the  very  germ  of  all  social  advance- 
ment. It  is  a  glaring  shame  upon  the  men  of  any  nation,  that,  whatever  may  have 
been  the  monument  that  they  so  hated,  they  should  prostrate  it  in  the  dust;  but  it  is 
a  deeper  dishonor  for  any  man  who  exerts  an  influence  in  society  to  scatter  around 
him  a  corrupt  example,  thus  attacking  at  the  very  basis  all  public  virtue,  and  upturn- 
ing from  their  deep  foundations  those  institutions,  so  noble  and  beneficent,  which  our 
fathers  took  such  pains  to  build.  The  men  who  found  institutions  upon  the  Bible  are 
doing  a  nobler  work  than  the  erection  of  monuments  of  brass  or  marble;  and  those 
who  are  living  for  the  future,  who  are  exerting  an  influence  of  purity,  intelligence,  and 
virtue,  worthy  of  that  society  which  shall  reach  to  future  generations,  are  doing  a 
nobler  work  than  those  who  built  Karnac  or  Palmyra.  Then  all  honor  to  the  men 
who  built  their  homes  on  these  hill  tops  and  in  these  valleys ;  who  cultivated  these 
slopes  and  even  subdued  the  ridges  of  the  granite  hills,  to  leave  to  us  this  heritage. 

The  President.  I  have  a  long  list  of*  names  here  of  persons  on 
whom  I  wish  to  call  this  evening,  but  I  fear  if  long  speeches  are  made 
there  will  not  be  time  for  all  to  be  heard.  I  want  now  to  ask  Deacon 
Ira  Hills,  who  is  a  native  of  this  town,  to  let  us  hear  from  him. 

Deacon  Hills  not  being  present,  Hon.  John  Boyd  stated  that  he  had  himself  ex- 
pected to  see  that  gentleman  present ;  but  he  would  say  that  Deacon  Hills  was  proba- 
bly the  oldest  Winchester-born  man  living,  and  would  be  known  to  many  in  the 
audience  as  the  able  correspondent  of  the  Winsted  Herald.  He  is  a  son  of  Deacon 
Seth  Hills,  the  first  deacon  of  Winchester,  who  went  into  the  woods  of  Vernon, 
New  York,  and  cut  down  the  first  trees  in  that  town,  and  was  the  deacon  of  the 
first  church  there ;  and  our  guest,  Deacon  Ira  Hills,  is  now,  or  has  been,  one  of  his 
successors. 

It  is  proper  to  state,  that  I  think  there  were  over  forty  Winchester  families,  who  in 
that  great  exodus  found  their  way  into  that  town,  as  soon  as  they  could  get  through 
the  Dutch  settlements ;  and  they  made  there  one  of  the  best  towns  in  New  York. 
Deacon  Hills  also  wishes  me  to  state  that  he  comes  here  in  behalf  of  himself  and 
townsmen,  but  was  especially  delegated  to  represent  Mrs.  Rehecca  Church,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  the  elder  Samuel  Hurlbut.  I  think  she  is  93  or  95  years  old,  and  wished 
to  be  especially  remembered  on  this  occasion. 


576  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Samuel  Boyd,  Esq.,  of  New  York,  was  next  called  upon,  who  dis- 
slaimed  any  recognition  of  the  right  of  the  President  to  present  his  name 
as  one  of  the  speakers.     He,  however,  proceeded  to  say  : 

I  was  horn  in  this  town,  and  married  my  wife  here,  and  lived  here  until  about  1834. 
I  used  to  be  about  here  considerably  subsequently ;  but  I  am  now  among-  entire  strangers. 
I  do  not  know  you.  Previous  to  1834  I  knew  every  man,  woman,  and  child  within  ten 
miles  of  this  place.  I  have  resided  since  I  went  away  from  here,  nearly  half  the  time, 
in  an  extreme  southern  state,  and  a  part  of  the  time  in  New  York.  I  have  not  come 
back  to  you  a  worse  man  than  when  I  left  you  ;  I  am  a  better  man.  I  do  not  know 
that  I  have  any  vice,  as  it  can  be  called,  about  me.  I  have  no  speech  to  make,  but  I  am 
glad  to  see  you,  my  old  friends  and  young  friends.  It  is,  to  be  sure,  somewhat  morti- 
fying to  come  back  and  find  myself  among  strangers,  where  formerly  I  have  known 
every  man,  woman,  and  child.  About  45  years  ago  I  was  an  ambitious  young  man, 
in  a  store  directly  across  the  street  here.  I  started  the  first  opposition  store  that  was 
built  in  this  town,  and  which  was  the  only  one,  I  believe,  for  many  years.  There  was 
a  Democratic  store  started  some  years  ago  in  opposition  to  the  Federalists.  But  I 
started  the  store  which  I  have  referred  to,  and  afterwards  carried  on  a  large  manufactur- 
ing business.  I  come  back  now  a  comparative  stranger.  I  have  met  a  great  many 
men  in  the  Old  Society,  who  had  gone  out  of  my  mind.  I  have  made  the  acquaintance 
of  thousands  and  thousands  since  I  went  away.  I  have  lived  in  a  southern  city  fifteen 
years,  and  have  seen  hundreds  and  thousands  die ;  have  taken  care  of  the  sick  in  that 
terrible  disease,  the  yellow  fever.  "  I  have  seen  the  elephant ;"  and  am  thankful  that 
I  am  spared,  and  that  my  children,  who  were  most  of  them  born  here,  are  all  doing 
well. 

The  choir  then  sang  the  following : — 

BEAUTIFUL  DAYS. 

CENTENNIAL   ODE,    BY   DR.    W.    J.    WETMORE,    OF   NEW    YOEK. 

Beautiful  days  of  the  past, 

How  your  bright  visions  return  : 
Bringing  back  faces  and  forms 

Long  buried  in  love's  hallowed  urn ; 
Voices  seem  heard  on  the  air, 

Echoes  that  tenderly  sigh  ; 
Oh  !  what  delight  to  recall 

Past  friendships  that  never  can  die. 

Chorus. — Beautiful  days  of  the  past. 

Memory,  sweet  memory,  restore 

Loved  ones  long,  long  ago  fled, 
Who  would  not  see  them  again, 

Our  cherished  and  favorite  dead  ? 
But  they  can  never  return, 

Memory's  bells  mournfully  chime  : 
Years  are  fast  floating  away, 

Down  the  dark  river  of  Time. 

Chorus. — Beautiful  days,  &c. 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  577 

Hark  !  how  the  melodies  float 

Out  from  the  grave  of  the  past ; 
Bringing  back  memories  of  old, — 

Sweet  memories  that  ever  will  last. 
Bound  us  bright  spirits  appear, 

Breathing  their  lessons  of  love ; 
Oh  !  may  we  join  them  at  last, 

To  praise  Thee  in  mansions  above. 
Chorus. — Beautiful  days,  &c. 

Dr.  D.  Williams  Patterson,  of  Newark  Valley,  N.  York,  was  then 
introduced.     He  said, 

My  Friends  : — I  suppose  you  remember  the  fellow,  who,  on  being  asked  to  speak, 
while  pleading  the  suddenness  of  the  call  (though  he  had  privately  had  thi-ee  weeks' 
notice)  and  lamenting  his  consequent  lack  of  preparation,  coolly  drew  from  his  pocket, 
and  began  to  read  his  fully  written  speech.  I  am  here  to-night  to  fill  his  place.  My 
notice  was  ample,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  but  such  were  the  difficulties  for  me  to 
overcome  before  starting  for  this  place,  that  I  had  scarcely  time  to  pack  my  extra 
shirt  before  the  whistle  blew  for  the  starting  train. 

Perhaps  the  only  reason  your  committee  can  give  for  calling  on  me,  is,  that  as  I, 
for  nearly  twenty  years,  took  my  bread  out  of  the  mouths  of  this  community,  I  must, 
of  course,  be  filled  with  good  things,  and  should  be  required  to  open  my  mouth  in  re- 
turn. This  may  all  seem  very  fair,  but  pay  day  is  not  always  pleasant  to  the  debtor ; 
nor,  in  case  of  his  failure,  to  the  creditor. 

Nov/,  as  you  find  me  thus  unprepared,  I  must  put  in  practice  the  parting  injunction 
of  the  Irish  law-professor  to  his  student,  as  he  sent  him  into  the  world  to  begin  his 
practice,  which  was  this  ;  "  when  you  have  nothing  to  say,  say  something  else." 

I  have  for  more  than  ten  years  looked  forward  to  this  celebration,  though  during  the 
last  half  of  the  time  I  have  scarcely  hoped  to  be  present.  Thus  far  my  enjoyment  has 
been  far  beyond  my  brightest  hopes,  but  never  in  my  life  have  I  been  so  forcibly  re- 
minded of  the  constant  procession  of  humanity  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave ;  and 
much  more  forcibly  must  that  be  felt  by  many  of  you,  whose  knowledge  of  this  place 
covers,  not  like  mine,  only  a  quarter  of  the  century  whose  lapse  we  now  commemo- 
rate ;  but  a  much  larger  part,  running  from  fifty  to  ninety  years  of  the  time ;  and 
how  short  ore  the  centuries  made  to  seem  when  we  meet  and  take  by  the  hand  our 
venerable  friends,  Deacon  Ira  Hills,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Rev.  Frederick  Marsh  ; 
the  first  a  native,  the  other  a  resident,  of  the  "  Old  Society,"  whose  lives  have  covered 
more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  time  occupied  by  the  history  of  this  town. 

If  life  endures  so  well  among  the  natives  and  residents  of  that  part  of  the  town, 
the  oft  repeated  threat  of  our  old  friend,  Luke  C.  Coe,  that  he  would  "  get  set  off  to 
the  Old  Society,"  might  well  be  put  in  practice  by  some  of  us  who  desire  a  long  life, 
though  the  chances  still  seem  good  in  Winsted,  for  I  have  to-day  seen  my  old  friend, 
uncle  Peter  Tatro,  now  eighty-eight  years  old,  showing  his  age  scarcely  more  than  at 
sixty. 

Of  those  whom  I  have  known  in  active  life,  many  are  no  longer  to  be  seen.  Among 
them  I  recall  the  names  of  the  venerable  Deacon  James  H.  Alvord,  whom  all  remem- 
ber with  affection  and  respect ;  my  excellent  neighbor,  Deacon  Elliot  Beardsley ;  and 
the  Rev  James  Beach,  whose  long  and  consistent  ministry,  in  the  First  Church  in 
Winsted,  did  so  much  to  develope  and  make  permanent  the  religious  faith  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  venerable  James  Boyd,  one  of  the  pioneer  scythe-makers  of  the  place, 
whose  large  heart,  good  will  and  loving  kindness  to  his  fellow  men,  would  never  let 
him  accept  the  whole  creed  taught  by  the  parish  minister. 


578  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

The  Rev.  Daniel  Ooc,  who  in  his  earnest  zeal  in  the  temperance  cause,  allowed  him- 
self to  be  outwitted  by  mine  host  Fyler,  formerly  of  the  old  tavern  here,  whom  he  per- 
suaded to  promise  that  he  would  sell  no  more  rum ;  which  promise  did  not  prevent  the 
sale  of  other  liquors  as  abundantly  as  before ;  Fyler  using  the  word  rum  in  its  specific 
sense,  while  our  reverend  friend  used  it  in  the  generic.  His  son  Nelson  D.  Coe,  and 
others  of  the  name ;  good  old  Uncle  Jonathan  Coe  ;  Samuel  Ward  Coe,  the  merchant ; 
and  Norris  Coe,  who  for  so  many  years  carried  the  mail  between  Winsted  and  the 
"  Old  Society,"  scarcely  ever  losing  a  trip,  till  tripped  by  death,  who  seemed  to  care 
nothing  for  the  penalty  threatened  by  "  Uncle  Sam."  for  stopping  the  mail ;  and  I 
think  death  has  never  been  arrested  for  the  offence,  though  he  is  yet  lying  in  wait 
for  Coe's  successor  on  the  route. 

Nathan  Champion,  who  long  acted  as  the  oldest  mason  here,  bearing  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures in  their  processions. 

Lucius  Clarke,  whose  dream  of  cementing  in  common  brotherhood  the  rival  parts 
of  the  town,  "  East  Street "  and  "  West  Street,"  by  building  between  them  a  village 
so  large  as  to  swallow  them  both,  and  blot  out  the  famous  "  Creek  Bridge,"  may  yet  be 
realized  by  his  successors. 

The  forcible  and  energetic  Gideon  Hall,  who,  to  use  his  own  words,  long  "  lived  on 
borrowed  time ; "  and  his  son  of  the  same  name,  who,  with  less  than  his  father's  force  of 
character,  and  more  than  his  polish,  rested  his  weary  frame  on  the  bench  of  the  Su- 
perior Court  of  Connecticut. 

Lieutenant  Governor  William  S.  Holabird,  whose  pious  zeal  did  so  much  to  fix 
St.  James'  Church  in  its  present  location. 

The  brothers,  Samuel  and  Lemuel  Hurlbut,  the  successful  merchants  and  stock- 
breeders of  the  "  Old  Society,"  who,  by  their  enterprise,  did  so  much  to  improve  the 
cattle  of  their  town  and  state,  and  build  up  their  own  fortunes. 

The  genial  Colonel  Hosea  Hinsdale  ;  Rufus  Holmes  ;  and  James  Humphrey,  whose 
honest  independence  everybody  liked. 

William  H.  Phelps,  the  successful  founder  of  the  Hurlbut  Bank. 

William  S.  Phillips,  the  merchant,  whose  excellent  qualities  made  all  who  knew 
him  wish  his  life  far  longer,  and  his  fortune  great. 

Lucius  Skinner,  whose  violent  and  untimely  death,  met  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty, 
every  one  deplores. 

William  Sanford,  the  popular  landlord  of  the  old  hotel. 

Captain  Wheelock  Thayer,  the  successful  manufacturer  and  earnest  free-soiler;  and 
his  son-in-law  and  successor,  Scth  L  Wilder,  who  offered,  one  bright  first-of-April,  to 
take  several  of  his  friends  in  partnership  in  a  new  manufacturing  enterprise,  which, 
after  a  somewhat  elaborate  consideration,  proved  to  be  for  the  production  of  gigantic 
bull-frogs  in  India-rubber,  and  forever  silenced  the  jokes,  which  he  for  years  had  borne, 
over  the  mammoth  frog  of  Columbia  County. 

The  brothers  John  and  Thomas  Westlake,  whose  social  qualities  none  have 
forgotten. 

Charles  B.  Weed,  who  did  so  much  to  mend  your  ways  ;  and  last,  but  not  the  least, 
my  excellent  and  lamented  friend,  Erastds  Stekling  Woodford,  whose  sterling 
qualities  of  heart  and  brain  endeared  him  more  and  more,  not  only  to  those  who  knew 
and  loved  him  well,  but  to  the  public  generally,  and  whose  place,  I  know,  the  people 
have  never  had  harder  work  to  fill,  than  during  the  preparation  and  execution  of  the 
plan  of  this  centennial  commemorative  feast. 

But  the  world  is  full  of  compensations ;  and  while  we  drop  a  tear  to  the  memory 
of  tho  e  who  are  gone,  we  rejoice  at  the  evidence  of  the  continued  prosperity  of  the 
town  under  their  successors.  I  rejoice  in  your  graded  school,  which  has  grown  up, 
mainly  since  I  left  here,  the  present  standing  of  which  I  believe  to  be  largely  due 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  579 

to  the  energy  of  our  friend  William  G.  Coe,  who,  when  chosen  school  committee  in 
1864,  allowed  himself  to  be  convinced  that,  although  the  districts  had  twice  voted 
not  to  have  a  graded  school,  he  yet  had  power  to  establish  one,  and,  acting  on  that 
conviction,  did  so  at  once,  and  put  it  in  successful  operation.  I  feel  proud  of  your 
waterworks,  and  possibly  not  the  less,  for  having  penned  in  1853,  a  little  paragraph 
for  George  B.  Cook's  Winsted  Advertiser,  the  first  paper  printed  in  town ;  which,  so 
far  as  I  know,  was  the  first  aiticle  ever  printed  in  favor  of  the  project. 

And  now,  while  I  must  candidly  admit  that  in  my  theological  examination  a  year 
ago  I  failed  to  get  a  license,  and  so  have  no  right  to  preach  to  you,  yet  I  must  beg 
leave,  in  behalf  of  those  who,  like  myself,  have  left  the  good  old  town,  to  offer  a  word 
of  exhortation  to  you  who  yet  remain,  to  guard  well  its  reputation  in  all  respects. 

We,  by  our  removal,  have  not  lost  our  pride  in  that  good  name,  but  our  ability  to 
keep  it  up  is  greatly  lessened.  Remember  that  the  past  history  of  the  town  is  not 
alone  to  be  considered ;  its  future  history  is  to  be  made,  and  we  charge  you  to  see 
that  it  be  so  made  that  neither  you  nor  we  shall  feel  shame  for  it. 

Let  your  churches,  while  they  maintain  the  best  reputation  for  sound  doctrine, 
practice  the  largest  toleration,  that  the  greatest  number  may  be  brought  within  their 
influence.  Let  your  schools  deserve  the  name  of  keeping  the  best  and  most  accom- 
plished teachers,  and  of  sending  out  the  most  ripe  and  liberal  scholars.  Let  your 
merchants  maintain  their  reputation  for  honest,  fair,  and  liberal  dealing;  let  your 
manufacturers  keep  up  and  improve  the  good  name  of  their  productions;  let  your 
scythes  have  the  stiffest  backs,  the  brightest  blades,  and  the  keenest  edges;  your  pins, 
the  firmest  shafts,  the  smoothest  heads,  and  the  sharpest  points  ;  let  your  railways  be 
the  safest,  surest,  and  most  successful,  and  your  telegraphs  the  most  reliable  that 
ever  distanced  lightning. 

Two  of  my  children  were  born  here,  and  the  third  first  saw  the  light  in  another 
state,  and  I  earnestly  hope  that  he  may  never  have  a  chance  to  cast  upon  his  elder 
brother  and  sister  the  reproach  of  an  unworthy  birthplace. 

The  choir  then  sang  the  old  hymn,  "The  New  Jerusalem;"  "  From 
the  third  heaven,  where  God  resides,"  &c. 

During  an  earlier  period  in  the  evening,  his  Excellency  the  Governor, 
Marshall  Jewell,  had  come  in,  and  been  received  with  applause. 
At  this  point  the  president  took  the  liberty  to  call  on  him  for  an  address. 
He  said : — 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen — I  think  if  any  body  can  plead  im- 
munity from  speaking  here  to-night,  I  certainly  ought  to  be  permitted  to  do  so;  for, 
sir,  when  I  was  invited,  two  or  three  days  since,  to  come  here  on  this  occasion,  and 
it  was  intimated  that  I  might  be  called  upon  to  "stand  and  deliver,"  I  did  not  sup- 
pose the  demand  would  be  made  to-night.  I  perfectly  well  recollect  that  on  one 
occasion,  when  President  Lincoln  was  situated  somewhat  as  I  am,  he  expecting  to  be 
called  on  to  address  some  soldiers  on  the  following  day,  was  visited  the  evening  before 
by  a  number  of  them,  who  wanted  a  speech.  Said  he,  "Boys,  how  do  you  suppose 
1  can  speak  to  you  to  morrow  if  you  draw  it  all  out  of  me  to-night1?  " 

I  am  not  a  native  of  Winsted.  From  some  things  I  have  heard  here  to-night  I 
could  wish  I  were ;  hut  it  is  a  very  difficult  feat,  I  know,  for  the  boys  to  catch  up  with 
the  fathers.  I  used  to  hear,  in  my  boyhood  days,  of  the  prominent  men  of  this 
section,  and  I  thought  that  John  Boyd,  and  the  old  brass-mounted  abolitionists  about 
here,  and  Methusaleh  were  among  the  oldest  men  known  ;  but  when  I  come  out  here 
now  I  seem  to  be  almost  as  old  as  John  Boyd. 


580  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

I  know  there  are  many  here  who  wish  to  speak  to-night,  and  I  will  not  occupy  your 
time.  I  want  just  to  say,  in  the  name  of  the  state  and  of  New  England,  and  of  all 
that  is  valuable,  that  it  is  just  such  occasions  as  this  that  make  the  community. 
This  New  England  has  no  second  in  the  elements  of  national  strength,  and  when  we 
come  together  on  an  occasion  like  this,  and  see  what  the  past  generations  have  done, 
we  see  what  wc  ought  to  do  ;  we  take  the  best  position  we  can  in  a  republic,  like  ours, 
and  learn  to  drop  the  bad  examples  of  the  past,  and  go  on  to  make  the  future  better. 
And  if  Winchester  can  do  any  better  in  the  future  than  she  has  done,  I  hope  I  may  be 
Governor  of  Connecticut  a  hundred  years  hence,  and  meet  her  boys  here  to  celebrate 
the  next  centennial.     (Applause.) 

Dr.  Patterson,  in  his  seat,  responding — It  is  pretty  early  to 
electioneer  for  that,  Governor. 

The  next  speaker  was  Rev.  C.  H.  A.  Bulkley,  of  Malone,  New 
York,  a  former  pastor  of  the  2d  Congregational  Church,  whose  name,  as 
announced  by  the  president,  was  greeted  with  applause.     He  said : — 

As  I  came  up  these  steps  the  chairman  said  to  me,  "  You  can  have  the  pulpit."  I 
think  if  any  one  can  claim  this  privilege  it  should  be  myself,  because  when  this  church 
was  erected  the  only  two  privileges  that  I  asked  of  the  architect  were,  that  I  might 
have  the  direction  of  the  ventilation  of  the  church,  and  the  construction  of  the  pulpit. 
And  my  idea  was  to  make  it  as  much  of  a  platform  as  of  a  pulpit. 

I  am  not  a  native  of  Winchester.  I  was  born  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  a  fire 
eater,  and  all  the  good  sense  I  have,  if  I  have  any,  comes  from  my  paternal  ancestor, 
who  was  from  the  State  of  Connecticut.  Bat  to-night  I  find  myself  a  sort  of  patriarch, 
as  the  founder  of  this  West  Winsted  Church,  and  it  is  of  this  church  that  I  can  speak 
better,  perhaps,  than  any  one  else  not  a  resident  here.  I  found  that  to-day  every 
thing  said  with  respect  to  the  past  was  of  the  most  agreeable  kind,  and  every  thing 
unpleasant  was  left  entirely  out  of  view.  So,  in  my  reminiscences  of  the  past  history 
of  this  church  I  shall  leave  out  every  thing  that  might  be  unpleasant  to  you  or  me  in 
the  recollection. 

I  remember  very  well  when  I  was  asked  to  come  up  here  to  Winsted.  I  was  met 
in  the  city  of  New  York  by  my  good  brother  N.  H.  Eggleston,  who  said  he  had  got 
into  a  dilemma,  having  a  call  to  West  Winsted,  and  another  to  Chicago,  and  he  did 
not  wish  to  come  here  and  have  the  people  become  interested  in  him,  as  he  preferred 
to  go  to  Chicago.  So  he  asked  me  to  come  here  and  take  his  place,  as  he  had  agreed 
to  come  and  preach  on  the  next  Sabbath.  I  came  here  late  Saturday,  and  I  was 
directed  to  the  house  of  my  good  friend,  George  Dudley,  where  I  introduced  myself 
and  told  him  I  was  not  Mr.  Eggleston.  You  know  how  he  has  a  way  of  shrugging 
up  his  shoulders.  He  washed  his  hands  in  invisible  water,  and  rather  hesitating  said, 
it  had  been  advertised  that  Rev.  Mr.  Eggleston  was  to  preach.  I  told  him  I  would  go 
ou  and  preach,  and  he  need  not  say  any  thing  more  than  that  the  minister  had  come, 
until  it  was  all  over,  and  then  he  could  tell  the  people  that  the  minister  was  not  Mr. 
Eggleston.  I  must  confess  that  coming  from  New  York,  where  the  soil  was  so  fertile 
and  the  fields  so  beautiful,  I  felt  a  little  shrinking  at  the  idea  of  coming  to  settle  here. 
I  remember,  when  coming  in  the  stage  coach,  of  meeting  my  good  brother,  Dr. 
Eldridge,  and  he  related  the  story  then  new  to  me,  of  a  man  who  when  riding  some- 
where in  this  vicinity  inquired  where  they  found  the  stones  for  the  stone  walls  that 
were  so  plenty,  and  on  being  assured  that  they  were  taken  from  the  adjoining  fields 
expressed  his  doubts,  as  he  could  not  perceive  that  any  were  missing  from  the  fields. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  581 

The  question  was  asked  by  a  friend  whether  I  would  accept  a  call  to  this  church, 
which  was  not  then  a  church,  not  having  been  formed.  I  replied  that  I  thought  I 
could  not,  for  I  did  not  think  the  people  could  give  the  salary  I  thought  I  ought  to  have. 
"  Why,  how  much  do  you  suppose  they  will  offer  1"  I  said  I  thought  that  they  would 
probably  offer  about  $600;  and  I  said  I  thought  I  could  not  stay  for  less  than  $1,000. 
A  few  days  after  a  committee  called  on  me  to  be  the  prospective  pastor  of  the  church  at 
a  salary  of  $1,000.  I  was,  therefore,  in  a  measure  committed  ;  but  I  accepted  the  call, 
at  $1,000,  provided  they  would  build  me  a  church  within  a  year.  They  gave  a  kind 
of  provisional  pledge,  and  after  some  little  time  I  accepted  the  call,  and  came  here  just 
after  there  had  been  one  of  those  damaging  freshets  in  Mad  River,  and  the  roads  were 
washed  away  and  gullied  out,  and  everything  looked  desolate  and  forlorn.  I  must 
confess  my  heart  sank  within  me ;  and  my  family  especially  thought  they  had  come  to 
a  pretty  dreary  sort  of  country. 

But  it  did  not  prove  so  in  the  end ;  for  the  blessing  of  God  came,  and  the  spirit  of 
God  was  outpoured,  and  there  were  some  pleasant  conversions;  and  when,  about  that 
time,  I  met  with  an  accident,  my  good  friend  Mr.  Winslow  came  to  my  assistance. 
But  the  great  work  done  was  in  the  revival  of  1857-58.  I  remember  very  well  that 
little  school-house  that  stood  on  the  promontory  near  the  mill-pond.  There  was  my 
study,  in  that  little  school-house;  and  the  Methodist  minister  came  to  me  and  said, 
"  The  Lord  is  with  us,  and  we  want  you  to  come  and  help  us."  I  had  been  brought 
up  under  influences  that  made  me  think  but  little  of  the  Methodists  —  I  am  ashamed 
to  say  —  and  I  gave  him  the  cold  shoulder.  But  I  finally  went,  and  I  saw  that  the 
Spirit  of  God  was  at  work,  and  young  men  were  bowing  at  the  altar.  This  church 
was  not  then  built,  and  we  were  worshiping  in  the  hall.  We  had  no  place  where  we 
could  meet  except  in  private  rooms ;  and  so  we  co-operated  there  at  the  Methodist 
church.  The  result  was,  to  draw  these  two  denominations  more  closely  together. 
This  church  was  organized,  I  think,  in  the  Spring  of  1854;  and  the  number  that 
joined  with  us  by  profession  of  faith  or  by  letter,  was  fifty-eight.  I  think  there  were 
one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  names  on  the  roll  of  this  church  when  I  left. 

I  recollect  a  number  of  ladies  got  up  an  "old  folks'  kitchen,"  and  they  had  a  dance. 
Just  think  of  it ;  that  the  Congregational  church  should  have  done  such  a  thing ! 
There  was  a  man  came  in  with  bag-pipes,  with  legs  exceedingly  thin,  that  looked  like 
pipe  stems ;  and  some  lady  of  middle  age  got  up  and  began  to  dance  with  him,  but 
not  very  well.  And  old  Mrs.  Thayer,  who  had  been  on  her  bed  for  five  weeks  with 
rheumatism,  had  been  taken  out  to  see  the  old  folks'  kitchen ;  and  when  she  saw  that 
the  lady  did  not  dance  very  well,  Mrs.  Thayer  was  quite  indignant,  and  she  took  her 
dress  in  her  hand  and  danced  most  vigorously  with  the  gentleman ;  and  they  had  a 
real  old-fashioned  jig.  The  next  Sunday  the  old  gentleman  came  into  church,  and  I 
saw  his  legs  just  as  I  saw  them  while  he  was  dancing  the  jig ;  and  I  had  to  put  my  face 
in  my  hands  and  laugh ;  I  was  afraid  I  should  laugh  out  in  meeting. 

The  catechism  class  was  a  pleasant  feature  of  my  work.  I  used  to  catechise  the 
children,  and  have  an  annual  exhibition,  and  I  was  astonished  at  the  close  of  the 
second  exhibition  by  a  presentation  of  a  gold-headed  cane  by  a  young  lady. 

It  was  my  great  privilege  to  stand  here,  after  this  church  was  built,  as  the  first  min- 
ister who  ever  entered  this  pulpit.  In  the  providence  of  God,  I  have  been  permitted 
to  labor  elsewhere ;  but  have  come  back  with  a  heart  that  is  warm  and  full  of  Christian 
feeling  towards  all  here.  When  here  a  few  weeks  ago,  collecting  some  material  for 
my  poem,  I  was  asked  by  a  gentleman  if  I  found  anything  to  awaken  poetry  here,  and 
I  replied,  "  Oh,  yes,  the  faces  of  my  friends  do  that."  My  heart  has  been  most  ten- 
derly affected  since  I  have  been  here  now,  as  it  was  during  that  visit.  I  then  had  a 
deep  sense  of  God's  goodness;  and  it  came  through  the  manifestations  of  affection  by 

74 


582  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

this  people  towards  me.  And  so,  I  have  felt  that  to-night  the  words  that  I  should 
speak  must  be  with  gratitude  to  God  and  thankfulness  to  these  friends  who  have  ever 
shown  to  me  so  much  sympathy  and  love.  (Applause.) 

The  choir  then  sang,  to  the  tune  Mear,  the  hymn,  "  Let  children  hear 
the  mighty  deeds,"  &c. 

The  President  then  said:  Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  we  are  very 
much  obliged  to  you  for  your  patient  attention  this  evening.  We  have 
detained  you  longer  than  our  usual  wont.  We  have  a  hard  day's  work 
before  us  to-morrow,  and  we  will  now  close. 

The  Benediction  was  pronounced  by  Rev.  Henry  B.  Blake,  and  the 
meeting  adjourned  till  to-morrow  morning. 


WINSTED,  THURSDAY  MORNING,  AUG.  17th,  1871. 

This  morning  the  town  wore  a  festive  appearance.  The  streets  were 
thronged  with  thousands  of  people,  and  flags  were  flung  to  the  breeze  on 
every  hand.  There  were  many  happy  reunions.  People  who  had  not 
met  for  years  greeted  each  other  joyfully,  and  happiness  beamed  on  every 
countenance.  The  oldest  living  native  of  Winchester,  Deacon  Ira  Hills 
of  Vernon,  New  York,  was  present,  hale  and  hearty,  at  the  age  of  88 
years.  And  there  were  hundreds  of  the  old  residents  from  all  over  the 
country.  The  doors  of  the  citizens  were  thrown  hospitably  open,  and 
never  was  a  more  happy  family  gathered  than  that  of  old  "  Mother  Win- 
chester" to-day. 

The  procession  formed  at  half-past  8,  a.  m.,  in  front  of  Rockwell's 
Tannery,  in  the  following  order : 

Marshal— Col.  Wheelock  T.  Batcheller. 

Aids — Col.  Jeffrey  Skinner  and  Porter  S.  Burrall. 

Gilbert  Cornet  Band. 

St.  Andrew's  Lodge,  No.  64,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Historian,  Poet,  His  Excellency  the  Governor,  and  other  speakers. 

Warden  and  Burgesses  of  the  Borough  of  Winsted. 

Union  Hose  Co.,  No.  1. 

When  the  procession  moved  down  Main  street,  it  was  joined  at  the 

Clark  House,  by 

Palmer  Post  G.  A.  R. 

Monitor  Lodge  I.  0.  G.  T. 

Bushnell  Cornet  Band  of  New  Hartford. 

Deluge  Hose  Co.  No.  2. 

At  Oak  street,  by 

St.  Patrick's  Benevolent  Society. 
St.  Francis'  T.  A.  B.  Society. 


►  Vice  Presidents. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  583 

And  at  Park  Place,  by 

Niagara  Hose  Co.  No.  3. 
Cascade  Hose  Co.  No.  4. 
Citizens  on  horseback. 
Citizens  on  foot. 
And  marched  around  the  Park,  thence  up  Main    to  Meadow,  down 
Meadow  to  Monroe,  through  Monroe  to  Main,  down  Main  to  the  front  of 
the  Methodi>t  Church,  where  there  was  a  stand  erected,  and  thousands 
of  people  were  assembled,  the  sheltering  trees  affording  a  sufficient  can- 
opy to  protect  them  from  the  August  sun.     An  arch  over  the  street  bore 
the    motto,  "  Winchester  welcomes  her  children."      The  welcome  was 
cordial  indeed. 

The  officers  of  the  day  were — 

William  G.  Coe,  President. 
Reuben  Cook, 
Jehiel  Coe, 

Rev.  Frederick  Marsh, 
Beebe  B.  Rockwell, 
George  Dudley, 
Oliver  White, 

The  President  having  called  the  vast  assembly  to  order,  delivered  in 
an  eloquent  manner  the  following 

ADDRESS  OF  WELCOME. 

The  first  duty  assigned  me,  is  to  greet  you,  Sons  and  Daughters  of  Winchester, 
with  cordial  welcome.  It  is  painful  t  >  he  ahle  to  command  only  common-place  and 
stereotyped  words  to  express  the  kindly  emotions  which  your  presence  awakens.  Be 
assured,  however,  that  the  occupants  of  the  old  homestead  are  joyous  and  happy  over 
the  return  of  the  absent  ones,  and  bid  you  all  a  sincere  and  heartfelt  welcome. 

Time,  here  as  elsewhere,  supplemented  by  no  little  enterprise  and  public  spirit,  has 
wrought  its  changes,  and  many  of  you  will  find  few  landmarks  to  lead  you  back  to 
scenes  fast  fading  and  soon  to  be  past  recall.  Here  and  there  you  will  meet  some  of 
the  older  children  of  the  family,  now  aged  and  venerable,  but  without  exception  hon- 
ored and  esteemed,  who  may  prompt  and  refresh  your  memories. 

Our  rugged  old  hill-sides,  now  perhaps  more  stern  and  forbidding  than  when  you 
clambered  over  them,  will  to  some  of  you  be  convincing  witnesses  of  the  wisdom 
which  led  you  hence. 

An  occasional  old  homestead,  dwarfed  in  its  proportions  from  childhood's  estimate, 
and  much  less  cheery  and  inviting,  may  still  be  found. 

The  old  red  school-house,  dreary  and  uncomfortable,  is  replaced  by  one  of  ampler 
proportions  and  luxurious  appointments.  And  of  the  old  church,  naught  but  its 
stately  pulpit,  in  the  barn-yard  museum  of  our  venerable  townsman,  Jesse  Williams, 
exists. 

Our  forests  have  disappeared  at  the  beck  of  the  manufacturer,  and  our  waters  are 
utilized  and  controlled  by  the  same  power. 


584  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

To  view  these  changes,  to  re-visit  old  scenes,  renew  old  friendships,  to  collate  and 
preserve  the  early  history  of  Winchester,  to  recall  the  memories  and  deeds  of  its 
settlers,  to  quicken  our  appreciation  of  their  virtues,  to  join  in  social  pleasures,  to 
gather  up  and  re-unite  the  hrokcn  threads  of  friendship  and  consanguinity,  to  link 
the  past  of  the  old  township  to  the  present,  we  have  hid  yon  meet  us  to-day.  And 
when  these  public  exercises  shall  have  closed,  a  fraternal  greeting  will  await  you  at 
our  homes  and  firesides. 

Rev.  Asahel  C.  Eggleston,  of  Hartford,  was  then  introduced  to 
conduct  the  devotional  exercises,  remarking  to  the  audience,  that  it  was 
an  old-time  custom  to  open  all  exercises  of  our  congregations  with  prayer, 
the  audience  rising.     Let  us  rise  and  give  God  thanks. 


PRAYER. 

Oh,  our  God,  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  generations. 
From  everlasting  to  everlasting  Thou  art  God.  A  thousand  years  in  Thy 
sight  are  but  as  yesterday  when  it  is  past.  We  humble  ourselves  this  day 
beneath  Thine  exalted  hand  as  we  are  gathered  here  on  this  centennial 
occasion.  Thou  art  the  living  God;  Thou  wast  our  father's  God ;  Thou  art 
our  God.  This  day  do  we  acknowledge  Thee.  This  day  would  we  praise 
and  laud  and  magnify  Thy  holy  name.  We  bless  Thee  for  Thy  mercies 
shown  towards  our  fathers  ;  we  thank  Thee  for  the  history  of  the  past ;  we 
thank  Thee  that  Thou  leddest  them  through  the  great  sea,  and  that  Thou 
didst  establish  them  in  this  land,  driving  out  the  inhabitants  thereof  before 
them,  and  making  their  enemies  to  be  at  peace  with  them,  and  giving 
them  prosperity  until  a  little  one  has  become  a  great  nation.  We  bless 
Thee  for  the  holy  memories  that  come  to  us  this  day.  We  thank  Thee 
for  the  goodly  heritage  of  our  fathers ;  we  bless  Thee  for  the  grace  given 
to  them,  as  manifested  by  their  humble  faith  and  trust  in  Thy  Holy  Word, 
for  their  keeping  of  Thy  Sabbath,  for  their  regard  for  Thy  worship,  for 
their  faithful  lives  of  righteousness,  equity,  justice,  and  judgment. 

Blessed  be  Thy  name,  oh  God,  for  this  heritage,  which  lias  thus  come 
down  to  us ;  and  we  bless  Thy  name  for  the  excellent  institutions  of  our 
country  which  have  come  to  us  from  our  fathers,  and  which  make  our 
land  the  desire  of  all  the  earth.  We  humble  ourselves  before  Thee,  for 
we  fear  we  have  not  loved  Thee  as  did  our  fathers.  We  have  not  always 
exhibited  the  same  integrity;  we  have  not  so  honored  Thy  Sabbaths,  we 
fear ;  we  have  not  so  regarded  Thy  worship  and  Thy  holy  altars. 

We  thank  Thee,  oh  Lord  our  God,  for  Thy  mercies  towards  us  ;  pardon 
us  now  as  we  humble  ourselves  before  Thee,  seeking  that  pardon  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.  Let  Thy  blessing,  O  Lord,  be  upon  us 
in  all. these  centennial  exercises;  and  grant  unto  us  Thy  grace;  for  well 
we  know  that,  although  we  rejoice  in  the  blessings  of  the  past,  and  indulge 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  585 

bright  hopes  of  the  future,  these  hopes  will  not  end  in  fruition  unless  the 
blessing  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon  us.  And  we  pray  for  Thy  blessing 
upon  this  whole  community  and  all  our  citizens.  May  we  all  learn  to 
lov.e  righteousness,  to  love  Thy  holy  law,  to  keep  Thy  Sabbaths,  that  in 
all  things  we  may  regard  Thee  and  follow  Thy  commands. 

Bless  all  the  citizens  in  this  community  in  all  their  industrial  pursuits, 
in  all  business  arrangements,  in  all  commercial  enterprises.  Let  them 
enjoy  length  of  days,  with  a  goodly  heritage,  and  with  freedom  from  great 
and  unusual  calamities,  as  individuals ;  let  Thy  grace  turn  all  our  hearts 
from  sin  and  lead  us  to  righteousness  and  unfeigned  faith  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

Again  we  thank  Thee  for  this  occasion,  for  this  bright  and  beautiful 
day,  for  the  joyful  remembrances  of  the  past  and  the  brighter  hopes  of 
the  future,  while  we  invoke  Thy  continued  blessings  upon  us  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

The  President. — The  only  person  living  who  can  write  the  history 
of  Winchester  is  John  Boyd.  For  his  unwearied  research  and  effort  in 
this  direction,  it  is  proper  that  every  native  of  Winchester  should  pay 
him  the  debt  of  gratitude  they  owe.  It  is  my  pleasure  to  present  him  to 
you  to-day  as  our  historian. 

Hon.  John  Boyd. — Mr.  President,  I  disclaim  the  merits  attributed  to 
me,  and  beg  leave  to  say  that  neither  power  of  voice  nor  my  physical 
condition  will  enable  me  to  make  myself  heard,  even  by  the  smallest  part 
of  this  audience,  and  I  therefore  ask  the  privilege  of  appearing  before  you 
this  day  by  proxy.  I  have  therefore  requested  my  friend,  Mr.  Forbes, 
to  read  my  address,  assisted  by  Mr.  Hubbard.  I  ask  attention  to  the 
reading  of  the  first  part  by  Mr.  Forbes. 

Rev.  S.  B.  Forbes. — Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  It  is  proper  that  I 
should  say,  in  behalf  of  the  writer  of  this  address,  that  if  it  seems  broken, 
it  is  because  its  great  length  forbids  that  only  fragments  should  be  read 
to-day. 

Mr.  Forbes  then  commenced  the  reading  of  the  portion  of  the  address 
assigned  for  the  day,  and  Mr.  Stephen  A.  Hubbard,  of  the  Hartford 
Courant,  read  the  concluding  portion. 

The  address,  which  occupied  an  hour  and  a  quarter  in  reading,  is  not 
here  printed,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  a  digest  of  the  author's  history 
of  the  town,  and  would  involve  a  repetition  of  what  is  herewith  published 
as  the  main  part  of  this  book. 

After  a  chorus  by  a  choir  selected  for  the  day,  the  exercises  of  the  fore- 
noon were  closed,  and  an  hour  was  spent  in  partaking  of  an  excellent  col- 
lation, and  in  more  direct  personal  and  social  interviews  and  greetings 
among  old  friends,  who  had  not,  in  some  cases,  met  for  years.  It  was  a 
happy  hour. 


586  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


AFTERNOON  EXERCISES. 

After  the  audience  was  called  to  order  again  by  the  President,  and  after 
music  by  the  baud,  the  Poet  of  the  occasion,  Rev.  C.  H.  A.  Bulkley,  of 
Malone,  N.  Y.,  was  introduced,  who  remarked  that  he  was  largely  in- 
debted to  the  historical  notes  of  Hon.  John  Boyd  for  the  material  of  his 
poem;  and  proceeded  to  deliver,  in  a  clear  voice  and  with  much  energy 
of  manner,  the  following 

POEM. 

A    RHTME    OF    WINCHESTER. 

Why  all  this  crowd  and  pinch  and  stir 

In  our  old  town  of  Winchester? 

Why  speech  and  song  and  heart-true  chime 

Here,  in  the  hot  mid-summer  time  1 

Why  ripple  laughs  and  shouts,  like  rills, 

Amid  these  rock-ribbed  Litchfield  hills  ? 

Why  come  these  sons  and  daughters  far 

From  homes  of  peace  or  fields  of  war, 

From  prairies  or  Pacific  slopes, 

With  planter's  gains  or  miner's  hopes, 

From  Southern  plains  or  Northern  mounts  ? 

From  commerce  marts  or  wisdom  founts? 

With  grasping  hand  and  greeting  word, 

Why  are  their  hearts  so  deeply  stirred, 

Their  eyes  so  tearful,  yet  so  bright, 

Their  lips  so  trembling  at  the  sight 

Of  once  smooth  checks  by  Time's  hand  wrinkled, 

And  brows  with  locks  of  silver  sprinkled? 

To-day,  swift  steeds  of  memory  travel  back 
A  hundred  miles  of  fruitful  years, 
Faster  than  steam  car  on  the  iron  track, 
To  bring  the  thoughts,  the  hopes,  the  fears, 
The  joys  and  griefs  that  heap  the  piers 
Of  that  far  time,  the  precious  freight 
Of  livts  long  passed  beyond  death's  gate, 
That  now  on  our  remembrance  wait. 

A  hundred  years  !  battalion  strong 
Of  veterans,  on  our  hearts  they  throng, 
Marshaled  in  ancient,  homespun  uniform, 
After  the  end  of  life's  hard  strife  and  storm, 
To  tell  of  toils,  of  victories  and  defeats, 
A  century  through ;  when  either  war's  fierce  heats 
Or  arts  of  rugged  peace  dropped  grain  or  grime 
From  off  the  changing  pendulum  of  time. 
What  changes,  in  those  years  of  five  score  span, 
Have  marked  the  face  of  nature  and  of  man  ! 
Here,  the  rude  region,  ere  their  steps  began, 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  587 

Lay  a  huge  giant,  with  his  granite  arms 
Clad  in  the  verdure  of  the  forest's  charms, 
The  pine  and  hemlock,  chestnut,  oak  and  beech, 
'Mid  which  the  Indian  waked  the  panther's  screech, 
Chased  frighted  deer,  the  wildcat  and  the  bear, 
With  their  warm  fur  to  fight  the  frosty  air. 
No  meadows  rich,  no  uplands  smooth  and  fair, 
No  prairies  wide  gave  grain  with  little  care; 
The  rocks,  where  sheep  could  but  bill  noses  ply, 
Said  to  the  emigrant,  "  Root,  hog,  or  die !  " 

Bold,  sturdy  men  and  women  were  they, 
Who  felt  that  life  was  no  time  for  play, 

When  they  braved  this  rocky  region, 
They  delved  'mid  dangers  without  dismay, 
They  sweetly  slept  on  brush  or  hay, 

Though  their  troubles  counted  legion ; 
They  lived  on  mush  from  Indian  maize, 
And  scared  off  wolves  with  hemlock  blazo, 
And  kept  hearts  strong  with  godly  praise, 

Sustained  by  their  religion. 

In  homespun  style  they  cured  their  pork, 

And  ate  it  without  silver  fork  ; 

They  shaved  their  shingles,  split  their  laths, 

Cut  timber  from  their  forest  paths, 

Built  their  rude  kilns,  made  their  own  lime, 

And  raised  their  log  house  in  due  time. 

Their  wives,  because  sometimes  so  fat, 

Were  their  own  cheese-press,  when  they  sat ; 

Their  children  were  well-spanked  and  rocked, 

Their  boys  well-breeched,  their  girls  well  frocked 

From  wool,  all  carded,  spun  and  wove 

By  their  own  hands  with  hearts  of  love. 

They  talked  not  then  of  "  women's  rights," 
Erom  pulpit-desks  or  platform-heights ; 
They  were  more  proud  to  make  a  coat 
Or  pair  of  pants  than  shave  a  note; 
To  overcast,  than  cast  a  vote ; 
Their  candles,  soap,  and  flaxen  cloth, 
Their  woolen  garments,  kept  from  moth, 
They  deemed  more  worthy  man's  true  praise, 
Than  soft  soap  speech  or  flaxing  phrase ; 
They  never  dreamed  of  "free  love"  things, 
Nor  thought  to  break  their  marriage  strings, 
But  loved  their  husbands  and  obeyed 
God's  law,  in  giving  birth  to  aid 
The  nation  by  a  sturdy  race, 
Not  having  learned  the  modern  grace 
To  shirk  the  mother's  care  and  cheat 
The  nurse  and  doctor  of  their  meat. 


588  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

They  were  a  race  prolific ;  many  a  Cook, 
Who  boiled  his  beans  beside  the  babbling  brook ; 
A  Handee,  handy  at  the  hoe  or  plough, 
A  Steele,  who  dared  not  steal  his  neighbor's  cow, 
A  Burr,  who  stuck  to  labor,  friends,  and  life, 
A  Hart,  who  bore  all  heart- felt  cares  and  strife; 
A  Rogers,  who  could  use,  not  make  a  knife, 
A  Batcheller,  who  yet  could  boast  a  wife; 
A  Holmes,  who  had  no  homes  that  he  could  spare, 
A  Barnes,  whose  barns  were  yet  upraised  in  air; 
And  there  were  Bulls  that  never  lifted  horn ; 
Their  babes,  no  calves,  save  when  of  cows,  were  born ; 
And  Rockwells,  cool  as  wells  within  a  rock ; 
Masons,  who  built  no  brick  and  mortar  block, 
Cases,  that  doctored  many  a  sickly  case, 
Parsons,  who  never  preached  with  godly  grace ; 
Shepherds,  whose  flocks  were  not  all  sheep  of  price, 
Smiths,  who  at  no  anvil  wrought,  or  vise ; 
Arnolds,  who  turned  not  traitors  to  the  land, 
Potters,  who  worked  no  clay  with  wheel  and  band ; 
Hinsdales,  who  in  dales  or  on  rocks  could  roam, 
Hills,  who  on  hill-tops  found  a  fitting  home; 
Wakefields,  all  wakeful  on  the  field  of  death, 
Clarkes  ne'er  responsive  to  a  prelate's  breath ; 
Mills  that  went  not  by  water  or  by  steam ; 
And  Holabirds  who  gave  no  hollow  scream. 

Time  fails  for  all  the  names  to  come  to  light, 

Of  Wrights  who  were  not  always  in  the  right ; 

Doolittles,  busy  every  shining  hour, 

Or  Sweets,  sometimes  a  very  little  sour; 

How  many  to  our  day,  not  least,  but  last, 

Have  through  the  changing  generations  passed; 

The  Beardsleys,  Alvords,  Gilberts,  Phelps,  and  Camps, 

Who,  history  says,  were  neither  saints  nor  scamps, 

But  men,  who  o'er  life's  way  in  toilsome  tramps, 

Like  us,  felt  Heaven's  warm  rays  or  earth's  chill  damps ; 

Welches,  hereditary  doctors,  who 

Though  quick  to  physic,  slowly  come  to  you, 

Whose  doses  on  their  patients'  stomachs  sit 

Not  quite  so  pleasing  as  a  "  Welsh  rarebit." 

Oh!  that  I  could  each  Coe  and  Boyd  and  Hall 

Out  of  their  resting  places  loudly  call, 

And  bid  them  stand,  a  "goodlie  companie," 

In  all  their  primal  power  and  purity ; 

How  then  to  them  most  reverently  we'd  bow, 

Those  spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect  now, 

Those  sires  whose  sons  are  here  together  met, 

Their  virtues  to  recall,  their  faults  forget. 

Why  were  they  brave  and  strong? 
What  made  them  true  and  pure  ? 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  589 

How  dared  they  thus  the  throng 
Of  life's  hard  ills  endure  ? 

Lo !  there  the  answer  see  ! 

Where  by  the  village-green, 
The  School  and  Church  agree 

To  shed  on  them  Truth's  sheen. 

There  stands  the  meeting-house  with  low  steeped  roof, 

From  which  no  sceptic  soul  dare  keep  aloof; 

Upon  the  hill-side,  like  a  beacon-light, 

It  rises  sacredly  in  human  sight, 

Built  on  great  chestnut  logs  instead  of  stones, 

With  rough  plank  seats  that  pain  the  nether  bones ; 

The  gallery,  reached  by  ladder,  opes  its  floor, 

Through  whose  great  gap  the  Parson's  thunders  pour  ; 

No  paint,  or  plaster,  ceiling,  organ-loft, 

No  carpet,  curtain,  cushion,  rich  and  soft, 

Tempts  the  stern  sense  of  zealous  Puritan  ; 

No  heating  stove  kindles  his  angry  ban ; 

His  zeal  is  all-sufficient  fire  to  warm 

His  body  and  his  soul  from  wintry  storm, 

He  needs  no  carnal  coals  to  melt  the  form 

Of  sin  or  snow  while  hell-fire  fears  up-swarm. 

Sound  doctrines  furnish  fuel,  always  strong ; 

His  orthodoxy  bars  out  ill  and  wrong ; 

Only  the  weakly  women,  more  in  sin, 

There  footstoves  bring  and  lay  beneath  the  shin, 

To  warm  the  inner  heart  and  outer  skin. — 

But  in  due  time,  as  cash  increases, 
From  all  their  harvests  and  their  fleeces, 
Another  meeting-house  arises, 
Bringing  to  all  some  dreadful  crises. 
They  meet,  they  talk ; — alas  !  what  fightings, 
What  bitter  words,  what  sad  backbitings, 
What  rousings  of  their  saintly  mettle, 
What  pullings  here  and  there  to  settle 
The  question  grand  of  Church-erection ; 
Almost  to  schism  and  defection, 
Those  sires,  so  orthodox,  are  hitching* 
Where  they  the  church-stake  sh'd  be  pitching ; 
Now  here  'tis  down,  now  there  uptaken, 
To-day,  their  spirits  calm  are  shaken, 
Now  stubborn,  silent,  now  discussing, 
Now  praying  and  now  almost '  cussin ' 
Over  the  stake  that  keeps  on  walking 
From  point  to  point  while  they  keep  talking. 
A  martyr-stake  well  nigh  becoming 
Amid  such  strife,  so  soul-benumbing. 
At  last, — in  some  more  happy  hour, 
The  stake  is  fixed,  by  sovereign  power. 

75 


590  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Then  in  the  forests  ply  the  axes, 
Then  from  the  pockets  pours  the  taxes, 
Then  lotteries  with  their  funds  are  streaming, 
And  workmen  in  their  sweat  are  steaming. 
The  structure  grandly  grows  and  towers, 
'Mid  hopes  of  future  gracious  showers. — 
Within  are  high-hacked  pews  to  keep 
The  worshipers  from  sinful  sleep. 
The  pulpit,  on  a  pillar  placed, 
Eight-square  and  ten  feet  tall,  is  braced 
By  cork-screw  stair-ways  on  each  side ; 
While  high  o'er  all,  in  sacred  pride, 
With  threatening  look,  the  sounding  board, 
Hangs  stern,  like  Damoclesian  sword, 
Filling  the  sinner  oft  with  dread 
Of  holy  Justice,  on  his  head, 
Though  wicked  urchins  sometimes  prate 
Of  hopes  'twould  crush  the  parson's  pate  J 
Above,  the  gallery,  ox-bowed,  bends, 
Whence  nasal  strains  the  singer  sends, 
When,  deaconed  out  by  drawling  tongue, 
The  hymn  in  old  fugue  tune  is  sung, 
The  key-note  sounded,  clear  and  good, 
By  Leader  from  pitch-pipe  of  wood. — 

'Tis  Sabbath-time ;  begun  last  eve, 
When  happy  boys  were  made  to  giieve 
That  Saturday  was  o'er,  and  shades 
Crept  up  the  hill-sides.     Swiftly  fades 
The  play-time  light ;  five  stars  are  out ; 
Now  all  must  leave  the  bat  and  bout, 
Shoes  must  be  blacked  and  laid  in  row, 
Washings  be  made  from  head  to  toe, 
Clothes  brushed  and  hairy  knots  combed  out, 
To  save  the  nails  of  scratching  lout. 

Now  dawns  the  sacred  day ;  the  sire 
And  matron,  filled  with  holy  fire, 
Gather  their  tribe  at  morning  prayer, 
Bid  them  nor  lie  nor  steal  nor  swear, 
Their  psalm  and  catechism  hear ; — 
For  meeting  now  they  all  prepare, 
In  ox-cart  or  on  foot  repair, 
While  "Pa"  and  "Ma,"  upon  the  mare, 
On  saddle  and  on  pillion  ride, 
As  erst  they  did  when  groom  and  bride, 
Each  one,  to  meet  his  waking  need, 
Bearing  a  bunch  of  fennel-seed. — 

The  meeting  house  is  filled  with  sober  faces, 
The  older  taking  all  the  forward  places, 
The  younger,  in  the  back  or  gallery  sitting, 
Kept  by  the  tithing  man  from  talk  and  spitting. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  591 

Oh  !  what  a  terror  he,  whose  hand  is  itching 
To  give  some  urchin  wild  a  birch  rod  switching, 
Who  well  deserves  the  keenest  kind  of  whacking, 
For  cracking  nuts,  and  other  sorts  of  cracking. 

The  Parson  conies  !  the  church-yard  throng 
Opens  for  him  to  pass  along ; 
Loud  whispers  sound — "Hats  off,  ye  boys, 
Girls,  '  show  your  manners,  stop  your  noise.'  " 
They  bow  and  curtesy  low  to  him, 
Great  bugbear  to  each  Satan's  limb. 
A  wide,  shad-bellied  coat  he  wears, 
His  head,  a  broad  brimmed  cocked-hat  bears, 
'Neath  which  a  white  wig  flows  full  down, 
As  if  a  sheep's  back  were  his  crown ; 
His  small  clothes,  like  his  coat,  are  brown 
From  butternut,  like  good-wife's  gown  ; 
With  silver  buckles,  striped  hose, 
And  top-boots  to  contain  his  toes, 
He  mounts  the  pulpit,  like  a  pope, 
Inspires  with  dread,  yet  talks  of  hope, 
Prays  as  if  God  were  far  away, 
Yet  calls  him  father  of  our  clay. 
Doctrines  as  sound  and  hard  as  rock, 
He  hurls  with  logic  on  his  flock, 
Who,  by  the  hour-glass  patient  sit, 
With  nods  approve  the  heaviest  hit, 
And  smile,  as  they  the  meeting  quit, 
That  sinners  were  sent  to  the  pit, 
And  saints  but  scarcely  saved  from  it. 

Yet  justice  bids  that  I  should  say, 

Not  thus  they  all  did  preach  and  pray 

Though  each  his  faults  and  graces  had, 

Who,  like  us  all,  mixed  good  and  bad. 

There  were  Woodworth  and  Kinney  and  wordful  Knapp, 

Whose  sermons  came  forth  with  an  eloquent  snap, 

That  gave  his  dull  hearers  a  wakening  rap ; 

There  was  Booge,  tall  and  handsome  and  straight  as  a  pillar, 

And  Bassett,  full  sound,  though  in  love  with  the  "siller," 

And  Beach  the  true  father  whose  children  find  Camps 

That  honor  his  graces  and  gather  the  stamps, 

And  he  whom  we  welcome  to-day,  Parson  Marsh, 

Ever  true,  ever  good,  oft  severe,  but  ne'er  harsh, 

And  Pettibone,  not  of  a  petty  bone  frame, 

With  back  bone  enough  for  a  martyr's  name, 

Who  cared  not  for  tongues  and  feared  not  the  flame 

Of  hate,  for  the  love  of  the  good  Pastor's  fame. 

I  might  be  personal  to  speak  of  others 
Who  were  my  compeers  and  dear  brothers, 
So  let  us  back  again  to  those  old  days, 


592  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

And  learn  still  more  their  quaintly  ways. 
The  meeting  done,  the  crowd  outpours, 
They  stand  in  knots,  by  tens  and  scores, 
Or  gather  in  the  Sabbath -house, 
To  eat  their  lunch,  but  ne'er  carouse, 
Talking  their  politics  and  doctrines  o'er, 
Counting  their  crops  and  live  stock  store, 
Amid  discussions  oft  irate, 
Of  foredoom,  faith,  free-will,  and  fate. 

The  second  session  o'er,  they  go 
As  came  they  there,  thoughtful  and  slow, 
Homeward  to  finish  Sabbath-work, 
To  dine  on  cold  baked  beans  and  pork, 
Till  sundown  comes,  when  Sabbath  ends, 
And  boys  are  glad,  and  thought  unbends; 
When  spruced  up  lover  quickly  wends 
His  way  to  her  with  whom  he  spends, 
Till  midnight  hour,  the  sparking  time, 
In  talk  that  tells  the  heart's  true  chime. 
Oh  !  days  of  primal,  purest  love  ! 
When,  simple  as  the  mated  dove, 
Uncursed  by  Fashion's  foolish  ways, 
Young  hearts  rejoiced,  in  homely  phrase 
To  speak  of  marriage  without  shame; 
Sought  not  for  gold,  or  style,  or  fame, 
And  gladly  heard  their  coupled  name, 
Published  from  pulpit,  when  'twas  said, 
On  such  a  day  they  would  be  wed. 

Oh !  happy  time,  when  cakes  and  beer, 
And  "  apple-sass,"  made  nuptial  cheer, 
When  earthen  ware  and  pewter  spoons, 
And  frying  pans  sang  home's  sweet  tunes, 
When  wash-tubs  were  a  woman's  shrines, 
Her  pride  the  clean  clothes  on  the  lines, 
Her  sheets  and  bed-quilts,  near  a  score, 
On  closet-shelves  kept  well  in  store ! 

Alas  !  the  lover  now  must  bring 
The  maid's  left  hand  a  diamond  ring, 
And  weddings,  secret  long  as  may, 
Must  show  their  gold  and  silver  tray 
Full  of  rich  gifts  from  "  Ball  and  Black  ; " 
When  groom  and  bride  must  take  the  track, 
And  ride  to  Canada  and  back, 
Ere  settling  down,  nor  ever  lack 
The  coach  and  team  with  hoofs  so  quick, 
And  liveried  driver  dressed  so  slick, 
And  house  of  browns  tone  or  of  brick, 
Unless  they  wish  it  said  aloud 
That  they  are  of  the  common  crowd. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  593 

In  those  days  scarce  was  silver  in  their  tills, 
Worthless  were  all  their  Continental  bills, 
Their  specie  was  in  rye  and  corn  and  lard, 
In  pork  and  beans ;  the  parson's  pay  came  hard 
In  tallow,  suet,  beef  and  wool  and  flax, 
From  every  househould  brought  by  stated  tax, 
For  which  he  must  well  flax  his  flock  for  sin, 
And  they  iu  turn  might  flax  his  heart  within. 

It  was  a  question  though,  as  to  the  whether, 
His  or  the  school-master's  were  toughest  leather ; 
Who,  hapless  wretch,  for  dull  and  heart-sore  teaching, 
Was  boarded  round  by  folks  sometimes  o'erreaching, 
Was  hounded  much  by  urchins  full  of  evil, 
Whose  nether  ends  seemed  hung  upon  a  swivel. 

Poor  little  devils  !  Ah  !  'tis  not  much  wonder 
They  could  not  sit  still  at  his  voice  of  thunder; 
Since  such  hard  seats,  such  air  to  lungs  defiling, 
Such  winsome  girls  before  them  sweetly  smiling, 
Made  them,  in  spite  of  all  their  wills,  so  frisky, 
E'en  though  to  stir  they  knew  was  dreadful  risky ; 
For,  Oh !  those  nine-tails  made  of  knotted  leather, 
Would  then  come  down  upon  their  tender  nether ! 
Relieved  from  study,  how  upon  the  green, 
Barefooted,  hatless,  rushing  are  they  seen, 
Playing  at  leap-frog,  base-ball,  snap-the-whip, 
The  girls  at  mulberry  bush  and  hop  and  skip. 

Oh !  days  of  that  far  childhood,  who'd  not  give, 
The  wealth  of  Ind,  in  such  a  time  to  live, 
When  bliss  it  was  to  roll  in  new-mown  hay, 
When  butter-cups  were  gems  of  purest  ray, 
When  daisies  drove  away  the  darkest  gloom, 
And  sweetest  perfume  breathed  from  clover-bloom ; 
What  joy  was  theirs  when  training  day  came  round, 
When  fife  and  drum  made  stirring  martial  sound ; 
The  village  green  from  fences  then  was  cleared, 
Full  tables  in  the  orchard  near  appeared, 
And  ladies,  in  their  lute-strings  lovely  stood, 
To  serve  the  "  sojers  "  with  their  cakes  so  good ; 
The  "  Kurnel "  on  his  prancing  charger  came, 
With  ostrich-plume  borrowed  from  stylish  dame, 
His  coat  of  blue  all  decked  with  golden  lace, 
And  big  brass  buttons  shining  like  his  face ; 
His  cocked  hat  nodding  o'er  his  sword  and  sash, 
As  thro'  the  hollow-square  he  made  a  dash, 
'Mid  veterans  who  could  give  the  war  salute, 
Play  Indian  with  his  whoop,  and  shoot 
The  bow  or  musket,  with  an  equal  skill, 
To  face  the  foe,  but  no  one  ever  kill. 
What  sham-fights  then  were  seen  when  guns  went  off, 


594  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

And  swords  were  flashed  with  tongues,  as  if  in  scoff, 
'  And  sweat  ran  freety  in  the  stead  of  blood ; 

When  cider  flowed  for  thirst,  in  yellow  flood, 
And  old  metheglin  toddy  made  a  muddle 
Amid  the  ranks,  because  some  brains  'twould  fuddle. 

As  grand  a  time  they  had  when  came 
"The glorious  Fourth"  with  Freedom's  name, 
When  Captain  Bunnell's  big  train-band 
Their  four-pound  field-piece  drew  by  hand, 
At  dawn,  at  noon,  at  evening  fired, 
Till  patriot  hearts  were  full  inspired. 

The  grand  procession,  with  each  guest, 
Foet  and  Orator  to  do  his  best, 
With  President,  and  all  the  rest, 
Moves  to  the  meeting-house ;  each  head, 
Uncovered,  bows  when  prayers  are  said ; 
Hearts  gladden  at  each  patriot-word, 
And  when  the  old  fugue  tunes  are  heard. 

The  feast  of  fat  things  comes  thereafter, 
With  ready  speech  and  ringing  laughter, 
While  rich  baked  meats,  without  sharp  mustard, 
With  Indian  puddings,  pies  of  custard, 
Are  eat  with  eager  gusto  greater 
Than  ever  comes  with  luxuries  later; 
All  which  proceedings,  histories  warrant, 
Were  printed  in  the  Hartford  Courant. 

Those  voices,  ending  with  the  sun, 
Were  echoed  by  that  ancient  gun, 
Which,  since  the  century's  evolution, 
In  French  war  or  the  Revolution, 
From  Cobble  Hill  has  poured  its  thunder; 
The  dread  of  girls,  of  boys  the  wonder, 
The  foe  of  many  an  ancient  maiden, 
Who  by  its  tones  with  nerves  were  laden, 
And  hid  it  in  their  little  garden, 
Where  found,  it  came  forth  as  the  warden 
Of  Freedom  'gainst  all  Federal  brewing, 
Lest  they  should  pull  her  pole  to  ruin. 
That  ancient  gun  !  how  oft  'twas  crammed, 
With  powder  to  its  muzzle  rammed, 
When  Democrats  or  Whigs  were  found 
To  give  "  darned  "  Radicals  the  fits, 
And  scare  their  abolition-wits. 

Why  burst  it  not  to  atoms  then, 
When  crammed  and  rammed  by  hateful  men  ? 
Oh !  'twas  the  nation's  type  of  life, 
Which  no  foul  play  or  venom-strife, 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  595 

No  fullest  charge  of  ill  could  break  ; 
Its  heaviest  thunder  could  but  wake 
The  love  of  freedom  till  it  rolls 
In  fullest  tones  o'er  patriot-souls. 

For,  in  the  century's  early  time 

They  heard  her  call  to  blood  and  grime, 

And  deemed  it  but  a  duty-chime; 

They  answered  her  at  Lexington, 

They  were  of  troops  who  victory  won 

At  Saratoga,  o'er  Burgoyne, 

Who  fought  forking  and  British  coin, 

Whose  troops,  defeated,  o'er  these  ways 

Were  marched  by  men  we  love  to  praise. 

Since  then,  heroic  souls,  like  tliem  were  found, 

When  sadly  came  the  South's  rebellion  sound, 

They  poured  from  Winchester  with  shout  and  song ; 

A  brave  battalion,  full  three  hundred  strong; 

By  Skinner  led,  by  Eddy  prayed  for  well, 

Sworn  ne'er  to  hear  their  country's  funeral  knell ; 

They  fought,  they  bled,  alas,  too  many  fell; — 

Freedom's  true  sons,  they  rest  where  then  they  died  ; 

Or  in  yon  grave-yard,  honored,  side  by  side  ; 

Sad  memory  weeps  for  them ;  sweet  flowers  we  strew, 

To  thank  them  for  our  joys,  they  never  knew ; 

Their  names  are  sacred ;  in  our  heart's  deep  place 

We  walk  with  them  in  friendship  face  to  face. 

Lo  !  Arnold  comes,  soon  as  the  nation  calls, 

No  traitor, — he,  at  Cedar  Mountain,  falls. 

Brown,  who  to  meet  his  comrade's  thirsting  quest 

Receives  the  rebel  bullet  in  his  breast, 

A  Christian  soldier,  glad  for  life's  war  done, 

If  dying  he  may  see  the  victory  won ; 

Bellows,  who  perished  at  the  Hampton  fight, 

Baldwin,  who,  e'er  struck  down,  could  calmly  write, 

"  Soon,  at  Cold  Harbor,  into  strife  we  go, 

If  shot,  't  will  be  with  faces  to  the  foe  !"* 

That  son  of  Afric,  Dolphin,  shows  the  fire 

Most  worthy  of  his  Revolution-sire  ; 

Hosford  at  Cedar  Creek ; — at  Sharpsburg  too, 

Cogswell  and  Dayton  perish,  brave  and  true ; 

Downs,  Ferris,  Gibbs,  and  Green; — the  list  they  swell, 

With  Palmer,  Commins,  Daniels,  all  who  fell 

Upon  the  field.    Not  less  heroic  they 

Who  sadly  pined  in  hospital  away; 

Benton  and  Barber,  and  a  score  beside, 

The  gentle  Surgeon  Welch,  who  early  died. 

We  honor  them,  proud  of  their  hero-fame, 

We  gladly  speak  each  soldier's  worthy  name ; 


*  Written,  in  substance,  to  his  mother,  on  the  day  before  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor. 


596  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Not  less  we  honor  those  who  live  to-day, 
Here  with  us  met,  or  from  us  far  away. 
Ye  sons  of  Freedom,  hearts  of  patriot-power, 
We  greet  you  here,  we  crown  you  in  this  hour ; 
We  give  yon  thanks  for  toils  and  wounds  endured, 
By  which  the  nation's  weal  was  well  secured  ; 
With  ancient  worthies  we  your  names  unite, 
And  on  the  scroll  of  fame  your  record  write. 

Like  them,  with  souls  that  feared  no  terror-shape, 

You  met  the  rebels'  sword,  and  gun,  and  grape ; 

You  flung  fair  Freedom's  red-barred  banner  out, 

Starred  from  the  sky  amid  the  angel's  shout, 

And  to  our  sons,  an  heir-loom  rich  and  grand, 

Gave  it  to  wave  it  o'er  a  ransomed  land 

Alas !  that  men,  along  the  Southern  sand, 

A  reckless  crew,  a  wild,  rebellious  band, 

Should  thus  have  striven,  by  Slavery's  brazen  hand, 

Basely  to  unwind  Liberty's  strong  strand, 

And  rend  in  twain  her  banner  and  her  land ! 

From  mountain  top,  and  citadel,  and  fort, 

From  village-belfry,  and  from  ocean-port, 

They  tore  it  down  with  passion's  wildest  gust, 

And  trailed  its  tattered  fragments  in  the  dust. 

But,  roused  to  wrath,  you,  sons  of  Northern  sires, 
Marshaled  your  hosts  and  built  your  battle-fires, 
Trampled  on  traitors  in  their  march  of  power, 
Made  ranks  of  hate  before  your  courage  cower, 
And  smote  the  hands  that  forged  the  bondman's  chain, 
Till  Freedom's  songs,  as  erst,  were  sung  again, 
And  every  link  of  wrong,  o'er  hell's  dark  brink, 
Was  hurled  forever  in  its  depths  to  sink, 
While  up  and  high  that  blazing  banner  went, 
Blood-stained,  yet  beautiful,  though  bullet-rent, 
To  win  new  star-beams  from  the  azure  sky, 
And  drink  fresh  hues  from  Freedom's  sun-dipped  dye. 

Float  on  forever !  Oh  thou  flag  of  God ! 

O'er  paths  these  hero-feet  have  Itoldly  trod, 

O'er  homes  where  martyr-souls  have  bled  and  wept, 

While  for  the  dead  their  vigils  long  were  kept, 

O'er  graves  that  cluster  countless  on  the  fields 

Where  to  the  brave,  love  all  her  homage  yields. 

Float  on  forever,  in  thy  might  and  pride, 
The  glory-shroud  for  those  who  'neath  thee  died, 
The  flag  to  which  the  living  all  things  gave, 
To  make  thy  stripes. — 0  banner  of  the  brave, 
The  flush  and  fairness  of  perpetual  youth, 
Thy  stars  all  blended  in  one  Star  of  Truth. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  597 

Grim  war,  gray  Time,  and  Art's  deft  hand, 

Have  stamped  deep  changes  on  the  land ; 

Mansions  of  elegance  and  mark, 

Stand  where  was  raised  the  roof  of  bark  ; 

Churches  of  cost  lift  lofty  spires, 

And  breathe  with  warmth  from  furnace  fires, 

Where  meeting-houses,  rude  and  old, 

Through  gaping  cracks  let  in  the  cold ; 

The  organ's  deep  tones  sound  the  stave 

Where  pitch-pipes  erst  the  key-note  gave ; 

The  cushioned  seats  invite  to  sleep, 

The  parson  makes  few  sinners  weep  ; 

In  varnished  carriages  these  ride 

To  church  and  back  again  in  pride, 

Decked  with  fine  silks  and  broadcloth  rich, 

Made  by  the  strong  machine's  swift  stitch ; 

A  thousand  spindles,  in  great  rooms, 

Weave  fabrics  fine  from  scores  of  looms ;  — 

The  blacksmith's  shop,  which  every  boy 

Peeped  into  with  a  wondering  joy, 

To  mills  and  foundries  huge  gives  place, 

And  factories  line  the  lengthened  race, 

Where  chisels,  scythes,  and  knives  outpour 

To  cut  and  carve  the  wide  world  o'er, 

Where  ploughs  and  clocks  come  forth  from  grime, 

To  till  the  soil  and  tell  the  time. 

Poor  lunatics  for  board  and  bed, 
Once  auctioned  off  so  much  a  head, 
Are  cared  for  in  asylum  halls ; 
The  whipping  post  no  more  appals ; 
The  only  "  Stocks  "  that  now  hold  men 
Are  issued  from  some  Wall-street  den ; 
State  prisons  stand  with  walls  of  stone, 
To  make  the  lawless  fear  and  groan ; 
Turnpikes  are  turned  to  railroad  tracks, 
That  tear  our  front  yards  into  racks ; 
In  cars  and  not  on  horses'  backs, 
Men  mostly  ride,  and  women  find 
No  fun  on  pillions  placed  behind, 
But  rather  run  the  risk  of  smash, 
Than  fail  to  make  the  swiftest  dash, 
And  fond  of  blowing  up  their  own, 
Oft  find  themselves  by  steam  upblown. 

The  Doctor,  in  those  days  of  old, 
On  Narragansett  steed  behold ! 
His  leathern  saddle-bags  he  fills 
With  plasters,  powders,  and  with  pills, 
All  made  in  doses  big  enough 
A  corps  of  cavalry  to  stuff, 
His  stirrups  short  bring  up  his  knees 


76 


598  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

j 

At  angles  with  his  saddle  trees, 
And  thus  he  rides,  by  night  and  day, 
To  kill  or  cure,  and  get  his  pay 
In  cheese  or  pumpkins,  corn  or  hay. 

The  modern  Doctor  in  his  gig, 
With  team  and  harness,  best  of  rig, 
Dispenses  finer,  smaller  pills, 
And  sends  in  oft  the  biggest  bills, 
To  be  all  paid  in  good  greenbacks, 
Unless  we  choose  the  cheaper  quacks. 

The  Lawyer,  politic  or  proud, 
Still  oracle  to  all  the  crowd, 
Looks  out  with  hawk-eye  for  his  prey, 
To  get  from  clients  richer  pay  ; 
E'en  parsons  preach  and  pray  full  well, 
When  salaries  fat  their  pockets  swell, 
And  worshipers  in  peace  are  bent, 
If  they  for  cash  get  twelve  per  cent ! 

The  old  economy  of  life 
When,  as  'twas  said,  to  kiss  his  wife 
On  Sabbath-day  a  man  was  fined, 
Is  somewhat  changed ;  men  now  scarce  mind 
Week  days  to  kiss  their  wives  enough ; 
But  more  delight  in  other  stuff, 
And  oftener  kiss  some  lawless  lips, 
Or  make  a  few  frail  "  free-love"  slips  ; 
Wives  get  divorce,  through  lawyers  bold, 
From  husbands  who  refuse  them  gold, 
Fortunes  are  made  b  •  hook  or  crook, 
Seldom  by  rules  of  Heaven's  own  Book  ; 
And  Sabbaths  are  not  strictly  kept, 
As  when,  if  e'er  we  played  or  slept, 
Into  hay-mows  or  nut-trees  crept, 
We  felt  the  rod  and  sorely  wept; 
When,  as  'tis  said,  barrels  were  whipt 
For  working  beer  in  cellar  crypt, 
Whipt  now  that  they  may  work  the  more, 
And  fuller  make  the  beer  outpour. 

The  Parson  comes,  no  demi  god  of  fright, 
With  name  to  silence  children  in  the  night ; 
He  questions  not  with  catechism  dread 
To  pound  sound  doctrine  in  the  urchin's  head ; 
His  frown  gives  not  the  sinner  Sinai-quakes, 
His  hand  the  sword  of  justice  seldom  shakes ; 
With  white  cravat  and  ivory  headed  cane, 
He  moves  no  more,  of  youthful  joys  the  bane, 
Less  pope  and  ruler;  more  the  equal  friend, 
He  teaches  how  those  joys  with  Heaven's  to  blend, 
And  thither  pleasantly  our  footsteps  bend. 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  599 

Not  yet  forgot  are  old  "  Thanksgiving-days," 
Though  spent  with  more  of  guzzling  than  of  praise; 
The  sermon  finds  its  hearers,  few  and  dull, 
But  turkeys  lack  no  eaters  to  the  full ; 
Our  children's  stomachs,  like  those  of  our  sires, 
Need  to  be  greased  and  stretched  at  kitchen  fires ; 
And  night-mares  horrible  disturb  our  rest, 
With  giant  chicken-pies  upon  our  breast, 
Oysters  and  lobsters  ope  their  shelly  jaws, 
Snapping  at  us  for  breaking  Nature's  laws. 

But  conscience  makes  things  equal  now  we  think, 
For  gin-slings,  toddies,  and  each  fuddling  drink 
Curse  not  the  festive  board  or  burn  the  brain, 
And  thus  our  age  hath  made  some  social  gain. 
Oh !  that  from  low  saloon  and  tavern-room, 
Such  evil  spirits  might  be  hurled  to  gloom, 
Or  only  used  when  mixed  with  poison  lead, 
To  kill  the  bugs  that  blight  the  traveler's  bed. 

The  land  is  free ;  it  feels  no  curse  of  Cain, 
Free  let  it  be  from  vice  and  sordid  gain, 
Free  from  the  rule  of  rascals  and  of  rum, 
Free  from  the  martial  din  of  fife  and  drum, 
Free  from  the  bands  of  party-power  and  strife, 
From  bigot  hands  with  persecution  rife, 
From  trucklings  low  of  office-men  of  note, 
Who  throw  a  sop  to  Cerberus  for  his  vote ; 
Why  should  not  we  make  all  these  hill  tops  ring 
With  Freedom's  fullest  music  while  we  sin"-  ? 

Freely  the  sweet  lark  springs  from  earth, 

To  sing  his  matin -song  of  mirth, 

And  plays  amid  the  gathered  dew 

That  white  clouds  hold  in  th'  ether  blue ; 

Freely  the  cool  drops  fall  to  earth, 

O'er  fonts  where  first  they  gushed  to  birth ; 

That  like  the  tinkling  feet  of  fay, 

In  shades  and  moonbeams  chainless  play. 

Freely  the  light  of  sun  and  star 
Through  myriad  worlds  of  space  from  far, 
Journeys  along  the  paths  of  God, 
Alone  by  angel  footsteps  trod  ; 
Freely  the  sea's  white  surges  pour, 
O'er  sandy  beach  and  rocky  shore, 
Where  in  its  depths  of  skiey  blue, 
The  dolphin  plays  with  changing  hue. 

Freely  through  woods  or  over  waves, 
The  zephyr  breathes  or  storm-wind  raves, 
Each  quivering  leaf  a  pulse  of  life, 
Or  every  tree  a  foe  in  strife ; 


600  ANNALS   OF   WINCHESTER, 

Freely  the  heart  within  us  beats, 
The  ear  sweet  tones  of  nature  greets, 
The  eye,  all  beauteous  things  beholds, 
The  memory  every  joy  unfolds. 

Freely  all  things  of  being  seem 

To  bring  the  end  of  life's  sweet  dream ; 

Why  should  not  we,  with  all  things  be 

In  body  and  in  spirit  free  1 

Oh !  may  the  high,  benignant  God, 

Ordain  to  break  each  tyrant-rod, 

And  teach  our  souls  for  aye  to  hate 

The  abject  lot  and  servile  state ! 

The  free-born  voter  yet  may  go 

With  ballot  to  the  polls,  e'en  though 

Election  sermons,  balls,  and  cake, 

No  thoughts  of  old  and  young  awake  j 

These  ancient  ways  leave  us  to  find 

Joys  other  than  theirs  left  behind. 

The  four  horse  stage-coach  comes  no  more, 

"  Old  line  and  new," — to  many  a  score 

Of  gaping  villagers  a  thing  of  pride, 

In  which  to  take  a  wedding  ride 

Was  bliss  indeed  for  rustic  bride, 

Whom  Hartford  merchants  could  but  bless, 

In  selling  her  a  marriage-dress. 

The  driver's  horn,  with  shrilling  toot, 

The  urchins  hanging  to  the  boot, 

The  letters,  bundles,  papers,  all 

For  which  each  eager  lip  would  call, 

Are  of  the  past ;  and  in  their  place 

The  locomotive  runs  its  race, 

With  mail-car  and  the  express-train, 

And  crowds,  for  pleasure  or  for  gain  ; 

The  steam-pipes  shriek,  the  smoke,  and  rush, 

The  start,  and  sometimes  fearful  crush ; 

The  hurry,  scurry,  flurry,  here 

And  there,  of  throngs  from  far  and  near, — 

Oh  !  how  unlike  are  all  these  ways 

To  those  that  charmed  our  boyhood's  days ; 

They  wake  sensations  wild  and  bold, 

But  bring  not  half  the  bliss  of  old  ! 

Oh !  the  huskings  and  the  quiltings, 
And  the  bussings  and  the  jiltings, 
And  the  huggings  and  the  hidings 
In  the  hay-loft,  and  the  hidings 
By  the  gate  in  evenings  starry, 
Where  'twas  bliss  with  one  to  tarry 
Near  to  midnight, — whom  to  marry 
Was  we  thought,  a  life-long  blessing 
Made  up  only  of  caressing, 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  601 

With  no  ills  for  our  confessing, 
Needing  not  the  law's  redressing. 

Loving  lips  that  trembled  greeting, 
Finger-tips  that  tingled  meeting, 
Horseback  trips  with  maiden  rider, 
Autumn  straws  for  sucking  cider, 
Nutting  days  and  squirrel  chasing, 
Blind  man's  buff  with  warm  embracing, 
Feats  of  fun  and  youthful  daring, 
Talking  times  of  apple-paring, 
Sharp  snow-balling,  and  the  boasting 
Over  sleds  the  swiftest  coasting; — 
These  for  us  the  years  are  bearing 
To  the  past,  always  unsparing ! 

Over  yon  grave-yard,  where  each  tomb 
A  marble  record  gives  of  gloom, 
We  wander  sadly,  reading  names 
Of  those  with  whom  we  cherished  aims 
Of  future  good  and  glorious  fames, 
Or  talked  our  boyish  mischiefs  o'er, 
And  shared  the  orchard's  stolen  store; 
Oh  !  as  we  think  of  them,  the  waves 
Of  memory  surge  up  o'er  their  graves, 
And  from  each  heart  this  sad  lament 
Tells  of  a  love  as  yet  unspent. 

Ye  days  of  blessed  boyhood ! 

The  better  time  of  life  ! 
Now  lost  amid  the  whirlpool 

Of  earth's  absorbing  strife ! 
Ah !  never  more  returning, 

Its  halcyon  moments  come, 
For  toward  old  age  a  pilgrim, 

'Tis  journeying  from  its  home ! 

Far  fled  art  thou,  my  boyhood ! 

I  miss  your  morning  sheen, 
With  eyes  all  dim  and  tearful, 

Though  fruitlessly  I  ween ; 
For  gone  with  years  departed, 

Are  all  its  joys  and  hopes, 
Since  life  has  changed  to  manhood, 

And  thro'  dark  caverns  gropes. 

I  grieve  o'er  thee,  my  boyhood ! 

I  want  your  bounding  heart, 
Your  shout  of  gleeful  music 

That  made  old  bosoms  start ; 
I  want  your  step  elastic, 

Your  buoyancy  of  hope, 
Your  oft  unrivaled  vigor, 

That  with  each  arm  could  cope. 


602  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Oh  !  I  am  lone,  my  boyhood  ! 

Where  are  my  playmate  friends, 
Who  with  me  blithely  sported 

O'er  all  these  hills  and  glens  1 
Where  is  the  bird-like  echo 

Of  all  their  uttered  joys  ? 
Where  are  their  jocund  faces  ? 

Where  are  those  happy  boys  ? 

Oh  !  many  friends  of  boyhood 

Ear  from  these  homes  have  gone ; 
Some  tread  earth's  devious  pathways, 

And  some  life's  task  have  done ; 
Some  sleep  in  caves  of  ocean, 

Some  bleach  upon  its  shore, 
Some  rest  on  fields  of  battle, 

Who  weltered  in  their  gore  ! 

Where  art  thou  gone,  my  boyhood  1 

Why  come  my  friends  no  more 
To  share  the  joys  so  guileless, 

That  filled  my  bosom's  core  ? 
Ah  !  some  look  on  me  coldly 

From  Alpine  heights  of  pride, 
Some  pass  me  by  despairing, 

ISiuce  all  their  hopes  have  died. 

I  mourn,  I  mourn  my  boyhood, 

Because  my  heart's  dear  ones 
Are  not  now  round  me  moving, 

Nor  on  me  shine  like  suns ; 
That  in  earth's  burial  places 

All  silently  they  sleep, 
Here  never  more  to  bless  me, 

Or  o'er  my  follies  weep. 

Yet  soothed  am  I,  my  boyhood, 

For  hope  hath  not  all  died, 
E'en  though  your  days  have  perished 

Your  font  will  be  supplied; 
For  from  the  crystal  river 

That  flows  in  yonder  Heaven 
I'll  drink  new  youth  immortal, 

In  draughts  exhaustless  given ! 

Oh,  then,  thou  deathless  boyhood, 

There  in  thy  new-born  days, 
I'll  meet  the  dear  departed, 

And  with  them  join  in  praise. 
Oh  !  it  will  be  all  blissful 

Around  God's  throne  to  move, 
And  chant  in  hymns  celestial 

With  them  of  Jesus'  love ! 


CENTENNIAL   CELEBRATION.  603 

Though  changed  the  times  and  faces,  yet  each  hill 

Is  high  and  green,  tree-clad  and  rocky  still, 

The  laurel,  clover,  butter-cup  all  bloom 

On  them  with  beauty,  shedding  sweet  perfume. 

The  myriad  stone-heaps  in  the  fields  yet  rest, 

We  miss  but  few  from  off  their  rugged  breast ; 

Each  lake  spreads  out  its  bosom  bright  and  clear, 

And  sends  its  currents  downward  to  the  mere ; 

Its  pike  and  pickerel,  perch  and  bass  and  eels, 

Oft  tempt  the  fisher's  skill  to  test  his  reels ; 

The  brooks  shine  as  of  old  in  summer  sheen, 

Though  trout  in  them  are  few  and  far  between. 

Through  chasms  long-tinie  cut,  Mad  River  flows 

When  swelled  by  showers  or  spring-time  melted  snows, 

Flooding  its  banks,  its  bridges  sweeping  off, 

And  covering  plains,  of  human  skill  in  scoff, 

Upon  whose  ruin-rush  and  wildering  trend, 

These  lines,  one  time,  a  bilious  poet  penned : 

"  Mad  River,  glad  river,  leaping  'mid  mountains, 
Gathering  the  echoes  that  roll  from  their  caves, 
Mingling  the  owl-hoots  with  song  of  the  fountains, 
In  the  weird  music  that  peals  with  thy  waves. 

"  Mad  River,  sad  river,  moaning  the  losses 
Of  the  grand  forests  that  shaded  thy  sides, 
Floated  away  to  the  rock-realms  where  tosses 
Ghost-foam  of  ocean's  wild  storm-haunted  tides. 

"  Mad  River,  bad  river,  fierce  in  thy  pleasure, 
Over  the  toiler's  dear  homes  and  rich  fields, 
Sweeping  away  to  the  deep  every  treasure, 
Never  to  him  a  new  harvest  that  yields. 

"  Mad  River,  glad  river,  sad  river,  bad  river, 

Thou  art  the  type  of  each  tide  changing  soul, 
Either  with  joy  or  with  grief  made  to  quiver, 
Ever  as  tides,  good  or  ill,  in  us  roll." 

Yet  in  the  time  of  drought  or  further  flow 
Down  to  the  eastern  meadows  miles  below, 
Mildly  "Mad  River"  smiles  o'er  happy  homes, 
Becomes  "  Still  River  "  as  it  southward  roams, 
Turns  mighty  wheels  of  mills  that  make  men's  bread, 
Moistens  the  sods  that  cover  up  the  dead, 
And  tells  the  living  how  that  youth's  wild  rage 
May  bring  the  work  of  art  or  calm  of  age. 

As  nature  is — our  hearts,  arc  they  the  same  ? 
Or  are  we  changed,  in  life,  and  deed,  and  name? 
Our  fathers  had  their  faults; — these  do  we  keep 
And  leave  their  goodness  in  the  past  to  sleep  ? 
They  had  their  fierce  ecclesiastic  fights, 
Their  orthodox  discussions,  and  their  flights 


604  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

Of  eagle  logic  to  celestial  heights ; 

Parson  and  parish  equal  were  in  sin, 

When  half-way  covenants  let  church -members  in, 

Or  when  disputing  loud  of  Adam's  fall, 

They  proved  that  in  him  they  had  sinned  all ; 

Oft  by  Hopkinsians  with  the  doctrine  crammed 

That  to  be  saved  you  must  wish  to  be  damned  ! 

Their  Federal  and  their  Democratic  speech 

Caused  in  their  households  many  a  widening  breach, 

When  party  spirit  and  New  England  rum 

Made  their  lot  doubtful  in  "  The  kingdom  come." 

Their  hard-earned  means  and  economic  thrift, 

Oft  made  them  chary  of  a  lavish  gift ; 

Yet  were  they  just  and  honest,  true  and  pure, 

Patient  and  hopeful,  trained  well  to  endure 

The  hard  rubs  of  the  world  and  break  the  wiles 

Of  evil,  coming  e'en  with  angel-smiles. 

Such  roughness,  toughness,  toil  and  carking  care, 

Nature  and  Time  do  not  to  us  now  bear ; 

With  strong  machines  we  pull  out  stumps  of  trees, 

We  clear  our  fields  from  rocks  that  blast  with  ease ; 

The  scythe  and  sickle  we  in  scorn  ignore, 

And  cut  our  meadows  with  a  patent  mower ; 

No  tall  well-sweeps  their  burdened  buckets  bring, 

To  us  come  now,  we  go  not  to  the  spring ; 

The  telegraph  our  message  swiftly  sends ; 

By  lightning  flash  we  gain  our  money  ends. 

Volumes  are  writ  and  grand  ideas  we  catch 

By  pregnant  words  in  one  concise  despatch. 

In  self-conceit  we  boast  that  we  all  are 
Than  our  good  fathers,  keener,  richer  far, 
More  quick  at  bargains,  sharper  at  a  note, 
With  bigger  barns  ashore  or  ships  afloat ; — 
No  wonder  wealth  and  wisdom  here  are  found, 
"  Barkhamsted  Lighthouse  "  shines  on  all  around  ! 

Are  we  so  strong  of  thought  ?     On  Faith's  great  wing, 

Up  to  the  heights  of  Truth  soar  we  and  sing? 

With  earnest  spirits  dive  we  down  so  deep, 

Where  pearls  divine  of  wisdom  darkly  sleep  ? 

Or  have  our  ease  and  luxury  made  us  weak, 

The  things  of  God  with  throes  of  soul  to  seek  1 

Are  we  as  bold  to  grapple  with  great  themes, 

To  them  so  real — to  us  more  like  past  dreams  ? 

Are  we  in  love  with  sacrifice  of  self, 

Or,  chained  to  earth,  in  love  with  petty  pelf? 

Shall  Darwin  prove  a  monkey  was  our  sire, 

Or  Huxley  mix  us  in  material  mire  1 

What  moral  progress  parallel  with  these 
Inventions  of  our  day  that  so  much  please, 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  605 

Do  we  now  make  ?     What  loftier  st:md  of  good 
Do  we  now  take,  as  Duty  bids  we  should  1 
Higher  and  truer,  purer,  nobler,  we, 
Than  were  our  Fathers,  in  our  life,  must  be. 

Oh !  as  we  onward  sweep,  by  spark  and  steam, 

To  the  blest  heights  of  some  Eutopian  dream, 

Where  temporal  ill,  and  human  strife  shall  cease, 

Where  nations  may  from  bondage  find  release, 

So  let  us  mount,  by  footsteps  all  divine, 

And  on  the  hills  celestial  brighter  shine, 

The  noble  sons  of  fathers  noble-born, 

Beholders  of  a  better  generation's  morn, 

The  grander  offspring  of  the  grand  old  times, 

Who  hoar  the  music  of  millennial  chimes 

Come  floating  o'er  the  far  off  Future's  sea, 

And  to  the  rhythm  of  their  crystal  wave 

March  forth  in  power,  humanity  to  save, 

Along  the  ways  our  strong-souled  fathers  trod 

To  wield  the  force — the  enginery  of  God, 

The  culture,  treasure,  wisdom  of  the  age, 

In  full  accord  with  Revelation's  page, 

To  launch  the  world  upon  that  truth-lit  sea, 

To  float  the  nation,  great,  and  true,  and  free, 

On  to  the  shores  where  bliss  and  glory  wait 

To  usher  souls  through  Heaven's  love-guarded  gate, 

And  bring  them,  star-bright,  to  their  thrones  on  high,_ 

Amid  the  God-crowned  circles  of  the  sky ! 

The  reading  of  the  Poem  was  often  greeted  with  cheers  and  laughter, 
as  the  telling  points  impressed  themselves  upon  the  eagerly  listeuing  au- 
dience.    This  was  followed  by  an  Anthem  by  the  Choir. 

The  President.  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  we  have  placed  in  the  vestry  of  the 
church  before  us  our  mementos  of  the  past  and  our  curious  works  of  art,  for  your  in- 
spection ;  but  we  have  placed  upon  this  platform  our  Jewell,  His  Excellency,  the  Gov- 
ernor of  Connecticut, — God  bless  him.     (Long  contiuued  applause.) 

Thus  introduced  and  thus  welcomed,  His  Excellency  proceeded  to 
respond,  as  follows : 

ADDRESS  OF  GOVERNOR  JEWELL. 

Me.  President,  Ladies,  and  Gentlemen  : — When  I  accepted  the  invitation  of 
my  honored  friend,  the  historian  of  the  day,  to  be  present  at  this  centennial  celebra- 
tion, I  knew  I  should  derive  both  pleasure  and  profit  by  so  doing,  but  to  what  extent 
I  did  not,  could  not  anticipate.  It  is  far  beyond  my  most  sanguine  expectations.  It 
is  always  a  pleasure  for  me  to  mingle  with  my  fellow-citizens,  either  in  a  public  or 
private  capacity,  and  it  is  particularly  so  on  occasions  like  this. 

When  in  a  community  like  this,  renowned  alike  for  its  intelligence,  its  thrift,  its  de- 
votion to  those  fundamental  principles  of  equality  and  justice  which  underlie  the  re- 
public, and  insure  its  success;  when  in  such  a  community,  an  epoch  has  been  reached, 

77 


606  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

or  a  period  has  been  marked  on  the  great  cycle  of  time,  and  the  people  meet  together 
to  compare  notes,  and  to  give  as  it  were  an  account  of  their  stewardship  ;  when  this 
nappens,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it  is  the  best  of  all  times  to  see  what  real,  genuine 
New  England  character  is,  what  it  has  done,  what  it  may  do.  Connecticut  is,  and 
has  a  right  to  be  proud  of  its  history,  and  of  its  long  line  of  illustrious  men.  Not  the 
least  of  these  have  been  its  Governors,  of  whom  your  county  has  furnished  four  during 
the  century,  whose  names  lend  additional  lustre  to  the  already  bright  page  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  State. 

This  town  was  settled  during  the  most  eventful  period  of  American  history.  One 
hundred  years  ago  Connecticut  was  in  a  ferment  of  preparation  for  anticipated  hostili- 
ties with  the  mother  country.  Jonathan  Trumbull  was  Governor,  one  of  the  most 
wise  and  sagacious  men  America  bus  ever  produced,  whose  name  and  fame  became 
so  nationalized  by  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  Washington,  that  the  country 
adopted  for  itself  in  honor  of  him,  as  one  of  its  pet  names,  that  of  Brother  Jonathan, 
by  which  endearing  title  he  was  called  by  the  father  of  his  country.  The  State  was 
agitated  by  those  apprehensions  which  reached  their  crisis  in  the  spring  of  1774. 
By  this  time  the  obnoxious  tea  had  been  thrown  overboard  in  Boston  harbor  and 
British  vengeance  had  concocted  by  way  of  retort  the  Boston  port  b  11,  and  had  struck 
by  legislative  act  at  the  charter  and  government  of  Massachusetts.  The  first  recorded 
evidence  on  the  part  of  Connecticut,  that  indicated  the  general  peril,  was  a  proclamation 
issued  by  Governor  Trumbull  in  May,  1 774,  which,  after  reciting  the  threatening  aspect 
of  Great  Britain,  enjoined  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer.  This  proclamation  was  soon 
followed  by  an  order  to  all  the  towns  to  double  their  quantity  of  powder,  balls,  and 
flints,  and  by  resolutions  passed  in  various  town  meetings,  which  declared  the  meas- 
ures of  the  British  parliament  to  be  usurpations  which  placed  life,  liberty,  and  property 
at  utter  hazard,  and  unalterable  determination  of  the  people  of  Connecticut  to  main- 
tain and  transmit  those  rights  to  the  latest  generations.  It  is  a  matter  of  no  surprise 
that  the  grand  old  Governor  should  have  earned  the  title  of  rebel  Governor,  which  was 
given  him  in  London,  in  1771,  four  years  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence. 

It  was  amidst  such  commotions  as  these  stirring  events  would  indicate,  that  this 
now  thriving  town  was  settled,  twenty  years  after  the  organization  of  Litchfield 
county.  How  well  it  was  located,  how  brave  and  hardy  were  its  pioneers,  through 
what  dangers  they  passed,  and  what  magnificent  results  crowned  their  efforts,  strug- 
gles, and  trials,  lias  been  ably  and  happily  told  you  here  to-day.  It  may  not  be  amiss 
to  briefly  note  how  nobly  the  people  made  good  the  gallant  Governor's  prediction  in 
the  struggle  for  independence  which  ensued.  During  the  revolution,  Connecticut 
ranked  fifth  of  the  old  thirteen  States  in  population,  Massachusetts,  New  York,  Vir- 
ginia, and  South  Carolina,  being  ahead  of  her. 

In  1774  the  population  of  the  State  was  198,010,  and  yet  she  furnished  during  the 
eight  years  of  the  war  39,831  continental  troops  and  militia,  which  was  the  most  fur- 
nished by  any  State  except  Massachusetts,  which  latter  State  furnished  83,092,  New 
York  furnishing  21,093,  Virginia  30,835,  and  South  Carolina  but  5,508.  Mr.  Roger 
S.  Baldwin  said  in  the  Senate,  iu  reply  to  Mr.  Mason  of  Virginia,  "  I  can  inform  the 
senator  that  Connecticut,  small  as  she  was  in  territory  and  population  compared  with 
Virginia,  had  more  troops  in  the  war  than  the  great  State  of  Virginia.  Virginia  was 
obliged  to  offer  tremendous  bounties  to  induce  her  people  to  serve.  The  inhabitants 
of  Connecticut  rushed  at  once  to  the  combat.  They  were  at  Ticonderoga,  they  were 
with  Ethan  Allen  and  his  Green  Mountain  Boys,  himself  a  native  of  Connecticut, 
on  an  expedition  planned  in  Connecticut,  and  paid  for  by  Connecticut,  before  the 
continental  congress  of  1776  had  assembled — capturing  that  important  fortress  almost 
before  the  blood  had  grown  cold  that  was  shed  at  Concord  and  Lexington.  They 
Avere  at  Bunker  Hill  with  Putnam  and  Knowlton  and  Grosvenor,  and  their  brave 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  607 

compatriots,  who  needed  no  bounties  to  induce  them  to  engage  in  the  service  of  their 
country." 

The  Hon.  Henry  C.  Doming  says  in  a  letter  to  George  M.  Brown  in  1857  : — "No 
State  contributed  more  than  Connecticut  to  our  revolutionary  literature,  to  those 
songs,  and  strains,  and  martial  airs,  more  potent  to  move  and  change  than  even  laws 
and  arms.  John  Trumbull  rushed  i  'to  the  war  with  a  pen  as  sharp  and  effective  as 
any  sword.  '  McFingal '  was  written  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  John  Adams  and 
the  members  of  the  American  Congress." 

Connecticut  furnished  more  salt  beef  and  pork,  and  more  live  cattle,  thin  any  other 
State.  So  remarkable  was  she  in  this  respect  that  she  was  known  as  the  Provision 
State.  In  the  winter  of  1778,  the  darkest  period  of  the  revolution,  while  our  discour- 
aged and  disheartened  troops  lay  cold,  naked,  and  hungry  at  Valley  Forge,  both  officers 
and  men  nearly  in  despair,  the  commander-in-chief,  as  usual,  turned  his  eyes  longingly 
towards  Connecticut,  and  made  a  strong  appeal  to  Brother  Jonathan  for  assistance. 
Nor  was  the  call  long  unanswered,  for,  by  order  of  the  Governor,  the  chief  commis- 
sary of  the  State,  Colonel  Champion,  of  Colchester,  soon  collected,  and  himself  drove 
a  large  herd  of  cattle  in  mid  winter,  through  almost  impenetrable  forests,  over  streams 
and  mountains,  more  than  ihrce  hundred  miles,  to  the  west  bank  of  the  Schuylkill, 
to  the  relief  of  more  than  ten  thousand  of  our  brave  and  starving  men. 

Such  was  Connecticut  a  hundred  years  ago — such  in  brief  was  the  condition  of 
affairs  at  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of  this  town. 

Our  population  small  and  scattered,  our  roads  poor,  and  means  of  communication 
exceedingly  difficult,  steam  and  electricity  still  in  the  future,  every  man,  woman, 
and  child  fully  occupied  in  obtaining  the  means  of  subsistence,  new  towns  to  be  laid 
out,  built,  and  organized,  everybody  in  a  hand  to  hand  struggle  with  nature,  yet,  no 
sooner  were  any  of  the  rights  of  the  colonists  threatened  or  invaded,  than  there  were 
found  to  be  plenty  of  men,  and  time,  and  food,  and  clothing,  aiid,  best  of  all,  pluck, 
with  which  to  defend  themselves  against  all  invading  forces.  Is  the  present  generation 
up  to  the  standard  of  the  one  of  which  we  have  spoken  ?  Have  we  the  elements  of 
national  growth  and  strength  in  as  large  a  degree  as  had  our  forefathers  ?  Are  we  as 
honest,  as  frugal,  as  patriotic,  as  self-sacrificing,  as  those  who  have  given  us  their  high 
example  ? 

In  following  down  the  century  which  we  are  now  contemplating,  it  would  be  proper, 
had  we  time,  to  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  the  distinguished  services  which  your  own 
Litchfield  county  Governors  have  rendered  to  the  State,  covering  a  period  of  seventeen 
years,  the  two  Governors  Wolcott,  Smith,  and  Holley.  It  is  perhaps  sufficient  for  our 
purpose  to  know  that  they  did  not  detract  from,  but  added  to  the  high  estimation  in 
which  our  governors  had  always  been  held.  For  (nearly)  ninety  years  after  Governor 
Trumbull's  administration,  no  Governor  had  an  opportunity  equal  to  his,  in  which  to 
6how  his  ability,  integrity,  and  patriotism.  Such  opportunities  are  granted  to  but  few, 
however  much  they  may  be  longed  for.  Nor  had  the  people  had  any  occasion  to  show 
their  strength  and  loyalty.  Nothing  had  called  out  the  patriotism  and  devotion  to 
country  which  lay  dormant  beneath  the  quiet  exterior  of  peace  and  a  stable  government. 
But  the  storm  finally  came.  After  much  murmuring,  threatening,  and  commotion,  there 
came  another  time  in  our  history  that  our  liberties  were,  threatened,  our  tights  invaded, 
that  our  constitution  was  sought  to  be  overthrown  by  traitors  in  our  midst,  a  time 
that  demanded  our  entire  strength  if  we  would  preserve  intact  that  inheritance  which 
we  received  from  our  fathers.  The  circumstances  of  this  last  great  struggle  in  which 
Connecticut  did  her  full  share,  are  toq  fresh  in  your  minds  to  need  recapitulation.  It 
was  then  found  that  we  had  a  chief  nngistrate  second  only  to  Washington ;  that 
Connecticut  had  a  Governor  equal  to  any  that  had  gone  before ;  and  that  the  people, 
as  they  sprang  tp  arms  to  put  down  a  gigantic  rebellion,  wore  worthy  of  both  President 
and  Governor: 


608  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

If  we  may  judge  of  the  future  by  the  past,  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  the  intelligence 
and  patriotism  of  the  people  will  be  found  equal  to  any  demands  which  mny  be  made 
upon  them,  and  that  in  the  future  conflicts  which  are  quite  likely  to  come  to  the  re- 
public, the  people  of  our  grand  old  commonwealth  will  be  found  where  they  ever  have 
been  found,  in  the  front  rank,  fighting  for  freedom,  for  liberty,  and  for  law. 

A  handsome  bouquet  of  flowers  was  presented  to  the  Governor  at  the 
close. 

The  address  of  the  Governor  was  heartily  applauded. 

The  President  :  —  I  am  not  instructed  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
other  exercises  of  the  afternoon  shall  be  conducted.  There  are  many 
eminent  gentlemen  here  who,  if  called  upon,  will,  I  presume,  address  you. 
It  hardly  belongs  to  me  to  suggest. 

Rev.  Joseph  Eldridge,  D.  D.,  of  Norfolk,  being  called  for,  said : 

I  need  not  say  that  this  call  upon  me  for  a  brief  address  is  entirely  unexpected,  j 
am  gratified,  however,  with  these  commemorative  occasions,  because  I  th;nk  they 
spring  from  sentiments,  and  are  calculated  to  strengthen  sentiments  that  are  fitted  to 
counteract  a  very  strong  social  tendency  of  our  times.  The  tendency  to  which  I  refer 
is  that  of  excessive  individualism,  where  each  person  shall  set  out,  caring  for  himself 
and  seeking  his  own  advancement,  irrespective  of  social  or  even  domestic  feelings. 

There  are  circumstances  in  our  country  that  favor  this  tendency.  The  members  of 
families  do  not,  as  in  the  last  century,  remain  long  enough  near  the  old  home ;  nor  do 
the  children  settle  around  in  the  vicinity  of  each  other.  They  are  early  separated 
from  their  homes  and  scattered  far  and  wide,  becoming  almost  strangers  to  each  other. 
And  the  consequences  are  a  lack  of  local  attachment  and  an  almost  dying  out  of  family 
feeling.  I  therefore  rejoice  at  every  indication  and  every  circumstance  that  operates  to 
counteract  this  tendency  to  excessive  individualism. 

Among  the  circumstances  that  I  think  have  this  tendency  to  keep  alive  proper  sen- 
timents, one  is  the  disposition  on  the  part  of  families  to  trace  out  their  genealogy. 
This  is  now  becoming  more  and  more  common ;  and  I  think  it  is  very  desirable  that 
as  far  as  possible  family  pedigree  should  be  traced  out.  Occasions  of  family  gatherings 
of  those  of  the  same  name  and  blood  should  be  encouraged  and  become  more  frequent. 

I  know  some  men,  especially  in  the-;e  days,  who  glory  in  being  self-made  men  —  un- 
fortunately, not  very  well  made.  I  believe  that  most  of  those  who  have  risen  in  the 
world  and  acquired  distinction,  if  inquired  of  as  to  the  principal  cause  to  which  they 
attribute  their  success,  would  ascribe  it  to  what  they  had  rec-ived  of  energy,  intellect, 
and  character  from  some  devoted  mother  or  some  humble  father.  They  do  not  feel 
themselves  to  be  self  made,  although  they  may  have  made  their  fortunes. 

Another  circumstance  that  tends  very  much  to  counteract  this  tendency  to  excessive 
individualism  is  a  commemorative  occasion  like  this,  when  epochs  in  a  town  are 
marked  and  histories  of  its  progress  are  written,  such  as  we  have  listened  to  to-day 
with  so  much  interest  and  so  much  profit.  It  is  a  low  ambition  to  have  a  desire  for 
the  feeling  of  independence  of  the  past,  and  of  indifference  to  the  future.  These  oc- 
casions awaken  nobleness  of  thought  and  largeness  of  mind,  leading  us  to  feel  that 
we  are  connected  with  the  workers  of  the  past  and  that  we  have  responsibilities  which 
reach  on  to  the  future ;  that  we  arc  but  one  link  in  the  great  chain  of  agencies,  and 
responsible  for  our  part  in  the  progress  of  events  as  they  transpire.  Such  occasions 
as  this  are  calculated  to  awaken  and  cherish  these  appropriate  sentiments  in  our  hearts, 
and  therefore  I  rejoice  in  their  occurrence,  and  especially  in  the  great  interest  that  this 
occasion  has  brought  forth.  '(Applause.) 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  609 

The  following  telegram  was  here  received  and  read  by  the  President : 

Quincy,  111.,  Aug.  16th,  1871. 
To  Winchester  Centennial:  —  In  spirit  I  am  with  you.     Business  prevents 
personal  attendance.     I  trust  that  our  good  works  for  the  next  one  hundred  years  will 
surpass  those  of  the  last  century. 

Winstcd's  Son, 

W.  B.  ANDREWS. 

Rev.  Horace  Winslovf,  of  Willimanttc,  followed,  in  a  humorous 
speeeh,  giving  something  of  the  experience  he  passed  through  in  Winsted, 
and  especially  as  connected  with  his  being  taken  on  one  occasion  for  a 
horse-thief;  the  horse  and  (he  thief  having  been  traced  to  Winsted  from 
east  of  the  Connecticut  river,  and  Mr.  Winslow  being  somewhat  of  a 
stranger  here,  and  answering  the  description  of  the  supposed  thief. 

Rev.  Leonard  Bacon,  D.  D.,  of  New  Haven,  was  the  next  speaker. 
He  said : 

I  have  been  enjoying  the  occasion  to-day  as  I  rarely  enjoy  an  occasion  of  the  kind ; 
for  it  has  been  in  my  thoughts  all  the  time  that  I  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  enjoy  it. 
And  now,  what  shall  I  t-ay  ?     For  I  know  not  at  what  point  to  begin. 

One  thing  has  impressed  my  mind  to-day  as  it  has  frequently  of  late.  Looking  at 
the  changes  which  have  been  wrought  within  my  own  memory,  in  the  character  of  the 
industry  of  Connecticut,  in  the  employment  of  its  people,  in  the  distribution  of  its 
population,  what  is  to  be  the  destiny  of  Connecticut  during  the  next  hundred  years  ? 
The  changes  from  1 870  to  1 970  we  may  venture  to  predict  will  be  as  great  as  the  changes 
have  been  between  1771  and  1871.  A  hundred  years  ago,  when  Connecticut  was 
ready  to  enter  into  the  great  conflict  of  the  Revolution,  it  was  the  food-producing  state 
for  the  armies  of  the  revolution;  while  to-day  Connecticut  does  not  produce  the  food 
that  supplies  the  wants  of  her  own  operative  workmen.  Within  my  niemorj'  Connec- 
ticut was  a  state  exporting  food  to  distant  parts  of  the  Union  and  to  the  West  Indies. 
To-day  the  people  of  Connecticut  Avould  starve  in  less  than  two  months,  if  it  were  not 
for  food  imported  from  abroad.  The  farms  on  these  old  hill  sides  and  hill  tops  have 
been  depreciating  in  value  year  by  year,  and  the  population  which  docs  not  go  away 
to  California  or  the  West  or  South,  slides  down  from  the  hills  into  these  valleys,  where 
these  mill  sites  are,  where  the  rivers  as  they  pass  on  their  way  lend  their  power  to  sup- 
plement the  agencies  and  industry  of  man. 

By  and  bye  those  who  come  after  us  will  sec  a  change.  We  begin  to  see  indications 
of  it  now.  The  wealth  produced  and  accumulated  in  the  valleys  will  well  up  on  the 
hill  sides;  and  the  destiny  of  Connecticut  at  some  future  day  will  be  to  become  one 
great  hive  of  manufacturing  industry.  From  the  water  power  working  to  produce, 
and  from  accumulating  wealth,  the  farms  on  the  hill-sides  will  become  the  garden 
spots,  as  it  were,  of  these  cities  and  towns  filled  with  resounding  machinery  and  alive 
with  industry.  I  look  forward  to  that  coming  time  with  confidence.  When  I  see  the 
forces  that  are  at  work  to-day  I  am  not  disposed  to  be  simply  a  praiser  of  the  time 
that  is  past,  but  to  be  hopeful  in  regard  to  the  future ;  and  I  believe  that  another  gen- 
eration after  this,  and  another  after  that,  will  be  more  enlightened,  more  cultivated, 
more  controlled  by  moral  principles,  more  elevated  by  the  principles  of  true  and  saving- 
religion  than  any  generation  that  has  gone  before;  and  so,  as  I  look  forward,  I  trust 
that  this  fair  land  of  ours,  this  historic  old  state  that  has  done  so  much  heretofore  lor 
the  good  of  humanity,  shall  continue  to  be  a  model  state  for  the  Union,  a  state  from 


610  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

which  all  the  influences  going  forth  shall  ever  be  what  they  have  been  in  the  past — 
influences  that  have  made  a  "wilderness  to  rejoice  and  be  glad,  and  the  desert  to  blos- 
som as  the  rose."  (Applause.) 

Rev.  F.  A.  Spencer,  of  Vernon,  N.  Y.,  followed,  saying 

That  though  he  was  not  born  in  Winsted,  his  father  and  mother  were  born  in  the 
town.  He  had  found  it  a  pleasant  place  to  visit  as  he  had  often  been  here;  but  it  was 
also  a  good  place  lo  go  from.  There  are  some  noble  men  in  central  New  York,  who 
went  from  old  Winchester.  We  have  a  county  where  old  Winchester  has  planted  its 
foot  a  great  many  times,  and  there  is  right  behind  me  a  blessed  friend,  Deacon  Hills, 
who,  nearly  ninety  years  ago,  opened  his  eyes  upon  Winchester  hill,  and  went  into 
the  State  of  New  York  and  succeeded  his  own  father  in  the  deaconship  of  the  church. 
Forty  years  ago  I  used  to  look  with  reverence  on  his  gray  hairs,  and  he  used  to  pat 
me  on  the  head  and  tell  me  he  hoped  I  would  be  a  good  boy.  We  have  been  friends 
always,  and  I  persuaded  him  to  come  down  here  to  see  how  Winchester  looks. 

About  eighty  years  ago  my  grandfather,  who  lies  buried  on  Winchester  hill,  said  to 
•my  father,  then  twenty-one,  "John,  you  have  been  a  good  boy,  your  time  is  now  your 
own  ;  you  must  now  go  out  and  take  care  of  yourself.  I  can  do  no  more  than  provide 
for  your  sisters"  —  there  were  seven  or  eight  of  them.  John  went  out  and  worked  by 
the  month;  and  what  did  he  do  the  first  year?  He  came  down  here  and  bought  the 
land  on  which  Winsted  now  stands,  the  whole  Higley  farm,  reaching  from  here  away 
up  to  the  old  hemlock  swamp.  He  worked  every  day  as  a  farmer,  and  took  it  for  his 
"  stent"  to  make  a  pair  of  shoes  every  night,  for  he  was  a  shoemaker  as  well  as  farmer. 
There  was  then  no  road  and  he  finally  persuaded  the  town  authorities  to  make  him  a 
road.     He  bought  the  whole  of  Winsted  for  three  dollars  an  acre. 

I  came  down  here  just  to  look  at  my  mother's  and  my  grandfather's  graves,  one 
here,  and  one  in  the  Old  Society.     I  have  enjoyed  this  occasion  very  much  indeed. 

Mr.  Spencer  closed  by  an  allusion  to  some  of  the  pleasing  characteristics  of  his 
venerable  uncle,  Mr.  Jonathan  Coe,  and  made  pleasant  allusion  to  some  other  early 
residents. 

Rev.  Leumas  H.  Pease,  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  a  native  of  Winsted, 
being  on  the  platform,  was  called  upon  for  some  remarks,  but  declined  on 
account  of  the  already  lengthy  exercises  of  the  occasion. 

A  brief  address  was  made  by  Mit.  John  R.  Pitkin,  of  Woodhaven, 
N.  Y.,  who  announced  himself  to  have  been  a  school  teacher  of  the  olden 
time  who  never  used  a  whip,  and  who  once  worked  on  a  farm  in  Win- 
chester for  $4.50  a  month,  and  saved  half  of  it.  A.  M.  Perkins,  of  Win- 
sted, volunteered  a  short  poem. 

Excellent  music  was  furnished  during  the  exercises  by  a  volunteer 
chorus. 

The  exercises  closed  at  4  o'clock — all  having  passed  off  very  pleasantly. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  social  re-union  at  the  residence  of  Normaud 
Adams,  Esq. 

The  returned  children  of  Winchester  were  warm  in  praise  of  their 
cordial  "  welcome  home." 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  611 

COLLECTION  OF   ANTIQUITIES,  &c. 

A  very  interesting  feature  of  the  celebrations  in  both  societies  were  (he 
relics  of  old  times,  in  the  shape  of  portraits  of  citizens  once  resident 
here,  old  books,  articles  of  furniture  or  of  wearing  apparel,  ancient  em- 
broidery and  needle-work,  &c,  &c.  The  collection  at  Winchester  Center 
was  at  Bronson's  Hall.  Among  these  articles  were  a  board  from  the 
front  of  the  gallery  of  the  first  meeting  house,  embellished  with  sundry 
cuts  and  carvings,  and  several  dates,  among  them  1773,  1775,  deeply 
sunken  by  jack-knives,  showing  that  in  the  good  old  times,  in  spite  of 
tithing  men  and  blue  laws,  boy  nature  was  much  the  same  as  now  ;  many 
of  the  joiner's  tools  used  in  framing  the  second  church,  erected  in  1786— 
1788  ;  also  a  piece  of  the  carved  ornaments  about  the  pulpit  of  this  church, 
and  some  of  the  trimmings  from  the  top  of  the  old  square  pews ;  several 
pitch  pipes,  including  the  one  used  for  many  years  by  Major  Andrews,  as 
chorister ;  several  portraits,  including  those  of  Rev.  Father  Marsh  and 
his  lovely  wife,  Capt.  Levi  Munsill  and  wife,  Esq.  Beebe  and  his  son 
Robert,  Widow  Mercy  Bronson,  Rev.  Dr.  Abel  McEvven,  for  more  than 
fifty  years  pastor  of  the  church  in  New  London,  a  number  of  the  members 
of  the  Blake  family  formerly  so  numerous  and  prominent  in  the  town; 
a  printed  sermon  (probably  the  only  copy  in  existence)  preached  l>y  Rev. 
Ammi  R.  Robbins,  of  Norfolk,  at  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Joshua  Knapp 
as  first  pastor  of  the  church  ;  an  arm-chair,  made  by  John  McAlpine,  Esq., 
from  the  timbers  of  the  first  meeting  house,  and  occupied  during  the  cen- 
tennial exercises  by  Rev.  Mr.  Marsh. 

There  were  many  household  articles  in  common  use  half  a  century  ago 
and  earlier,  such  as  the  spinning-wheel,  rolls,  little  wheel,  reel,  hatchel, 
cards,  the  tall  clock  made  by  "  Riley  Whiting,  Winchester,"  splint-bottomed 
kitchen  chairs,  durable  Windsor  chairs,  andirons,  long-handled  spider, 
toasting  iron,  lanterns  without  a  bit  of  glass  giving  their  light  through  the 
holes  arranged  in  curious  figures  punched  in  the  tin,  tall  iron  candle- 
sticks, warming  pans,  and  pewter  tankards  and  platters,  some  cf  them 
polished  to  the  last  degree  of  brightness. 

From  the  Starks  family  we  had  the  old  family  cradle,  and  the  bread 
tray  of  the  first  Deacon  AVetmore,  hollowed  out  of  a  log  with  a  hatchet, 
"  Granny  Loveland's"  family  Bible,  with  other  things. 

The  Loomis  family  exhibited  a  very  ancient  Bible,  with  a  full  family 
record;  many  curious  pieces  of  antique  e.trthen  ware;  a  wondtrful  woolen 
blanket  or  rug  made  in  1775  by  Hannah  Dolbeare,  given  to  the  For- 
eign Mission  School  at  Cornwall,  and  bought  by  Deacon  Loomis  when 
steward  of  the  institution. 

The  Wetmores  brought  sundry  cumbrous  and  rough  tools,  used  by  suc- 
cessive generations  of  workers  in  wood;  a  strange  old  decanter,  or  demi- 


612  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 

john ;  Dr.  Wetmore's  spurs,  used  for  years  in  his  horseback  rides  over  the 
hills,  &c. 

Col.  Ozias  Bronson's  sword  attracted  much  attention,  as  also  his  large 
dining  bible,  where  he  lunched  his  company  on  training  days. 

The  family  Bible  of  the  early  McAlpines,  with  the  covered  blue  wooden 
cradle,  brought  over  the  sea  from  the  Scottish  home,  were  worth  much 
examination;  while  a  covered  pitcher,  somewhat  broken,  presented  to 
Mrs.  Marsh  many  years  ago,  by  Miss  Sarah  Benedict,  and  proved  to  have 
come  over  in  the  Mayflower,  aimed  at  the  preeminence. 

We  looked  wonderingly  at  the  queer  oid  round  table  that  Widow  Han- 
nah Everitt,  the  sturdy  pioneer,  spread  before  her  guests  when  she  kept 
tavern  on  the  North  road,  where  the  latch  string  was  always  out,  and  we 
saw  the  veritable  wooden  latch,  taken  from  her  house,  (torn  down  several 
years  since,)  lying  upon  the  table.  The  funny  old  wrapper,  with  a  square 
collar,  said  to  have  belonged  to  the  landlady,  was  in  keeping  with  the 
large  glass  tumblers,  ornamented  with  worderful  figures,  and  in  possession 
of  the  family  more  than  a  century. 

Then  we  had  Dr.  Everitt' s  old  square  chair,  his  inkstand  and  account 
books,  together  with  his  spectacles  with  their  huge  round  glasses  and  iron 
enough  in  the  frames  to  make  a  small  stove,  while  articles  of  crockery 
in  common  use  by  Mrs.  Noble  J.  Everitt  for  more  than  fifty  years,  each 
with  a  different  landscape  painted  upon  it,  and  a  quaint  pepper-box  with 
a  cork  in  the  bottom,  completed  the  interesting  collection  from  this  family. 

Mrs.  Isaac  Wade  sent  a  large  mug  and  bowl  of  strange  pattern  and 
great  age,  while  the  toddy  tumbler  of  old  Mr.  Elijah  Blake,  always  filled 
on  Thanksgiving  days  and  similar  family  occasions  and  passed  around  to 
the  whole  company,  was  exhibited  by  his  granddaughter,  and  gave  rise  to 
endless  jokes  and  mirth. 

Some  curious  crockery  from  Henry  Drake,  a  table-waiter  used  at  the 
ordination  of  Rev.  Mr.  Marsh,  a  platter  from  Mrs.  Harvey  Andrews,  tea 
cups  from  Mrs.  Norris  Coe,  sundry  tiles  and  some  delicate  old  china  from 
Mrs.  Frank  L.  Whiting,  with  many  old-fashioned  household  utensils  from 
James  L.  Bragg,  a  linen  table-cloth  spun  and  woven  by  the  wife  of  Dea. 
Eliphaz  Alvord,  with  many  towels  and  sheets  of  household  manufacture 
in  the  early  times,  each  received  their  share  of  examination. 

The  Munsill  baby  dress  worn  by  six  children  of  Capt.  M  ,  the  youngest 
now  about  sixty  years  old,  with  a  bedquilt  pieced  from  the  chintz  wedding 
dre-s  of  the  mother  of  Norris  Coe,  worn  eighty  years  ago,  and  costing  a 
dollar  a  yard,  showed  the  durability  of  old-fashioned  manufactures. 

The  collection  at  Winsted  was  arranged  in  the  basement  of  the  M.  E. 
Church,  from  which  the  seats  had  been  removed,  two  long  tables  receiving 
the  various  articles  excepting  such  as  were   hung  upon  the  walls  or  other- 


CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION.  613 

wise  disposed  of.  A  prominent  feature  of  this  collection  was  the  large 
number  of  portraits  of  natives  or  former  residents,  among  which  were 
those  of  Gideon  Hall,  Sr.,  Dr.  Luman  Wakefield  and  wife,  Rev.  James 
Beach  and  wife,  Capt.  Wheelock  Thayer  and  wife,  Col.  Hosea  Hinsdale 
and  wife,  Dea.  James  H.  Alvord  and  wife,  Jonathan  Coe  and  wife,  Moses 
Camp,  Sr.,  and  wife,  Rev.  Daniel  Coe  and  wife,  Solomon  Rockwell  and 
wife,  Alpha  Rockwell  and  wife,  Mrs.  Hepzibah  Rockwell,  mother  of  the 
brothers  Alpha  and  Solomon,  Lorrin  Whiting  and  wife,  Riley  Whiting 
and  wife ;  and  of  later  residents,  Seth  L.  Wilder,  William  H.  Phelps,  S. 
Ward  Coe,  Lucius  Clarke,  Nelson  D.  Coe,  Elliot  Beardsley,  Gideon 
Hall,  Jr.,  and  wife,  Luman  Hubbell. 

There  was  a  large  variety  of  ancient  relics,  some  of  which  were  local 
in  character  and  associations,  while  others  illustrated  old  times  without 
special  reference  to  Winchester.  The  first  tavern  sign  ever  put  up  in 
Winsted,  used  at  the  "  Hall  place,"  on  the  hill  beyond  the  East  Village, 
attracted  much  attention.  There  were  pewter  platters,  two  silver  tea- 
spoons seventy-five  years  old,  mugs,  dishes,  pans,  spinning  wheels,  old 
chairs  and  tables,  hatchels,  cards,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  spinning 
and  reeling,  many  small  mantel  ornaments,  antique  and  unique  ;  a  piece 
of  pottery  from  Mrs.  R.  L.  Beecher  that  came  over  in  the  "Mayflower"; 
a  child's  shoe,  handed  down  in  the  family  of  Mrs.  Wm.  C.  Phelps,  which 
was  made  for  Mrs.  Phelps's  great-aunt,  and  known  to  be  140  years  old; 
curious  and  beautiful  articles  of  needle-work  made  by  the  girls  of  70  to 
100  years  ago,  among  which  was  specially  to  be  noted  a  silk-embroidered 
landscape  sent  by  Mrs.  Ezekiel  Woodford;  an  old  "Hussey"*  or  needle- 
case  that  belonged  to  the  grand-mother  of  Mrs.  Daniel  Tuttle  (herself  85 
years  old) ;  a  knitting  sheath  some  six  inches  long,  curiously  carved  in 
wood  and  made  in  1732  ;  some  bed  curtains  with  large,  spreading  figures, 
from  150  to  200  years  old. 

There  was  a  bass-viol  over  100  years  old;  a  pitch-pipe,  and  a  tuning- 
fork  some  six  or  eight  inches  long,  the  property  of  Jesse  Williams,  which 
were  used  to  start  the  music  in  the  first  religious  society  in  Winsted ;  a 
straw  hat  many  years  worn  by  "  Uncle  Jonny  "  Coe ;  a  ponderous  musket, 
used  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  a  coat  and  vest,  long  and  curious,  80 
or  90  years  of  age,  made  here,  and  worn  by  a  bridegroom  exactly  as  it 
was  shown. 

Mrs.  Caleb  J.  Camp  furnished  a  capacious,  old-time  oaken  chest,  with 
carved  front,  a  peculiar  merit  of  which  was,  that  it  did  not  come  over  in 
the  "Mayflower,"  although  it  was  unquestionably  aged  when  it  came  from 
England ;  a  round  dining  table,  old  but  elaborate ;  the  first  pulpit  Bible 
of  the  first  Congregational  Church  in  Winsted ;  the  private  Bible  of  her 
father,  the  Rev.  James  Beach,  having  the  texts  he  used  marked,  and  bear- 

*  This  word  is  supposed  to  be  a  corruption  of  "  housewife." 
78 


614  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 

ing  evidence  of  faithful  and  long  continued  use ;  a  newspaper  published 
just  after  Washington's  death,  draped  for  him  and  containing  his  will ;  a 
pair  of  solid  silver  knee-buckles ;  a  pair  of  linen  stockings  beautifully 
wrought  by  hand  60  to  75  years  since,  and  two  pairs  of  gloves  whose 
gauntlets  reached  to  the  elbows. 

J.  J.  Whiting  brought  a  suit  of  child's  clothes,  made  in  the  fashion  of 
fifty  years  ago ;  a  large  pewter  platter  and  dishes,  in  which  were  served 
baked  beans  and  pork,  which  formed  a  part  of  the  dinner  of  Gov.  Jewell 
and  others. 

Benjamin  Lawrence  brought  a  large  masonic  pitcher,  covered  with 
emblems  of  all  degrees  of  the  order,  and  holding  three  or  four  quarts,  for 
more  than  one  hundred  years  in  his  family,  and  of  foreign  manufacture ; 
and  an  old  masonic  suit  was  shown  by  Orrin  White. 

Various  ancient  books  were  displayed,  especially  one  by  Edward 
Clarke,  a  hymn  book  of  great  antiquity  and  interest;  old  papers  by  S.  B. 
Forbes,  Mrs.  Plumb,  and  others.  And  finally,  a  quantity  of  arrow  heads 
and  other  Indian  relics  dug  up  within  our  borders. 

The  room  was  beautifully  decorated  with  evergreens,  and  presented  an 
attractive  appearance. 

Nor  should  mention  be  forgotten  of  the  ancient  springless  wagon  in  the 
procession,  with  small  wheels  having  large  spokes  and  long,  tapering  hubs, 
and  with  high-backed  kitchen  chairs  for  the  occupants,  whose  feet  rested 
on  an  abundant  sprinkling  of  straw.  The  driver,  arrayed  in  as  old  cos- 
tume as  could  be  found,  plied  his  ox-whip  faithfully,  and  was  admirably 
supported  by  three  ladies  whose  dress  was  equally  representative  in  its 
character.  And  the  riders  on  saddle  and  pillion  gave  an  excellent  exp'  si- 
tion  of  that  style  of  locomotion  so  universally  in  vogue  when  the  town 
was  settled. 


POSTSCRIPT. 


The  death  of  Theron  Bronson,  Esq.,  late  presiding  officer  of  the  Win- 
chester church  centennial  exercises,  occurring  while  these  sheets  are  going 
through  (he  press,  we  copy  from  the  Winsted  Herald  the  following 
obituary  : 

Died  at  Winchester  Center,  on  the  20th  of  January,  1873,  Theron 
Bronson,  Esq.,  aged  63  years. 

Mr.  Bronson,  by  birth,  ancestry,  life-long  residence,  and  active  busi- 
ness, has  been  identified  with  all  the  interests  of  the  town,  and  especially 
with  those  of  the  parish  of  his  residence. 

With  activity,  energy,  and  endurance,  rarely  equaled,  he  embarked  in 
business  at  an  early  age,  and  prosecuted  it  in  various  forms,  with  increas- 
ing ardor,  until  the  very  close  of  his  useful  and  exemplary  life.  As  a 
farmer  and  stock  dealer  he  became  by  far  the  largest  land-owner  in  the 
town;  while  as  a  trader  and  produce  dealer,  he  contributed  largely  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  community  around  him.  His  manly  form  and  cheerful 
visage  are  indelibly  impressed  on  the  memory  of  a  wide-spread  circle  of 
friends  and  acquaintances. 

When  to  these  characteristics  are  added  a  kind  and  generous  heart  and 
liberal  hand,  unquestioned  integrity,  large  public  spirit  and  private  benev- 
olence, and  a  pure  Christian  life,  we  have  a  man  whose  memory  will  be 
gratefully  cherished,  and  whose  loss  will  be  deplored  long  after  his  mortal 
remains  shall  have  mingled  with  kindred  dust. 


APPENDIX. 


TOWN,  COUNTY,  AND  LEGISLATIVE  OFFICERS. 


SENATORS. 


Beardsley,  Elliott 
Beebe,  James 
Boyd,  John 
Clarke,  Lucius 


1853 

1836  1837 
1854 
1846 


Coe,  Samuel  W. 
Dudley,  George 
Hall,  Gideon,  Jr. 


1850 
1863 

1847 


REPRESENTATIVES. 
[Note. — Previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1818,  two  sessions  of  the 
Legislature  were  held  each  year  —  in  May  and  October.] 


Name. 

First.    Last. 

No. 

Name. 

First.    Last. 

No. 

Adams,  Matthew 

1818  1831 

5 

Fanning,  John  J. 

1863 

1 

"      Normand 

1851 

1 

Fyler,  Florimond  D. 

1872 

1 

Alvord,  Charles 

1861 

1 

Gaylord,  Nathaniel  B. 

1816  1818 

2 

Eliphaz 

1787   1811 

11 

Gilbert,  Alvin 

1850 

1 

Andrews,  Daniel 

1833 

1 

William  L. 

1848  1868 

a 

"         Harvey 

1858 

1 

Gilman,  Elias  E. 

1866 

1 

Beardsley,  Elliot 

1863 

1 

Hall,  Gideon,  Jr. 

1838  1860 

4 

Beebe,  James 

1819   1826 

3 

Hatch,  Washington 

1844 

1 

Beecher,  Rollin  L. 

1846   1864 

2 

Higley,  Horace 

1799   1806 

7 

Benedict,  Benjamin 

1787   1817 

7 

Hills,  Huet 

1792  1794 

4 

Bidwell,  John  W. 

1855 

1 

"     Seth 

1781   1793 

6 

Bird,  David 

1852 

1 

Hinsdale,  Bissell 

1815   1815 

2 

Birdsall,  James 

1859 

1 

"          Hosea 

1821 

Blake,  Jonathan 

1851 

1 

"          Theodore 

1837 

Boyd,  James 

1804  1819 

5 

Hoadley,  Samuel 

1811 

"      John 

1830   1835 

2 

Holmes,  Joseph 

1808   1814 

Bronson,  Isaac 

1823   1832 

3 

Hubbard,  Stephen  A. 

1855 

"        Isaac  A. 

1866 

1 

Hurlbut,  Samuel 

1791   1810 

17 

"        Theron 

1849 

1 

n            << 

1835 

William  B. 

1857 

1 

"        Stephen 

1856 

Brownson,  Ozias 

1783   1784 

3 

Jenkins,  Benjamin 

1803   1804 

Brown,  Francis 

1867 

1 

Loomis,  Oliver 

1834 

Bull,  Merrit 

1817   1817 

2 

Marsh,  Joseph  M. 

1871 

Camp,  John 

1844 

1 

McCune,  David 

1791 

"    Moses 

1865 

1 

"       Robert 

1781    1797 

Case,  Lyman 

1839 

1 

Miller,  Joseph 

1829 

Chase,  Dudley 

1854 

1 

Miner,  Phineas 

1809  1816 

Clarke,  Thomas  M. 

1857 

1 

Moore,  Ralph  H. 

1870 

Cleveland,  George  B. 

1867 

1 

Munsill,  Marcus 

1847 

"         James  C. 

1834 

1 

Nash,  Alva 

1829  1830 

Coe,  Jonathan,  Jr. 

1822  1828 

4 

Pettibone,  Ira  W. 

1868 

"    James  R. 

1845 

1 

Phelps,  Daniel 

1818  1828 

"     Norris 

1838  1839 

2 

"       Warren 

1862 

"    Roger 

1814   1815 

3 

Piatt,  Sylvester 

1860 

"     William  G. 

1859  1865 

2 

Roberts,  Harvey  L. 

1871 

Cummings,  J.  T. 

1809 

1 

Rockwell,  Alpha 

1807 

Drake,  Rufus 

1836   1837 

2 

John  T. 

1869 

Dudley,  George 

1847 

1 

"         Solomon 

1820 

618 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER, 


First.    Last.  No. 


Rowley,  Artemas 
Russell,  Giles 

"        Nathaniel 
Sheldon,  Philo  G. 
Smith,  Asahel 
"       Elisha 
"       Heman 
"       Zebina 
Spencer,  Grinnell 
Strong,  David 
Taylor,  George 
Thayer,  Wheelock 
Tolles,  Amos 


1853 

1810  1816 
1801 
1850 

1827   1831 
1856 

1795  1800 
1798  1802 
1824 
1872 
1853 
1833 
1812   1812 


Name. 
Wakefield,  Luman 
Watson,  Thomas 
Welch,  James 
Wetmore,  Abel  S. 

John  G. 

Seth 
White,  George 
Wheelock,  Daniel  B. 
Whiting,  Riley 
Wilder,  Seth  L. 
Wilson,  Abijah 
Woodruff",  Frederick 
York,  Charles  J. 


First. 

Last. 

No. 

1826 

1827 

2 

1864 

1 

1852 

1 

1848 

1- 

1862 

1 

1799 

1802 

4 

1861 

1 

1849 

1 

1818 

1832 

2 

1858 

1 

1798 

1802 

2 

1870 

1 

1869 

1 

JUSTICES   OF   THE  PEACE. 


Adams,  Normand 
Alvord,  Charles 
Eliphaz 
Baldwin,  Ezra 
Beach,  Albert  N. 
Beebe,  James 
Beecher,  Rollin  L. 
Beers,  Lewis  F. 
Blake,  Jonathan 
Boyd,  John 
Bronson,  Isaac 
"         Isaac  A. 
"  Theron 

Camp,  Edward 

"      Moses 
Carrington,  Wm. 
Case,  Lyman 

"     Lyman  W. 
Clarke,  Lucius 
Coe,  James  R. 
"    Jonathan,  Jr. 
"     Norrisj 
"     Samuel  W. 
"     William  G. 
Crowell,  Albert 
Dickerman,  Wm.  B. 
Drake,  Moses 
"       Rufus 
Dudley,  George 
Forbes,  Samuel  B. 
Ford,  Harvey 

"     Nelson  D. 
Foskett,  Anson 
Fyler,  Florimond  D. 
Gaylord,  Nathaniel  B. 
Giddings,  V.  R.  C. 
Gilbert,  Alvin 

"      William  L. 
Hall,  Gideon,  Jr. 
Hallett,  Charles  B. 
Hatch,  William  F. 
Hinsdale,  Hosea 

"        Theodore 
Hitchcock,  Roland 


1848 
1849 
1779 
1848 
1870 
1817 
1854 
1866 
1839 
1828 
1822 
1868 
1842 
1864 
1844 
1844 
1838 
1851 
1844 
1848 
1824 
1844 
1835 
1858 
1850 
1856 
1846 
1844 
1841 
1868 
1842 
1864 
1842 
1866 
1841 
1862 
1843 
1854 
1832 
1862 
1847 
1831 
1835 
1845 


1850     2 

1 

1817  18 

1854     3 

1839  22 

1868  2 
1858  14 
1858  27 
1839  17 
1873  3 
1864  20 
1866  2 
1860  8 
1 
3 
1 
4 
2 
6 
5 


1856 


1848 
1850 
1830 
1850 
1868  33 
1872  14 
1 
1858  2 
1851  2 
1846  2 
1846  3 

1872  4 
1864  11 

1873  5 
1850  8 


1846  5 
1 864  2 
1 
1858  4 
1866  31 
1866  4 
1849  2 
1833  2 
1842     7 


Howe,  John  D.  1842 

Holabird,  William  S.  1825 

Hubbard,  Stephen  A.  1860 

Hubbell,  Luman  1833 

McPherson  1849 

Humphrey,  James  1852 

Hurlbut,  Samuel  Jr.  1831 

"         Samuel  1798 

William  F.  1870 

Kelsey,  William  1848 

Loomis,  Frederick  L.  1864 

"        Lewis  E.  1843 

Marsh,  William  S.  1833 

McAlpine,  John,  Jr.  1846 

Silas  H.  1835 

Miller,  Joseph  1817 

Munsell,  Luman  1844 

"         Marcus  1860 

Nash,  Alva  1832 

Norton,  Charles  S.  1862 

Oatman,  Loyal  1870 

Peck,  William  K.  1866 

Perkins,  Augustus  M.  1872 

Hiram  1850 

Pettibone,  Ira  W.    "  1866 

Piatt,  Sylvester  1848 

Rockwell,  Henry  E.  1846 

"         Solomon  1803 

Rood,  William  H.  1845 

Rowley,  Stephen  1835 

Senior,  Thomas  1850 

Weed,  Charles  B.  1858 

Welch,  James  1838 

Went  worth,  Chester  1850 

Wetmore,  George  W.  1850 

Truman  S.  1819 

Wilder,  Seth  L  1864 

Woodford,  Erastus  S.  1845 

Woodruff,  Frederick  1872 

Soper,  Chester  1831 

Taylor,  George  1851 

Thayer,  Wheelock  1835 

Wakefield,  John  L.  1850 

"  Luman  1819 


1 
1855  28 

1 
1835  2 
1851  2 
1854 
1849 


2 
9 
1819  21 


1851 
1866 


1838 
1851 
1842 
1834  17 
1850  6 

1868  4 
1854  22 

1 

1869  3 

1873  16 

1871  5 

1860  11 

1 

1818  15 

1871  4 

1838  3 

1 

4 

3 

1 

1 

1842  20 

1866  2 

1870  17 

1841  10 
1854  3 

1847  5 
1852 

1848  29 


1862 
1841 


APPENDIX. 


619 


JUDGES  OF  PROBATE. 


Name. 
Boyd,  John 
Camp,  John 
Coe,  Daniel 

Samuel  W. 
Gilman,  Elias  E. 


First.  Last.  No. 

1838  1869  14 

1861  1 

1842  1 

1843  1850     3 
1871 


Name. 
Hall,  Gideon,  Jr. 
Hitchcock,  Roland 
Perkins,  Hiram 
Rood,  William  H. 


First.    Last.   No. 
1839   1848     6 

1846  1856     6 
1869   1871     2 

1847  1 


Alvord,  Charles 
"       Eliphaz 
Bo.vd,  John 
Camp,  Moses,  2d 
Coe,  Samuel  W. 


TOWN   CLERKS. 

18511854     3  I  Goodwin,  Theodore  1797 

1771   1819  46    Hubbard,  Stephen  A.  1854 

1829  1873  26    North,  Martin  1801 

1846  1849     3    Piatt,  Levi  1819  1827 

1833  1841   1 1  I  Woodford,  Erastus  1827  1829 


SELECTMEN. 

Adams,  Matthew 

1805 

1825 

5 

Ford,  Harvey 

1855 

1856 

2 

Alvord,  Eliphaz 

1773 

1774 

0 

"     Nelson  D. 

1869 

1 

"       Jonathan 

1771 

1 

Foskett,  Anson 

1843 

1852 

3 

Andrews,  Lloyd 

1815 

1817 

3 

Fyler,  Hilamon 

1857 

1858 

2 

Andrus,  Abraham 

1773 

1774 

2 

Gibbs,  Warham 

1772 

1778 

6 

Austin,  David 

1772 

1787 

•2 

Goodwin,  Theodore 

1798 

1 

Beach,  Adna 

1799 

1805 

5 

Hall,  Gideon 

1811 

1846 

9 

Beardsley,  Elliot 

1858 

1859 

2 

Hills,  Beriah 

1771 

1 

Beebe,  James, 

1809 

1822 

5 

"     Huet 

1796 

1798 

2 

Beccher,  Rollin  L 

1854 

1 

"      Seth 

1771 

1788 

12 

Benedict,  Benjamin 

1780 

1788 

5 

Hinsdale,  Hosea 

1808 

1825 

9 

"        Benjamin,  Jr. 

1804 

1 

"       John 

1861 

1 

Blake,  Jonathan 

1828 

1845 

3 

Holmes,  Joseph 

1804 

1 

Boyd,  James 

1802 

1803 

2 

Hoskins,  Silas 

1853 

1 

Bragg,  James  L. 

1864 

1 

Hubbell,  Luman 

1835 

1837 

3 

Branard,  Othniel 

1789 

1794 

2 

Hurlbut,  Lemuel 

1831 

1832 

2 

Bronson,  Isaac  A. 

1862 

1863 

2 

"       Leonard 

1823 

1824 

2 

"         Theron, 

1849 

1 

"      Samuel 

1781 

1796 

8 

Brownson,  Benoni 

1792 

1 

Jopp,  Orson  W. 

1853 

1 

"          Isaac 

1810 

1820 

4 

Lee,  John 

1796 

1 

"          Levi 

1789 

1812 

2 

Loomis,  Abiel 

1805 

1 

"          Ozias 

1780 

1796 

11 

"       Alanson 

1841 

1844 

2 

"          Salmon 

1802 

1803 

0 

"       Daniel 

1789 

1 

Camp,  Edward 

1870 

1 

"       Frederick  L. 

1872 

1 

"      John 

1847 

1861 

6 

"       Lor  rain 

1808 

1 

Case,  Lyman 

1836 

1857 

3 

Malery,  Elisha 

1792 

1 

Chase,  Dudley 

1846 

1848 

3 

Marshall,  Reuben 

1797 

1801 

3 

Clarke,  Lucius 

1854 

1 

McAlpin,  John 

1808 

1818 

7 

Coe,  Eben 

1814 

1 

McCune,  Robert 

1777 

1788 

e, 

"    Jehial 

1850 

1 

"        Samuel 

1787 

1 

"    Jonathan 

1778 

1793 

2 

Miner,  Phineaa 

1802 

1803 

2 

"    Jonathan,  Jr. 

1819 

1825 

7 

Munsill,  Marcus 

1841 

1843 

3 

"    Nelson  D. 

1848 

1 

Murray,  Ammi 

1827 

1 

"    Norris   - 

1825 

1826 

2 

"       Daniel 

1834 

1835 

2 

"    Roger 

1806 

1822 

4 

"       Frederick 

1857 

1872 

7 

"    Rozel 

1786 

1 

Nash,  Alva 

1827 

1833 

5 

Cook,  Reuben 

1831 

1842 

4 

"      John 

1804 

1814 

3 

"     Urijah 

1804 

1 

"      Lorenzo  S. 

1861 

1 

Drake,  Moses,  Jr. 

1829 

1830 

2 

Newton,  Samuel  S. 

1865 

1 

Doolittle,  Jesse 

1780 

1788 

5 

Norton,  Levi 

1793 

1801 

4 

Dunham,  Jonathan 

1792 

1793 

2 

Perkins,  Hiram 

1855 

1869 

4 

Everitt,  Andrew 

1796 

1 

Persons,  Wing 

1868 

1 

Frisbee,  Joseph 

1785 

1789 

2 

Phelps,  Daniel 

1804 

1826 

2 

620 


ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


SELECTMEN,  continued. 


Name. 

First.  Last. 

No. 

Name. 

First. 

Last. 

Vo. 

Phelps,  William  C. 

1860  1872 

9 

Thayer,  Wheelock 

1829 

1833 

3 

Pine,  Samuel  W. 

1870 

1 

Wetmore,  John  G. 

1866 

1867 

2 

Piatt,  Levi 

1813  1814 

2 

"         Samuel 

1771 

1775 

4 

"      Sylvester 

1836 

1 

"        Samuel,  2d 

1797 

1798 

2 

Rice,  Lorenzo 

1860   1864 

2 

Seth 

1799 

1801 

3 

Rockwell,  Alpha 

1802  1807 

4 

Willard  S. 

1849 

1856 

3 

Rood,  Wm.  H. 

1865   1868 

4 

Whedon,  Stephen 

1817 

1819 

3 

Rowley,  Artemas 

1836   1854 

10 

Wheeler,  Nathan 

1790 

1793 

3 

Russell,  Giles 

1814  1818 

5 

Wilcoxson,  Elisha 

1779 

1787 

2 

"         Nathaniel 

1789   1794 

2 

Wilder,  Seth  L. 

1862 

1863 

2 

Smith,  Elisha 

1817 

1 

Wilson,  Abijah 

1795 

1801 

7 

"      Hem  an 

1790  1800 

5 

Wright,  John 

1774 

1785 

2 

"       Jos  i  ah 

1776  1788 

7 

Charles 

1781 

1 

"      Josiah,  Jr. 

1826  1827 

n 

Woodford,  Erastus 

1826 

1830 

4 

"       Zebina 

1790  1813 

8 

Woodruff,  Frederick 

1869 

1 

Soper,  Chester 

1829 

1 

"         Isaac  B. 

1862 

1 

Strong,  David 

1871 

1 

COLLEGE  GRADUATES. 


Rev.  Noble  Everett,     Ya 

le,                  1795 

Abel  McEwen,  D.  D., 

1804 

George  Baldwin,              ' 

1811 

John  Boyd,                       ' 

1821 

Theodore  Hinsdale,         ' 

'                      1821 

Edward  Rockwell, 

1821 

Rev.  Samuel  Rockwell,  ' 

1825 

Ira  W.  Pettibone,             ' 

'                      1854 

Edward  R.  Beardsley,      ' 

'                       1859 

Rev.  John  B.  Doolittle,  ' 

1863 

Rev.  John  W.  Alvord,  () 

berlin. 

Rev.  Harmon  E.  Burr, 

<< 

Rev.  Orrin  W.  White,  Oberlin, 
Hiram  Wilson,        Wesleyan  U., 
John  C.  Holabird, 
Rev.  Jonathan  Coe,         " 
Seth  Church,  " 

Charles  F.  Wetmore,  Trinity, 
James  B.  Wakefield,         " 
Rev.  Leumas  H.  Pease,  Williams, 
Rev.  Henry  B.  Blake,  " 

George  M.  Carrington,         " 
Benjamin  W.  Pettibone,  Amherst, 


1835 
1841 
1861 
1860 


INDEX  TO  ANNALS  OF  WINCHESTER. 


SUBJECTS. 


Baldwin,  Rev.  John  D.,  356. 
Bank,  Huvlbut,  437. 

Winsted,  436,  437. 
"       Winsted  Savings,  437. 
Barkhamsted  Light  House,  25. 
Bassett,  Rev.  Archibald,  213,  224,  233. 
Beach,  Rev.  James,  356,  386-388. 
Booge,  Rev.  Public  V.,  182-184,  206, 

212,  213. 
Bride  Stealing,  109. 
Building  Associations,  445-448. 
Bulkley,  Rev.  C.  H.  A.,  452. 
Burying-grounds,  66,  72,  278. 

Census,  of  1756,    122;    of  1771,  82;    of 

1774,  122;  of  1782,  158. 
Cheese-press,  337. 
Clergymen,  56,  58,  63,  88,  89,  90,  95,  102- 

104,  107,  179,  183,  184,  206,  209,  212, 

213,  224,  233,  234,  236,237,256,  356, 
357,  396,  397,  453. 

Clifton  Borough,  431. 
Cold  Summe/of  1816,  418. 
Cooley,  Rev.  H.  E.,  357. 
Cunningham,  Rev.  John,  256. 

Dana,  Rev.  M.  McG.,  357. 
Democratic  Party,  206. 
Dill,  Rev.  James  H.,  256. 
Dwight,  Rev.  Timothy  M.,  356. 

Eddy,  Rev.  Hiram,  452,  453,  466,  467. 
Emigration  from  town,  44,  45,  223,  224. 
Enoch  Arden,  107,  108. 

Fieldpiece  (patriotic),  243,  244. 

Fireplace,  or  "  Smoke,"  161. 

Eish,  23,  26. 

Freemen  admitted,  143,  147,  148,  154, 
171,  172,  175,  191,  192,  195,  198,  202, 
207,211,  213,  226,228,230,  231,  234, 
236,  240,  241. 

French  War,  263,  291,  314. 

Game,  23,  25,  26,  34. 

Gay,  Rev.  Wm.  M.,  256 

Geese,  233. 

General  Training,  221,  222. 

Goodenough,  Rev.   Arthur.,  257. 

"Great  Exodus,"  47,  224. 

Green,  Old  Winchester,  221,  222. 

Hard  Winter  of  '83,  47,  48. 

Harmer's  Campaign,  53. 

Hartford  Jail-breaking  of  1722,  11,12. 

79 


Hartford  Votes  in  town  meeting,  10,  12. 
Hawk  Catching,  49. 

Independence  Day,  Celehration  of,  242, 

243. 
Indians,  25,  339. 
Institute,  Winchester,  257,  258. 

Jefferson  Flood,  224. 

Knapp,  Rev.  Joshua,  89,  90, 179. 
King,  Rev.  Salmon,  354. 
Kinney,  Rev.  Aaron,  354-356. 

Land  Title,  9-14. 

Land  Grants  to  various  towns,  9-14. 

"  "      Vote  sin  Hartford  town  meet- 

ings respecting,  10,  12. 
Land,  plan  of  division  of,  17-19,  84. 

"      reserved  for  highways,  19. 

"      given  to  Hartford  Ministers,  9,  32. 

"      none    reserved    for    Churches      or 
Schools,  19,  32. 

"      earliest  deed  of,  recorded,  9. 
Lawyers,  55,  342-344,  392,  393,  424. 
Libraries,  500-504. 

Manufactures  : — 

Axes,  511,  512. 

Augers,  521. 

Bolts  and  Nuts,  520. 

Cards,  516. 

Carriage  springs,  522. 

Cheese  Boxes,  506. 

Clocks,  515,516. 

Coffin  trimmings,  522. 

Condensed  milk,  522. 

Cutlery,  520. 

Fire  Irons,  521. 

Forges,  22,  95. 

Forks,  518. 

Foundries,  518. 

Grist  Mills,  506,  507. 

Guns,  46. 

Iron  and  Steel,  363,  508-511. 

Joiners'  tools,  522. 

Leather,  512-514. 

Linseed  Oil,  518. 

Lumber,  522. 

Machinery,  518,  519. 

Nails,  511. 

Pins,  521. 

Plated  ware,  522. 

Saw  Mills,  62.  130-132. 

Scythes,  311,  507,  508. 

Tanneries,  371,373. 

Tools,  519,  520. 


622 


INDEX  TO  SUBJECTS. 


Manufactures,  continued. 

Wagons  and  Carriages,  516,  517. 

Whiskey.  517. 

Wire,  512. 

Wooden  Ware,  505,  506. 

Woolen  Cloths,  514,  515. 

Marsh,  Rev.  Frederick,  237,  238,  256. 

Masonic  Organiz  itions,  499,  500. 

Methodism,  rise  in  town,  104,  4(12. 

Methodist  Church  at  Noppit,  256. 
"  "      at  Winsted,  402. 

Miles,  Rev.  Thomas  M.,  357 

Minerals,  21. 

New  Town,  petitioned  for,  172. 

Oath  of  Fidelity,  134. 

Odd  Fellows'  Lodges,  500. 

Parsons,  Rev.  Stephen,  349,350 

Pearson,  Rev.  James  B.,  357- 

Penitent  Deacons,  130 

Petitions  for  incorporation,  75,  76,  81-83. 

Pettibone,  Hcv.  Ira,  256,  257,356. 

Physicians,  50,  68,  69,  396. 

Pierson,  Rev.  Arthur  T.,  452. 

Pioneer  Settlers,  31-74. 

Pomeroy,  Rev.  Augustus,  356. 

Poor,  care  of  by  town,  255. 

Post  Offices,  362,  431-433. 

Practical  Jokes,  276,  277. 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  439,  440. 

Railroads.— Naugatuck,  437-439.  Conn. 
Western,  491-493. 

Revolutionary  War.  —  Town  Votes,  122, 
125-27,  128,  129,  134,  135,  137,  139. 
Declaration  of  Rights,  127,  129.— 
Soldiers  of,  38,  44,  49,  50,  51,  53,  57, 
61,  65,  70,  71,  108,  109,  122,  129,  135, 
137,  139,  144,  146,  147,  149,  150,  151, 
161-166,  176,  191,  264,  265,  275,  291, 
298,  305,  314, 394. 

Roads,  27-30,  102,  251-254,  358,  359,376, 
404,  448,  4-19. 

Russell,  Rev.  H.  A.,  357. 

Sabba'day  Houses,  79,  80. 

St.  Francis'  It.  C.  Seminary,  445. 
"  "     Parochial  School,  445. 

St.  Joseph's  R.  C.  Church,  444,  445. 

St.  Margaret's  R.  C.  Fern.  Seminary,  445. 

Saracena,  Fra.  Leo  da,  444. 

Satan's  Kingdom,  25. 

School  Costumes  and  Games,  380,  381. 

School  Houses,  33,  72,  218,  248,  358,  378, 

402,  403. 

School  Teachers,  331-383,  403,  428. 
Schools,  Common,  198,217-221,379-383. 
Schools,  Spelling  in,  220,  221. 

"         High  and  Seminaries,  257,  258, 

403,  404,  428. 
Schools,  Graded,  488. 
Selectmen,  254. 
Simons,  Rev.  Noah,  354. 
Small-Pox,  Inoculation  for,  207,  208. 

"         "     Pest-Houses,  208. 
Smith,  James  C,  Obituary  of,  255. 
Stocks,  242,  243. 
Streams,  23,  24. 


Sunday  Traveling,  29,  148,  208. 

Taverns,  29,  37,  97,  202,  210,  244,  358, 

378. 
Temperance  Reform  &  Societies,  493-499. 
Trees,  When  Transplanted,  379. 
Turnpikes,  Green  Woods,  211,  376. 
"  Waterbury,  225. 

Walker,  Rev.  J.  B.  R,,  357. 

War  of  1812,  267,  274,  416-418. 

War  of  1861,  206,  460-487. 

Wedding  Customs,  109. 

Wetherby,  Rev.  Charles,  453. 

Whipping  Post,  242,  243. 

Will  of  First  Settler,  33. 

Winchester,  First  Ecclesiastical  Society, 

Organization,  75-78. 
Winchester  Society,  Petitioners  for,  76. 
"  First  Meeting JJouse,  77,  80. 

Second  "  169,  202. 

244. 
Winchester,  Third,  "  244. 

"  First  Congregational  Church, 

86,  88. 
Winchester  Constituent  Members,  87- 
"  Early  Admissions,  87,  88. 

"  ('red  and  Covenant,  86,  87. 

"  Ordination  of  1st  Pastor,  89*. 

"  Ordaining  Covenant,  89. 

"  Half-way  Covenant,  102,  104, 

125,  140,  143. 
Winchester,  Township,  Preliminary  His- 
tory, 9-14. 
Winchester,  Proprietors  of,  15,  16. 

"  Geological  Formation,  21. 

"  Physical  "  20-24. 

"  Proprietors'  Meetings,  15,  16. 

"  "         Division  of  Lands, 

16-19,31. 
Winchester,  Town,  Incorporation,  81-83. 
"  "       Organization,  83-85. 

"       First  Officers,  83. 
"  "      First    Representation 

in  General  Assembly,  148. 
Winchester,  New  Inhabitants,  93  to  383. 

Meetings,  83  to  300. 
Winsted  Society,  Petition  for  Incorpora- 
tion, 281. 
Winsted,  Ancient,  346-355. 
"        Modern,  355,  357. 
"        Ecclesiastical  History,  346-357. 
"        First  Cong.  Church,  357,  453. 
"         Second    "  "        organized, 

357,  453. 
Winsted,  Buildings  in  1803,  377-379. 
Families       "  380. 

"        Villages,    Early     Aspect     and 
Growth,  358-362,  430,  435,  436. 
Winsted,  Borough,  453-456. 

Water  Works,  455-457. 

Roads,  358-62,  435,  440. 

"        First  Meeting-House,  346-54. 

Second  "  355,   360, 

361. 
Winsted  Parade  Ground,  359,  362. 
Woodworth,  Rev.  Ezra,  351-354. 


SETTLERS     AND     INHABITANTS      SPECIALLY 
WITH   THEIR   FAMILY    RECORDS. 


NOTED 


Acklcv,  Levi,  319. 
Adams,  Mathew,  226. 
Adkins,  James,  148. 
Adkins,  Isaac,  148. 
Agard,  Aaron,  and  Jos.,  149. 
Allen,  John,  298. 
Albro,  Daniel,  407. 
Alvord,  J.onathan,  62. 
Alvord,  Eliphaz,  62-64. 
Alvord,  John,  64. 
Alvord,  David,  119. 
Alvoid,  James  II.,  397. 
Alvord,  Ruel,  397. 
Andrews,  Abui   Sen.,  105. 
Andrews,  Theophilus,  105. 
Andrews,  Abui.  Jr.,  106. 
Andrews,  Ens.  Dan.,  106. 
Andrews,  Eli,  106. 
Andrews,  Major  Lloyd,  195. 
Andrews,  Dan'l  Jr.,  106. 
Andrews,  Elijah,  148. 
Aplev,  Josiah,  344. 
Arnold,  Stephen,  238. 
Avered,  Capt.  Josiah,  47- 
Austin,  David,  42. 
Austin,  David  Jr.,  43. 
Austin,  John,  267. 

Bacon,  Francis,  John,  179. 
Bailey,  Theodore,  227. 
Balcom,  John  Jr.,  266. 
Balcom,  John  Sr.,  266. 
Balcom,  Jonathan,  266. 
Balcom,  Nathaniel,  266. 
Balcom,  Elias,  267. 
Balcom,  Elias  Oabit,  267. 
Baldwin.  Samuel  W.,  233. 
Baldwin,  Norman,  235. 
Baldwin,  Reuben,  336. 
Barbour,  William,  136. 
Barnstable,  Wm  ,  146. 
Bartlett,  Samuel,  408. 
Bassett,  Lemuel,  123. 
Beach,  Caleb.  33. 
Beach,  Joel,  33-35. 
Beach,  Caleb  (2),  35,  215. 
Beach,  John,  120. 
Beach,  Rev.  James,  120,  386. 
Beach,  Aetna,  188. 
Beach,  Horace  V.,  187. 
Beach,  Fisk,  187. 
Beckley,  Richard,  225. 
Beckley,  Daniel,  Norris,  250. 
Beebe,  James,  231. 
Beebe,  David,  196. 
Benedict,  Capt.  Benj.,  71. 
Benedict,  Capt.   Timothy,  72,  3. 
Benedict,  Timothy  Jr.,  72,  3. 
Benedict,  Timothy,  (3)  72. 
Benedict,  Za'mou,  175. 
Benedict,  John,  176.  ' 

Benedict,  Elijah,  344. 
Bishop,   Harry,    Leverett,    and 

Seth,  412. 
Blackman,  Peter,  131. 
Blackman,  Nathan,  131. 
Blackman,  Truman  &  J.  P.,  131 
Blake,  Elijah,  208. 
Blake,  Jonathan,  209. 


Blake,  Harry,  209. 

Blake,  Ithuel,  210. 

Blake,  Allen,  210. 

Boyd,  James,  312-315. 

Boyd,  John,  316. 

Boyd,  James  M  ,  316. 

Boyd,  Thomas,  321. 

Bovd,  Samuel,  316,423. 

Booge,  Rev.  P.  V.,  187. 

Bragg,  .lames,  245. 

Bronson,  Dea.  Levi,  101. 

Bronson,  Col.  Ozias,  109. 

Bronson,  Ozias  Jr.,  109. 

Bronson,    Levi  (2),  Salmon,  and 

Asahel.  110. 
Bronson,  Abijah  P.  &  Isaac,  111. 
Bronson,  Benoni,  154. 
Bronson,   Chauncey  and  Oren- 

tus,  155. 
Bi'onson,  Parliament,  155. 
Brooks,  Asaph  B.,  239. 
Brooks,  Samuel  and  Chauncey, 

239. 
Broughton,  Nathan,  175. 
Bull,  Merritt,  332. 
Bull,  Thomas  R.,  375. 
Bunnell,  Eliab,  383. 
Bunnell,  William,  210. 
Burnham,  Daniel,  392. 
Burr,  Allen,  228. 
Burr,  Jehiel,  325. 
Burr,  Salmon,  374. 
Burr,  Erastus,  385. 
Burr,  Roswell,  385. 
Burr,  Halsey,385. 
Burton,  John,  307. 
Butrick,  Cyrus,  333. 
Byington,  Jesse,  398. 

Camp,  Samuel  and  Moses,  330 
-332. 

Cannon,  Timothy,  322. 

Cannon,  Thomas,  145. 

Carpenter,  Bemsley,  391. 

Case,  Wm.  K.,  193. 

Case,  Asher,  239. 

Oastel,  William.  119. 

Castel,  Elijah,  119. 

Caul,  William,  407. 

Caul,  Charles  C,  406. 

Chamberlin,  Wm.,  Sr.,  &  Jr., 
155. 

Champion,  Nathan,  407. 

Chase,  Gedeliah,  345. 

Chase,  George,  Dudley  and  Reu- 
ben, 248. 

Chickley,  William,  227. 

Church,  John,  144. 

Church,  Jonathan,  Uri,  145. 

Church,  Hiram,  249. 

Cleveland,  James  C,  409. 

Cleveland.  Orrin,  411. 

Clark,  Samuel,  131. 

Clark,  Daniel,  137. 

Clark,  Uzal.  283. 

Clarke,  Lemuel,  394. 

Clarke,  Lucius,  395,  410. 

Clarke.  Jesse,  373. 

Clarke,  Nathan  W.,  373. 


Coe,  Jonathan,  50. 

Coe,  Oliver,  51. 

Coe,  Robert,  Jon.,  &  Oliver,  52. 

Coe,  Jonathan,  53,  309. 

Coe,  David,  53. 

Coe,  Daniel,  Eben,  54. 

Cue.  Roger,  198. 

Coe,  Jebial,  Asahel,  55. 

Coe,  Nelson  D.,  55. 

Cue,  Jonathan,  .lames  11.,  56. 

Coit,  Richard,  148 

Cone,  Daniel  II. ,  150. 

Cone,  Samuel,  Warren,  239. 

Conk,  laron .  5! i. 

Cook,  Shubael,  303. 

Cook,  Urijah,  303. 

Cook,  Reuben.  303. 

Cook,  Anson,  304 

Cook,  Joseph,  333. 

Corbin,  Peter,  113. 

Corbiu,  Peter  Jr  ,  Dauiel,  114. 

Crissey.  David,  270. 

Crissey,  Preserved,  Israel,  270. 

Crocker,  Wm  ,  199. 

Crocker  James, 

Crowe,  Henry  B.,  413. 

Crum,  William,  241. 

Curtis,  Jared,  232. 

Davis,  William,  314. 
Dayton,  Archibald,  250. 
Deer,  John,  150 
Deer,  Jonathan,  151. 
Dodge,  Joseph,  132. 
Derbv,  John,  275. 
DeWolf,  Benjamin,  300. 
DeWolf,  Daniel,  301. 
Doolittle,  Jesse,  272. 
Doolittle,   Jesse   Jr.,  Zera,  272. 
Doolittle,  L.  man,  272. 
Douglass,  Israel,  319. 
Drake,  Moses, 
Drake,  Rufus,  249. 
Dunham,  Jonathan,  305. 
Dudley,  George.  333,  433. 
Button,  Nath.,  13. 

Eggleston,  Daniel,  303. 
Elmer,  Hezekiah,  124 
Elmore,  Joseph  B.,  1".  3. 
Elmore,  Nathaniel,  ltJ6. 
Everitt,  Josiah,  47. 
Everitt,  Dr.  Josiah.  49. 
Everitt.  Andre 
Everitt,  Elihu,  230. 
Everitt,  Rev.  Noble,  49. 
Everitt,  Noble  J.,  241. 

Fay,  Timothy  and  Wm.,  132. 
Fay,  Gershom,  132. 
Fay,  Thaddeus,  308. 
Filley,  Wm.,  40. 
Filley,  Abraham,  40. 
Filley,  Remembrance,  41. 
Forbes,  Daniel,  126. 
Ford.  Harvey,  249. 
Frisbie,  Joseph.  112. 
Frisbie,  Elijah,  112. 


624 


INDEX  OF  SETTLERS. 


Frisbie,  Eli,  207. 
Fyler,  Silas,  188. 
Fyler,  Roman,  188. 
Fyler,  Stephen,  Jr.,  412. 

Gaylord,  Nathaniel  B., 

(See  Rockwell  family.) 
Gaylord,  Henry  L.,  425. 
Gaylord,  Stephen,  207. 
Gibbs,  Warham,  65. 
Gilbert,  Samuel,  35. 
Gilbert,  Samuel  D.,  247. 
Gleason,  Noah,  60. 
Gleason,  Samuel  D.,  247. 
Goff,  David,  70. 
Goodwin,  Theodore,  189. 
Goodwin,  Russell,  190. 
Goucher,  William,  399. 
Grant,  Roswell,  176. 
Grant,  Miles,  428. 
Grinnell,  Michael,  305. 
Grinnell,  Rufus,  305. 
Grinnell,  Jasper,  395. 
Griswold,  Phineas,  112. 
Griswold,  Roswell ,  136. 
Griswold,  Seth,  135. 
Griswold,  Phineas,  Jr.,  199. 
Griswold,  Matthew,  199. 
Grover,  Daniel,  60. 
Grover,  Timothy,  62. 

Hale,  James,  136. 
Hall,  John  B.,  192. 
Hall,  Sylvester,  203. 
Hall,  Gideon,  326. 
Hall,  Reuben,  411. 
Handee,  Barzillai,  282. 
Handee,  Clenions  &  Cyrenus,282 
Hart,  Lewis,  246. 
Hart,  Willard,  249. 
Hart,  Luke,  Selah,  299. 
Hart,  Stephen,  Samuel,  299. 
Hatch,  Zepheniah,  190. 
Hatch,  Moses,  161,  191. 
Hawley,  Samuel,  167. 
Hawley,  Salmon,  169. 
Hawley,  Eleazer,  406. 
Hayden,  Samuel,  273. 
Hayden,  Seth,  273 
Hayden,  Moses,  274. 
Hewitt,  Joshua,  399. 
Higley,  Horace,  322. 
Hill,  Wait,  192. 
Hills,  Benoni,  43. 
Hills,  Seth,  44. 
Hills,  John,  Beria,  45. 
Hills,  Jesse,  Chauncey,  46. 
Hills,  Benoni,  Ira,  46. 
Hills,  Hewitt,  177. 
Hinsdale,  Bissell,  338,  341. 
Hinsdale,  Theodore,  341. 
Hinsdale,  Hosea,  371. 
Hinsdale,  Elizur,  391. 
Hoadley,  Samuel,  383,  884. 
Hoadley,  Luther,  384. 
Holabird,  Wm.  S.,  424. 
Holcomb,  Luther,  199. 
Holmes,  Ezra,  Seth,  201. 
Holmes,  David,  298. 
Holmes,  Joseph,  334. 
Holmes,  Rufus,  335. 
Holmes,  Willard,  336,  412. 
Holmes,  Everett  C  ,  330. 
Horton,  Jesse,  228. 
Hoskin,  Joseph,  Sr.,  &  Jr.,  01. 
Hoskin,  Theodore.  61,  308. 
Hoskin,  Silas,  62,  415. 
Hosmer,  Thomas  Jr.,  41. 
Hoyt,  Nathaniel,  204. 
Hoyt,  Micajah,  Zeri  W.,  204. 
Hubbard,  Elijah,  137. 
Hubbell,  Silliman,  214. 
Hubbell,  Luman,  214,  425. 
Humphrey,  Chauncey,  210. 


Humphrey,  Augustus,  215. 
Hungerford,  Reuben,  173. 
Hurlbut,  Capt.  Samuel,  97. 
Hurlbut,  Leonard,  98. 
Hurlbut,  Samuel  Jr.,  98. 
Hurlbut,  Lemuel,  99. 
Hurlbut,  Stephen,  Martin,  100. 
Hurlbut,  Joseph  W.,  100,  408. 
Hurlbut,  Erastus  G.,  239. 
Hurlbut,  Simeon,  144. 

Jacklyn,  Isaac,  230. 
Jenkins,  Benjamin,  311. 
Johnson,  Isaac,  399. 
Johnson,  Benjamin,  391. 
Jopp,  John,  295,  296. 
Judd,  Benjamin,  157. 

Kellogg,  Eleazer,  301. 
Keyes,  William.  172. 
Kimberly,  Jacob  Sr.,  &  Jr..  177. 
Kingsbury,  Geo.,  204. 
Kirkum,  Philemon,  342. 
Kinney,  Rev.  Aaron,  354 
Kinney,  Sheldon,  411. 
Kinney,  Nisus,  415. 
Knapp,  Rev.  Joshua,  107. 
Knowlton,  Stephen,  284. 

Leach,  Alex.,  96. 
Leach,  William,  96. 
Lemly,  Solomon,  344. 
Lemly,  Jacob,  344. 
Loomis,  Simeon,  59. 
Loomis,  Ichabod,  117. 
Looaiis,  Thaddeus,  117. 
Loomis,  Arpbaxad,  118. 
Loomis,  Abiel,  118. 
Loomis,  Alanson,  425. 
Loomis,  Ichabod  Jr.,  119. 
Loomis,  Daniel,  123. 
Loomis,  Epaphr&s,  196. 
Loomis,  Dea.  Lorrain.  196. 
Loomis,  Arab,  215. 
Loomis,  U'ait,  234. 
Loomis,  Oliver,  250,  425. 
Loomis,  Asher,  323. 
Loomis,  Aaron,  371. 
Lucas,  John,  180. 
Lyon,  Christopher,  407. 

McAlpine,  John,  193. 
McAlpine,  Silas  H.,  194. 
J.IcEwen,  Robert,  56. 
McEwen,  Gershom,  57. 
McEwen,  Robert,  (2)  58. 
McEwen,  Samuel,  58. 
McEwen,  Rev.  Abel,  58. 
Maltbie,  John,  406. 
Mallory,  Elisha,  Sen.,  286. 
Mallory,    Elisha    Jr.,     Amasa, 

Asa,  287. 
Marble,  David,  408. 
Mars,  .'upiter,  229. 
Marsh.  Rev.  Frederick,  238. 
Marshall,  John,  151 
Marshall,  Reuben,  193. 
Marshall,  Daniel,  307. 
Merriam,  William,  320. 
Merry,  Cornelius,  41. 
Miller,  Lewis,  306. 
Miller,  Asahel,  329. 
Miller,  Joseph,  392. 
Miller,  Sheldon,  249,  307. 
Mills,  David,  271. 
Mills,  Chauncey,  271. 
Miner,  Reuben.  107. 
Jliner,  John,  124. 
Miner,  Phineas,  124. 
Miner,  William,  125. 
Mitchell,  Joseph,  320. 
Mitchell,  Selden,400. 
Moore,  Simeon,  Jr.,  170. 
Moore,  Dr.  Aaron,  325. 


Mott,  Adam,  36. 
Mott,  Jonathan,  87. 
Mott,  Adam  Jr.,  Lent.,  38. 
Mott,  Lent  Jr.,  213. 
Mott,  Loammi,39,  200. 
Munsill,  Zacheus,321. 
Munson,  Caleb,  301. 
Munson,  Hermon,  396 
Murray,  David,  178. 
Murray,  Daniel,  234. 
Murray,  Ammi,  240. 
Murray,  William,  400. 

Nash,  John,  170. 
Nash,  Alva,  171. 
North,  Martin.  126, 127. 
North,  Martin  Jr.,  127. 
North,  Rufus,  127. 
Norton,  Levi,  151. 
Norton,  Levi  (2),  333. 

I   Oakley,  Hawley,  385. 
I    Oakley,  Alvah,  385. 

[    Palmer,  Enoch,  59. 

Palmer,  Ambrose,  113 
'   Palmer,  Solomon,  308. 

Parks,  Nathaniel,  336. 
j    Parks,  Jonathan,  337. 

Pease,  Asaph,  423. 

Persons,  Alpheus,  376. 
I    Persons,  Timothy,  376. 

Phelps,  Daniel,  Sr.,  &  Jr.,  200. 

Phelps,  Lancelot,  237. 

Phelps,  Benj.,  Frederick.  247. 

Phillips,  John,  375. 
j   Pinney,  Elijah,  232. 

Piatt,  Daniel,  73. 
I    Piatt,  Joseph,  157. 
i    Piatt,  Levi,  180. 
:    Piatt,  Svlvester.  Levi  Jr..  181. 
i   Porter,  Eleazer, '285. 

Potter,  Daniel,  269. 

Potter,  Phineas,  269. 

Potter,  Sheldon,  269. 

Pratt,  Andrew,  320. 

Preston,  Ebenezer,  35. 

Preston,  Joseph,  36. 

Preston,  Samuel,  36. 

Preston,  Benjamin,  113. 

Priest,  Philip,  126. 

Reynolds,  Horace,  408. 
Rice,  Daniel,  230. 
Richards,  Eli,  241. 
Riley,  John  C,  200. 
Roberts,  Joel,  113. 
Roberts,  George,  408. 
Roberts,  Samuel,  152. 
Rockwell,  Elihu,  334. 
Rockwell,  Solomon,  363. 
Rockwell,  Alpha,  364. 
Rockwell,  Edward,  Samuel,  370. 
Rockwell,  John  T.,  370. 
Rockwell,  B.  B.,365. 
Rockwell,  Henry  E.,  428. 
Rogers,  Simeon,  284. 
Rogers,  Jonathan,  309. 
Rohrabacker,  John,  400. 
Root,  Roger,  235. 
Root,  Gurdon,  235. 
Rowley,  Ebenezer,  276. 
Rowley,  Alpha,  410. 
Rowley,  Asher,  278. 
Rowley,  Elias,  279. 
Rowley,  Reuben,  334. 
Rowley,  Samuel,  391. 
Rowley,  Stephen,  422. 
Russell,  Nathaniel,  291. 
Russell,  Giles,  293. 

Sanford,  Henry,  337. 
Sanford,  William,  337. 


INDEX  OF  SETTLERS. 


625 


Schovil,  Stephen,  146. 
Scovill,  Reuben,  317. 
Seymour,  Trumau,  324. 
Seymour,  Jacob, John,  374. 
Shattuck,  Randall,  328. 
Shaw,  John,  297. 
Shepard,  Ebenezer,  265. 
Shepard,  Didymus,  168. 
Shepard,  James,  373. 
Skinner,  Isaac,  185.    ■ 
Skinner,  Benjamin,  393. 
Smith,  Eleazer,  00. 
Smith,  Elisha,  Esq.,  101. 
Smith,  Chauncej',  153. 
Smith,  Heman,  178. 
Smith.  Oliver,  229. 
Smith,  Asahel,  235. 
Smith,  Josiah,  26t 
Smith,  Zebina,  296. 
Smith,  Elisha,  297. 
Smith,  Riley,  423. 
Smith,  Theodore.  337. 
Soper,  Chester,  413. 
Spencer,  Thomas,  93. 
Spencer,  John,  94. 
Spencer,  Thomas  (2),  95. 
Spencer,  Grinnell,  95. 
Spencer,  Stephen,  144. 
Spencer,  Elisha,  284. 
Spencer,  Ozias,  285. 
Spencer,  Norman  (1).  416. 
Stanclift,  Comfort,  287. 
Stanclift,  Samuel,  288. 
Stannard,  Abel,  73. 
Stannard,  Lemuel,  73. 
Stannard,  William,  74. 
Stannard,  Seth,  Ezra,  74. 
Starkweather,  Elijah,  205. 
Starkweather,  Roger,  237. 
Storer,  John,  240,  400. 
Strong,  David,  Edwin  M.,  205. 
Strong,  Lyman,  398. 
Sweet,  Jonathan,  108, 123. 
Sweet,  James,  Reuben,  123 
Sweet,  Peleg,  168. 


Sweet,  John,  288. 
Swift,  Zephaniah,  246. 

Talcott,  Wm.  0..424. 
Tallmadge,  David,  395. 
Taylor,  Eliud.  192. 
Taylor,  Silas.  201. 
Thayer,  Wheelock,  413. 
Thompson,  Elijah,  153. 
Thompson,  Dan.,  Samuel,  153. 
Thrall,  Reuben,  101. 
Thrall,  Erastus,  197. 
Tibballs,  Abel,  225- 
Tibballs,  Nathan,  225. 
Tolles,  Amos,  324. 
Treat,  Salmon,  306. 
Tucker,  Reuben,  62. 
Tucker,  Isaac,  232. 
Turrell,  Darius,  406. 
Tuttle,  Geo..  240. 
Tuttle,  Daniel  G.,  414. 

Videto,  John  Sr.,&  Jr.,  114. 

Wade,  Amasa,  Stephen,  115. 
Wade,  Isaac,  Stephen,  116. 
Wade,  Amasa  Jr.,  116. 
Wakefield,  Luman,  409. 
Walter,  John,  275. 
Walter,  Andrew,  Lemuel.  275. 
Walter.  Daniel,  276. 
Ward,  David,  153. 
Ward,  Daniel,  157. 
Waterman,  Win.  Jr  ,  306. 
Wells,  Asahel,  211. 
West,  David  Jr.,  '289. 
West,  Judah,  289. 
Westlake,  Samuel,  327. 
Westlake,  William,  John,  3"7. 
Westlake,  Thomas,  328. 
Wetmore,  Samuel,  66. 
Wetmore,  John,  Abel,  67. 
Wetmore,  Seth,  Samuel  Jr.,  67. 
Wetmore,  Samuel  (2),  68. 
Wetmore,  Truman  S.,  68. 


Wetmore,  John  (4),  69. 
Wetmore,  John  2d  (4),  69. 
Wetmore,  Sam'l  H.,  Abel  S.,  70. 
Wheadon,  Solomon,  194. 
Wheadon,  Stephen,.  194. 
Wheeler,  Benjamin,  295. 
Wheeler,  Nathan,  296. 
Wheeler,  Isaac,  298. 
White,  Oliver,  Sen.  &  Jr.,  328. 
White,  Daniel,  332. 
Whiting,  Christopher,  137. 
"Whiting,  Lorrin,  138. 
Whiting,  Riley,  138. 
Whiting,  Benjamin,  319. 
Wilcox,  Daniel,  329. 
Wilcoxson,  Gideon,  108. 
Wilcoxsou,  Elisha,  125. 
Wilkinson,  Lewis,  65. 
AVilkinson,  Jesse,  65. 
Wilkinson,  Levi,  66. 
Wilkinson,  Miles,  201. 
Williams,  Jesse,  414. 
Wiison,  Abijah,317. 
Wilson,  Zenas,  318. 
Wilson,  Reynold,  318. 
Wilson,  Abijah  Jr.,  318. 
Wilson,  Nelson,  415. 
Wilson.  Daniel  B.,319. 
Woodford,  Ezekiel,  38S. 
Woodford,  Erastus,  SS8. 
Woodford,  Ezekiel  Jr.,  3S9. 
Woodford,  Lester,  389. 
Woodford,  Benjamin  1' 
Woodford,  E.  Sterling,  390. 
Woodford,  Lucius  J.,  390. 
■Woodruff,  Hawkins,  107. 
Woodruff,  Jonah,  133. 
Wright)  Justus,  171. 
Wright,  Lieut.  John,  263. 
Wright,  Samuel,  263. 
Wright,  John  Jr.,  264  . 
Wright,  Charles,  264. 
Wright,  Freedom,  2 
Wright,  Norton 
Wright,  Joel,  334. 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


Only  one  reference  is  made  to  a  page,  though  the  name  may  be  repeated. 
Slight  or  accidental  variations  in  the  spelling  of  names  are  not  noticed. 


Abbott,  248.     Abby,  16. 

Abernethy,  101.  Abrew  or  Abro, 
149. 

Ackley,  62,  64,  74,  228,  319. 

Adams,  139,  149,  1S9,  226,  374,  i 
378,  410,  422,  425,  426,  431, 
434,  461. 

Adkins,  43,  148,  158,  162,  468, 
476. 

Agard,  46,  51,  87,  126,  147-149. 

Albert,  464,  468. 

Albro,  300,  327,  407     Alden  162. 

Aldridge,  292.     Alexander,  314. 

Allen,  29,  46,  67,  174,  226,  298, 
299,  334,  474 

Alvord,  26.  62-64,  67,83-85,  8S, 
107, 119,  129,  134,  140,  143, 
148-148,  150-152,  157,  158, 
164,  165,  163,172,  189,181, 
134,  203,  204,  206,  211,  212, 
217,  218,  225,  244,  289,  297, 
299,319,321,  335,372,395, 
397,  404,  451,  458,  478,  489, 
494,  520. 

Ames,  274.     Anderson,  116. 

Andrews,  33,  52,  55,  57,  58, 
65,  71,  72,  105,  Id  i,  131, 
147, 148,  160,  165,  173,  179, 
180,  185,  188,  193,  195,  196, 
198,  204,  207,  213,  217,  226, 
243,  249,  273,  299,  300,  399, 
427,  464,  468,  470,  478,  494. 

Andros.9,  10,33,  92. 

Andrus,  15,  64,  158,  165,  373. 

Apley,  228,  271,  338,  344,  380. 

Arcularius,  371. 

Armstrong,  521. 

Arnold,  15,  144,  161-163,  165, 
268,  274,  281,  283,  469,  479. 

Ashley,  16,  394. 

Atkins,  45,  340,  3S5,  463. 

Atwater,  398.    Ausbon,  346. 

Atwood,  227. 

Austin,  22,42,  43,  57,  70,  71,76, 
77,  S3,  85,  87,  94,  105,  107, 
129,  134,  143,  148,  150,  153, 
154,  160,  163-166,  192,  219, 
258,  267,  280,  288,  293,  345, 
346,351,355,358,  363,377, 
506, 507. 

Avered,  Averet,  Averit,  and  Av- 
ret  (see  Everitt)  41,  47,  76, 
83,  85,  87,  164. 

Ayrault,  426,  513. 

Bacon,  179,  180,  188,  195,  196, 

317,  328,  334,  506. 
Bail,  248. 
Bailey,  52,  61,  62,  187,  226,  227, 

230,  278,  411,  415,  464. 
Baird,  343,  378, 391.  401, 479, 517 
Baker,  11,  115,  365,' 368. 
Balcom,  29,  135,  160-163,  165, 

223,  266,  267,  272,  275,  281, 

283,  288,  305.  346,  506. 
Baldwin,  120, 175, 191, 236,  240, 


248,  290,  297,  317,  324,  334, 
356,  388-338,  391,  401,  451, 
476,  477-479. 

Ball,  516.     Bancroft,  196,  464. 

Bandle,  249,  300,  516. 

Banks,  478.     Binning,  302. 

Barber,  115,  195,  199,  203,  207, 
210,  226,  230,  233,  237,  270, 
296,  338,  478,  479. 

Barbour,  102,  135,  136,  150. 

Barker,  327. 

Barnes,  110,  29S,  321,  324,  3S4. 

Barnstable,  144,  14  ;. 

Barnum,  465.     Barrett,  16. 

Bartlett,  116,  408,  409,  419,  420. 

Barton,  144,  189,  227,  239,363, 
339,  45i ,  489,  520. 

Basney,  470,  477- 

Bass,  335,  337. 

Bassett,  109,  120,  123,  132,  131, 
158,  173,  213,  224,  231,  233, 
231,236,300. 

Bachelder,  478. 

Batcheller,  413,  414,  430,  434, 
464,  488,  478. 

Battell,  58. 

Beach, ix, 17, 32-35, 40, 44, 70,75, 
76,83,84,  87,  97,  108,  120, 
134,  148,  158,  165,  177,  130, 
187,  199,  208-210.  215,  234, 
241,  311,  312,317,323,331. 
349,356,  375,377,378,383, 
3^7,  427,  140,453,  464,469, 
476,  477,  494 

Beardsley,  211,  265.  301,  306, 
307,  309,  312,  321,  322,  328, 
329,330,334,330.  341,314, 
364,  30S,  339,  373,  378,  385, 
401,403,413,  427,  434,430, 
451,458,  485,489,501,503, 
510,  519,  520. 

Beck,  314. 

Beckley,  73,  108,  176,  199,  225, 
228,  250. 

Beckwith,  330. 

Beebe,  33,53,  111,  162,  163,  190, 
213,  231,  257,  259,  387,  309. 

Beecher,  70,  133,  150,  211,  272, 
335,  383,  404,  419,  454. 

Beeman,  509. 

Beers,   249,316. 

Belden,  348.     Belknap,  314. 

Bell,  424. 

Bellamy,  88,  89,  185. 

Bellows,  330,  463,  468,  470,  471, 
479. 

Bemis,  203. 

Benedict,  62,  71-73,  85,  89, 105, 
110,  114,  117,  124,  129,  131, 
146-148,  158,  163-165,  167, 
168,  170,  175,  185,  192,  198, 
199,  203,  203,  210,  211,  213, 
217,  226,  232,  236,  249,  300, 
338,  344. 

Benhani,  296,  341,  427. 

Benjamin,  16.    Bentley,  110. 


Benton,  16,  340. 

Bernhardt,  465.     Berry,  440. 

Bevins,  398,  404. 

Bidwell,16,  187,227,  228,340, 
451. 

Biederman,  470,  472,  479. 

Bills,  420. 

Bird,  50,  259,  316,  515. 

Birdsall,  434,  451. 

Birmingham,  476. 

Bishop,  296,  328,  388,  399,  412, 
437,  433. 

Bissell,  64,  208,  271.  340. 

Blackman.  57, 130,  131, 148, 158, 
102,  171,  175,  192,  190. 

Blake,  41,  46,  100,  154,  187,  200, 
2o5,  208-210,  228,  232,  240, 
258,  259,  408,  409,  513. 

Blakeslee,  35,  327,  384. 

Blakesley,  215.    Bligh,  319. 

Bliss,  476.     Bluit,  464. 

Boice,  193, 

Booge  iBogue),  119,  124,  182- 
184,  187,  192,  197,  2u6,  212, 
213. 

Booth,  520. 

Borden,  249,  486,  522.  Boswell, 
ix,  502. 

Bosworth,  318.     Boutou,  71. 

Bowdish,  239.    Bowers,  203. 

Bown,  158,  283. 

Boyd,  viii,  53,  95,  100,144,  207, 
208,213,214,  271,  298,  311 
-316,321,324,327,312,363, 
307,  375,  378,  33o,  395,  401, 
402,  404,  410,  413,  419,  420, 
423,426-128,  43),  433,  440, 
451,  457,  466,  499,  607,  508, 
509,  510,  511,  512,  518,  519, 
520. 

Bradford,  426. 

Bradley,  73,  85,  89,  125,  163, 
165,  433. 

Bradner,  314.     Bradshaw,  520. 

Bragg,  155,  158,  179,  245. 

Braiuard,  62,  270,  295,  347,  351, 
358. 

Breen,  199. 

Brew,  476,  477.     Brewer,  322. 

Brinsmaid,  89,  135. 

Brintuell  or  Briudle,  214. 

Bronson  (see  Brownson),  40,  45, 
60,52,59,65,  67,  63,  71,  74, 
78,  80,93,97,  lol,  110-112, 
116,  117,  123,135,  169,  171, 
183,  188,  189,  193,  194,  202, 
207,  209,210,213,221,222, 

226,  232,  233,  241,  242,  244, 
250,  274,  390,  423,  428,  434, 
522. 

Brooks,  62,  89,  113,  114,  127, 
152,168,  181,  192,20  I,  204, 

227,  239,  247,  258,  259,  337, 
396,  397. 

Broughton,  175. 

Brown,  46,  96,  188,  235,  296, 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


627 


309,  320,  334,  350,  353,  393, 
399,412,461,463,464,  468, 
473-475,  479,  491,  492,  518. 

Brownson  (see  Bronson),  109- 
112.  129,  134,  139,143,  147, 
154,  155,  157,  158,  162-164, 
173,  177-180,  184,  191,  207, 
217,  218,  231. 

Brusie,  400.406. 

Buchanan,  244.     Buchler,  292. 

Buckingham,  15,452,462,463, 
467. 

Buokland,  64,  312. 

Buckman,  279. 

Buel,  233. 

Bulcroft,  476,  478. 

Bulkley,  452. 

Bull,  16,  5:i.  213,  230,  278,  298, 
339,  375,377,  335,401, 
408,5i>7. 

Bunce,  16,  403,  509. 

Bunnell,  46,  2(>3,  210,243,328, 
3S6-,  412,  464,  470 

Burdick,  470,  472,  479. 

Burgoyne,  2s,  44,  103. 

Burnham,15,  16,  241,  271,  330, 
391,892.394. 

Burnside,  :  [4. 

Burr,  15,  16,  29,  54,  115,  228, 
269,  2,0,  286,  289,  306,319, 
323,  325,  328,  333,  371,  374, 
3S5,  388,  419,  457,  494,  508, 
509. 

Burrall,  275,  36G,  424. 

Burnt t,  340.      Burroughs,  501. 

Burt,  287,  370,  371,426,511. 

Burton,  307,  329,  380,411,405, 
■1  6,  479. 

Bushnell,  5u,  279,  317,  500. 

Butler,  16,  125,  162,  314,  332, 
491,601,518 

nuh-i.-k,  2-:6.'_s-,  301,  333,380. 

Byington,  398,  404,  408, 418,  511. 

li\  ron,  337. 

Cable,  293. 

Cadwell.  374.423. 

Cady,  114,   320.    Calahan,  469. 

Caller,  346. 

Calloway.  139.  384 

Calvert ,  245 

''amp,  16,  19,  52,  94,  119,121, 
13-!,  1ST,  223,  249,  269,  284, 
i's7.  '.y:i.3!i5,  309,317,  319- 
322,  324,  326,  330-332,  337, 
371,378,379,  388,  391,  451, 
358,410,425,433,  434,  444, 
152,  454,  465,  489,500, 
512. 

Camsell,  47^. 

I  anfield,  89,  175,  185,  318,  367. 

Cannon,  144,143.322. 

Capron,  55. 

Carhart,  370      Carman,  476. 
•,  391.     Carrier,  62. 

Carrington,  230,  476. 

Carrol,  476.  477. 

Carter.  95,  152.  211,  301. 

Case,  46,    '>'>,  95,  os.   131    139, 
5,  193,  195,  196,210, 

220.  L2K,  -:-15,  239,  241,  264, 

295,  312,  367,  B89,  415,  494, 

507. 
Castel    (Castle),  109,   119,   134, 

158,  159,  165,171,306. 
Catlin,  11,  45,  69,  424. 
Catling,  36,  281. 
Caul.  210,234.406,407. 
Chamberlin,  154,155,  159,  173, 

187,214,  236,  241,245.371. 

500. 
Chambers,  294. 
Champion,   269,  296,  337,   394. 

407,  518. 


Chapin,  285,  365. 

Chapman,  100.     Charles  II,  188. 

Chase,  53,  74,  109,  136,  150,  151, 
248,  253,  338,  345,  380. 

Chatterton,  286. 

Chauguni,  25,  230,  231. 

Chauncey,  291. 

Chickley",  226,  227. 

Christy,  293. 

Chubb,  267,  272,  284. 

Church,  15,  98,  134,  144,  145, 
154,  159,  163,  165,  177,  190, 
192,  229,  236,  240,  248,  249, 
299,  336,  400. 

Clancey,  469.     Clapp,  376. 

Clark, "38,  39,  100,  107,  125,  130, 
131,  134,  136,  137,  159,  160, 
177,  192,  200,  210,  218,  228, 

234,  240,  247,  258,  259,  271, 
283,  286,  324,  327,  373,  374, 
394,  475,  476,  500,  521. 

Clarke,  2S7,  312,  315,  335,  392, 
394,  395,  402,  410,  423,  435, 
436,  476,  489,  500,  502,  507, 
509,  510,  516,  520. 

Clary,  457,  520.     Claudet,  465. 

Clayborn,  278. 

Clement,  301. 

Clemmons,207,  301,  322. 

Cleveland,  56,  209,  234,  297,  307, 
332,392,409,411,  420,465, 
476. 

Cockey,  99. 

Coe,  37,  46,  50-56,  61,  65,  69, 
76,  82,  83,  85,  89,  93,  94, 
101,  102, 108,  113,  116,  118. 
124-126,  129, 134,  135,  142, 
143,  148,  154,  156,  157,  159, 
161-165,  172,  175,  180,  186, 
192,  195,  198,  199,  202,  206, 
207,214,217,218,228,  230, 

235,  240,  246,  248,  257,  270, 
286,  288,  289,  300,  302,  306, 
309,  316,  318,  321,  322,  329, 
332,  335,  343,  344,  358,  372, 
379,  380.  390,  395,  399,  412, 
414,  416,  419,  420,  42%  425, 
439,  440,  464,  465,  468.  470, 
478,  479.  516. 

Cogswell.  474,  475,480. 

Coit,  134,  148,  157,  158,  163, 
165,  172,  184,  197,  205,  221, 
240,244,250. 

Cole,  15.  340,  397. 

Coleman,  226     Collier,  188. 

Collins,  322,  335,  509,  5'2. 

Colt,  465,  466.    Colton,  16. 

Comins,  476,  477,  479. 

Commerford,  248. 

Cone,  98,  134,  148, 150, 159, 162, 
239,  245,  384,  451  489. 

Conklin,  465,  467. 

Converse,  162. 

Cook,  15,  16,  50-52,  59,  76,  83, 
85.  132.  148,  154,  156,  158, 
159,  162,  165,  171,  225,  226. 
241,  248,  284,  286.  293,  302 
-304,  306.  323,  327,  33*,  341, 
375,  380,  393,  397,  402,  403, 
407,416,419,451,  454,457, 
464,  466.  476-479,  494,  5o6, 
5C9,  510,  512,  513,  519,  520, 
521. 

Coolev.357,453,  472. 

Cooper.  132,  291,  465,  467.  468, 
476,  477. 

Corbin,  49.  71,  109,  113,  114, 
134,  147.  154,  159,162,  163, 
165,  192   2o7. 

Corey,  98,  9  '.     Corley,  370, 

Cothren,  282.     Couch,  465,  478. 

Covey ,  248,  516.    Covill ,  104. 

Cowdry,  110. 

Cowles,  114,  148,  174,  215,  247, 


282,301,306,317,336,  371, 

422. 
Coy,  174, 176, 188,  226. 
Cramer,  124. 
Crane,  195,  317,  407,  494. 
Cravath,  64.    Cresswell,  433. 
Crisse,  160,  165. 
Crissey,  143,  152,  235,  265,  268- 

270,  283,  309,  322,  371. 
Crittenden,  405. 
Crocker,  72,  148,  170,  191,  199, 

209,211,  225,236. 
Cromwell,  484,  499.  Crosby,  521. 
Cross,  304,  499. 
Crowe,  281,  287,  352,  401,  411, 

413,  420,  516. 
Crum,  171,241. 
Culver,  71,  107,  298,  408,  415. 
Cumming,  391,  473. 
Cummings,  236,  401. 
Cummins,  322. 
Cunningham,  256. 
Curtice,  204.     Currie,  54. 
Curtis,   40,   70,   113,    137,   156, 

232,234,235,248,  279,317, 

322,  331,  335,  340. 
Curry,  278-     Cutler,  476. 

Daley,  469. 

Dana,  357,395,453. 

Daniels,  463,  468,  470,  475-477, 

480,  481. 
Darbe,  268,  275,281,300. 
Davis,  272,  290,  312,  326,  333, 

338,  344,  376.  380,  404. 
Daw,  72,  203,  226! 
Day,  16,  47,  89.  185. 
Dayton,  110,186.247,250,  463, 

474,  476,  478,  4S0. 
Dean,  245,  270. 
Dear  (Beer),  15",  151,  159,  180, 

192,  228. 
Dearthick,  320,321. 
Decker,  465,  478. 
Deland,  285. 
Deniing,  16,  263,  291,  335,   384, 

472. 
Dempsey,   463,    468,   470,    471, 

480. 
Dennan,  465.     Dennen,  463. 
Dennis,  373.     Denny,  162. 
Denslow,  427. 
Derby,  161,  165,  275. 
Detert,478.     Dewey,  461,  478. 
DeWolf,  292,  300,  301,  309,  336, 

380. 
Dexter,  214,  287,  384,  427. 
Dibble,  339. 
Dickinson,    16,   100,    267,    304, 

373. 
Didsbury,  464.     Dill,  256. 
Dilley,  476.     Dimick,  152. 
Dimock,  516.     Diomedes,  445. 
Dixon,  432.     Dodd,  16,  366. 
Dodge,  130.  132,  134.  159,  164. 
Dolphin,  147, 159,  163,  480. 
Doolittle,  40,  57,   58,  117,  160, 

202,213,226,  271,  272,275, 

283,  285,  106.299,  318,319, 

337,  347,  349,  355,  358,  359, 

367.  37K,  383,  423,  506. 
Dorman,  453. 
Doughty,  465,  489. 
Douglass,   207,    226,    319,    333, 

380,  480. 
Dowd,  268,  272,  318. 
Downs,  302,  476,  477,  480,  482. 
Ii,. vie,  476. 
Drake,  x,  32,  40,  41,52,60,170, 

174,  177, 188, 195,  232,  246, 

249,  256,  365,  371. 
DuBois,  384. 
Ducher,  162. 
Dudley,  118,  150, 1S2,  250,  289, 


628 


INDEX  OF  NAMES. 


312,  329-331,  343,  373,  378, 
4(i4,  425,  42G,  433,  434,  436, 
451,454,474,488,489,  513, 
514. 

Dugan,  478. 

Dunham,  160,  278,  286,  301  305. 

Dunn,  4>i9.     Dunning,  178,  204. 

Durand,  476     Durgin.  439. 

Dutton/73,85,  202,  331.. 

Dwight,  356. 

Earne,  462.     Easton,  15, 16. 

Eaton,  370. 

Eddy,  452,  453,  462,  463,  466, 
467. 

Edgecomb,  271. 

Edwards,  313,  411,  501. 

Eells,  191. 

Eggleston,  53,  93,  100,  119,  190, 
201,  207,228,239,  245,301, 
306,  322,  330,  473,  474,  478, 
480,  482. 

Eldridge,  337. 

Ellsworth,  11,  226. 

Elmer,  51,  72,'  123, 124, 131,159, 
165, 180,  184,  218. 

Elmore,  100,  116,  151,  156,  192, 
198,  292,207,218,  287,299, 
478. 

Elwell,  227,231,330. 

Emerson,  339. 

Emmons,  326,  340. 

Eno,  126,  249,  335,  368. 

Ensign,  12,  lr>,  16,  42,  136,  347, 
337,368,874. 

Evans.  465. 

Evarts.  , 

Everett,  47,  127,392. 

Everitt,  38,  45,47-50,  59,  73,  78, 
101,105,  113  114,117,  123, 
126,127,134,  137,139,  143, 
119,  151, 153, 154, 157,  159, 
169,  170,  182, 181,  188,  189, 
■•oil  202,  204,  207,  218,220, 
221,  230,231,241,210,  '-17. 

Evitts,  465. 

F.,  Miss  Roxy,382. 
Fairchild,  270.  Fairweather,  13. 
Fanning,  113,  192,  199,  204. 
Farnsworth,  16.    Farragut,  472. 
Farrand,  89, 102,  103,  185. 
Fav,  126, 127,  129, 130, 132, 131, 
'  154, 159,  162,  163,  165,  ISO, 

308. 
Felix,  292. 

Ferris,  249,  469,  476,  477, 480. 
Field,  100,  408. 
Filer,  165. 
Filley,  34,  38,  40,  41,  76,  77,  83, 

85,  87,  134,  148,  150,  154, 

156,  157, 159,  162,  163,  165, 

186,  226,  293,  395. 
Finn,  469,  478.     Fisk,  465. 
Fitch,  11,  12,388. 
Fitz  Gerald,  476,  478,  480. 
Fitzpatrick,  465. 
Fleming,  474,  475,  480. 
Flowers,  374. 
Flynn,  469. 

Foot  (Foote),  176, 179, 191. 
Forbes,  16,  126,  369,  403,  419, 

420,  499. 
Forcier,  478. 

Ford,  110,187,194,249,506. 
Foresby,  151. 
Fosket,  267,  323,  324,  326,  329, 

337,  434. 
Foster,  328,  426,  478,  513. 
Fowler,  278,  349. 
Fox,  226,  325. 
Frasier,  333. 
Freeman,  152,391,395. 
Fremont,  244.     French,  478. 


Frisbee,  109,  134,  164,  191. 

Ejisbey,  151. 

Frisbie,  112,  159,  207,  233,  321, 

3  :,  439. 
Frissell,  230. 

Fuller,  160,  190,  284,  414. 
Pyler,  45,  155,  165, 187-189, 191, 

193,  200,  207,2o8,256,  297, 
317,  322,  325,  337,  374,  390, 
410,  412,  415. 

Gage,  118.     Gale.  463. 

Gallagher,  250,  259,  515. 

Galpin,  190.     Gannon,  469. 

Gardiner,  470.   Garrett,  58,  478. 

Garrison,  461.     Garson,  469. 

Gascoigne,  458,  520. 

Gaskill,  294. 

Gaston,  375,  516.     Gates,  266. 

Gay,  256. 

Gaylord,  64, 167,  173,  207,  209, 

230,335,  365,  367,  403,  410, 

422,  425,  440,  512.  518,  522. 
Gibbs,  65,  66,  77,  83,  85,  88, 123, 

127, 134, 161,  162,  217,  336, 

374,  476,  477,  48n. 
Giddings,  461. 
Gilbert,  16,  18,  35,  54,  106,  112, 

153, 174, 175,  226,  246,  247, 

300,  325,  391,  406,  434,  470, 

471,  480,  488,  507,  516. 
Gilleck,  444.     Gilles,  501. 
Gillett,  212,  286,  290,  303,  323, 

337,  316,  389. 
Gilman,  16,  296,  376,  488,  489, 

522. 
Gleason,  36, 11,  60,  83,  85, 126, 

161,  178,  ISO,  275,  276. 
Gloster,  469.     Glynn,  463. 
Goddard,  56. 
Goff.  {'loife),  70,76,  82,  83,  85, 

87,  88,  160,  161,  163,  286, 

320. 
Gold,  29.     Goodenough,  257. 
Goodman,  16. 
Goodrich,  93,  266. 
Goodwin,  16,  94,  100,  131,  189, 

190,  239,  32S,  330,  366. 
Goucher,  399.     Gould,  245,  424. 
Granger,  431,  465,  468,  476,  477. 
Grant,  46,  106,   116,   136,   176, 

197,  205,  211,  225,  228,  247, 

279,  289,  315,  324,  330,  365, 

428,  478. 
Graves,  304. 
fh-av  203,  245,  469. 
Greeley,  312. 
Green,  95,  137,  225,    407,   476, 

477,  430,  ol7. 
Greene,  329      Gregory,  489. 
Greiuer,  274.     Grenell,  94. 
Griffin,  308.  322,  478,  501. 
Grinnell,  90,  223,  305.  395. 
Oris  wold,  54,   59,  68,   71,   107 

109,  112,  113,  117,  127,  134 

133, 143, 148,  159, 165,  1  !8 

194,  199,  205,  209,  217,  218 
221,  235,  240,  245,  246,  375 
394,  422,  451. 

Grover,  6(1,  62,  114,  156,  159, 
165. 

Haggarty,  478-480. 

Hague,  478. 

Hale,  55,  88, 115,  135,  136,  156, 
159,  411,  510'. 

Hall,  21,  50,  54,  59,  98,  105, 106, 
119,  192,  203,  207,  228,  273, 
295,  326,  332,  339,  347,  379, 
392,397,411,  420,431.440, 
476. 

Eallett,  409,  419,  488,  513. 

Hamilton,  228,  375,  412,  436. 

Hamlin,  208,  290. 


Hancock,  344.    Handee,  282. 
Harden,  53.     Harmer,  53, 163. 
Harris,  313,  463,  465,  469,  486, 

507. 
Harrison,  369,  432. 
Hart,  62,  72,  89,  107, 175, 185 

213,214,226,  237,  246-249 

275,299,301,  332,340,  380 

3S5,  336,  476,  477,  430,  482 
Hatch,  69,  96,  144,  155, 157, 164 

188,  190,  191,200,201,  226 

237,  253,  275,  386,  451,  465 
Hawkins,  287.     Hawks,  339. 
Hawley,  167,  169,  175,  296,  323 

367,371,  406,  470,471,513 

Havden,29,  133,  160,  226,  246 

'  273,  274,  276,  283,  326,  349 

350,  335,  375,  382,  386. 
Haves,  294.     Havnes,  16,  278. 
Hazletine,  16. 
Hazzard,  480.    Healy,293. 
Henderson,  516. 
Hendricken,  444. 
Henshaw,  18,  228,  295. 
Hermance,  516. 
Hermandy,  469. 
Herriok,  307. 
Hewitt,  178,  289,  399,  400,  47", 

479,  507. 
Hiekox,  334.    Hicks,  401,  4^. 
Higley,  199,  200,  211,  237.  299, 

322,  323,  358,  378,  402,  423, 

427,  500. 

Hill,  97,  192,  249.  2 85 . 

Hills,  ix,  9,  41,  43-47,  50,  66, 67, 
69,70,  76-78,31,33,  85,  87, 
89  90.  95.  107,  111,  116, 
123,  129,  130, 134,  139, 143, 
144,  146-148,  150,  151,  153, 
159,163-165,171,  175,  177. 
179, 1st.  186.  !  18,  192,  193, 
196,  197,  203,  207,210,  211, 
217,221.341,377,389. 

Hinkley,  196. 

Hinman,  47,  49,  51,  161. 

Hinsdale,  32,  53,  90,  153,  234, 
276,  298,  299,  304,  316,  334, 
338-312,  367,  368,  371-373. 
378,391,  392,398,  400,401. 
404,410,  415,416,419,428- 

428,  440,451,  454,473,470. 
499,501.508,  511,513,  514. 
516,  518. 

!   Hiscock,  95. 
Hitchcock,   272,   318,   319,  330, 

349. 
Hoadlev,  23,  115,  138,   139,  230, 

231,  3S3,  384,  392.  401,  402, 

417,419,506,  507,512,  515. 

516,  513. 
Hodge,  399. 
Hodges  371,  465. 
Holabird.  260,  296,334,  362,  403. 

420,  424,  439,  465,  494.  517. 
Holcomb,  35,  192,  199,  226.  230. 
Hollister,  47<. 
Holmes,  56,  200,  201.  207,  226, 

228,298,321,  322,  334-336, 

344,  380.  395,  412,  413,  424, 

435,  494.' 
Homan,  314. 
Hooker,  120,  162,  233,  238,  366, 

387,  396. 
Hopkins,  15,  355. 
Home,  463,   468,  474,475,   482, 

486. 
Horton,  228  265,  318,  424. 
Hosford,  162,  464,  465,  468,  474- 

477,  480,  482. 
Hoskin,  61,  62,  82,   83,  85,  102, 

112,  119,  134,  135,  137,  142, 

159,  160,  163,  192,  267,   £95, 

308,  32u,  380,  385,  407,  415, 

465,  468,  478. 


INDEX    OF  NAMES. 


629 


Hosmer,  16,  31,  41,49,  76,  77, 

85. 
Hotchkiss,  239,  424. 
House,  422,426. 
Howard.  64,  397,  465,  468. 
Howe,  424,  445,  521. 
Hoyt,27,  114,  192,  204,205,  226. 

232,  423. 
Hubbard,  16,  41,  66,  100,   137, 

159,  232.  287,  315,  394,  398, 

433,  476,  477,  480. 
Hubbell,  53,   54,  108,   132,  156, 

200,  214,  228,  258,  312,  315. 

390,  399,  420,  425,  440. 
Hudson,  109,  147,  162,  163,  266, 

314,  317.  374,  414 
Hulbert,  312,  327,  363,  377,  403, 

407,  461,  509,  510. 
Hull,    106,  191,   206,   469,   474, 

476,  477,  480. 
Humiston,  476,  480. 
Humphrey,  28,  46,  49,  74,   98, 

110,114,125,  194,  195,210, 
215,  230,  330,  434,  451,  509. 

Hungerford,  173,  230,  246,  256, 
271. 

Huntington,  348,  365,  366. 

Huntting,  116.     Hurd,  271. 

Hurford",  315. 

Hurlbut,  25,  46,  69,  93,96-101, 
112,  119,  125,  126,  134, 135, 
144-148,  150,  154,  157,  159, 
162,164,  165.  169,  173,179, 
180,  182,  185,  187,  190-192, 
194,  200,  202,  203,  207,  208, 
210,211,221-253,  226,  233, 
234,  239,  240,  243,  244,  246, 
247,  249,  252,  259,  293,  298, 
302,  305,  320,  328,  341,  344, 
367,  408,  414,  437,  474,  476, 

477,  480,  482. 
Hyde,  121,  201,  388. 

Irving,  502.     Isaacs,  370. 
Isaiah  da  Scanno,  445. 
Ives,  38,  195,  201,  213. 

Jacklyn,  136, 196,  204,  230,  231. 

Jackson,  342,  424. 

James  II.,  10. 

Jaqua  (Jaques),  107,  304,  394. 

Jarvis,  68. 

Jefferson,  224,  431.  " 

Jencks,  511. 

Jenkins,  95,  144,  207,  213,  214, 

271,273,  274,311,  312,  315. 

327,  363,  375,  378,  385,  391, 

401,408,  409,  419,433,507, 

508,  509  511,512. 
Jennings,  114. 
Johnson,  34,  118,  125,  138,  215, 

218,  231,  301,  339,  368,  391, 

399,  407,  502. 
Jones,  15  190,  321,499. 
Jonson,  88. 

Jopp,  272,  276,  295,296. 
Jo.-lin,414. 

Judd,  16,  72,  154,  157,  159,  408. 
Jufcson,  88. 

Keegan,  476.     Keen,  316. 

Keeler,  521. 

Keeney,  15,16. 

Kellogg,  16,  159,  165,   170,  219, 

241,270,281,301,  305,  331, 

332,  34*,  348,  349,384,451, 

463,  467,  477,  478. 
Kelsev,   16,  112.  113,   202,  265, 

329. 
Kent,   173,  312,  370,  476,   477, 
""•    480. 
Kermann,  465. 

Keves,   54,  90,   134   (Kies  165), 
"  172,  288. 

80 


Keys,  468. 

Kilborn,16,  434. 

Kilboum,  9,  96,  118,  373 

Kilburn,  69. 

Kimberlv,  177,  178,  230. 

King,  274,  354. 

Kingsburv,  204,  205. 

Kinnev,  264,  298,  299,  319,  320, 
325,  333,  334,  354-356,  389, 
400,404,411,412,  415,  420, 
474,  478,  483,  501,  516. 

Kirby,  186,  417. 

Kirkham,  54,  338. 

Kirkuni,  342-344,  378,  395,  401, 
402. 

Knapp,  62,  89,  90,  102-105, 107, 
126,  134,  135,  139-143,  147, 
148,  160, 167, 173,  178,  179, 
182,  1S5,  189,  217,  244,  331, 
412. 

Knowlton,  160,  162,  226,  269, 
276,283,284,  a30,  331,358. 

Laird,  293.    Lake,  108. 

Lamb,  427. 

Lambert,  210,  337. 

London,  372,  398.     Lamed,  58. 

Latham.  279,  465. 

Lathrop,  144,  339,  363,  365,  457, 
520. 

Latimer,  58,  97. 

Latourette,  110,  174. 

Lawrence,  27.  176,  368,378. 

Lawton,  203. 

Leach,  93,  96, 159,  162,  163, 165, 
192,  329. 

Learning,  67.     Leavitt,  101. 

Lee,  55,  70,  89,  104,  185,  233, 
243,317,368. 

Lemley,338,  344,  380. 

Leo  da  Saracena,  444,  445,  472. 

Leonard,  131,  170,  178, 195,  234, 
463, 468,  469. 

LeRoy,  285,  399,  476.  477. 

Lewis,  64, 108, 117,  123, 187,  304, 
305,  324,  378,  388,  426,  440, 
473,  513. 

Lina,  478. 

Lincoln,  461,  463,  475,  516,  517. 

Litchfield,  139. 

Lockwood,  187,  275,  286,  297, 
303. 

London,  172. 

Long,  369. 

Loomis,  44,  52,  54,  59-61,  71,  73, 
76,85,87,88,  101,  109,111, 
117-119,  123,  134,  135, 139, 
148,151,154,159,  163,165, 
186,  188,  193,  196-198,  203, 
207,  208,  211,  215,  216,  227, 
228,  234,  243,  250,  270,  301- 
303,  309,319,323,329,  332, 
358,  365,371,380,381,419, 
423,  425,  427,  433,  466,  513, 
514,  521. 

Lord,  15,  461.     Losaw,  475. 

Lotherington,  474. 

Lovejoy,  461. 

Loveland,  67,  191. 

Lucas,  101,  111,  162,  180,  207, 
308  3^1  3^3 

Lyman,' 66"  189,  324,  378,  389. 

Lynch,  444. 

Lyon,  61,  315,  407. 

McAlpine,  70,  98,  111,  112,  130, 
154,  155,  193,  194,  207,  228, 
257-259,  478,  479,  506. 

McBeth,   258.     McCauley,  463. 

McCrary,  384 

McCullock,  307. 

McCune,  see  McEwen. 

McDermot,  478. 

McDoel,  315. 


McDonald,  27S,  409. 
McEntire,  266. 

McEwen  (McCune,  Mackune  and 
Macune),  x,33,  41,  45,  56-59, 
68,  76,  83,  85,  87,  89,  108, 
129,  131,  134,  137,  139,  143, 
144,  146-148,  159,  165,184, 
203,  207,  217,  218,  221,  226, 
231,  367. 

Mcl'arland,  444. 

McGuire,  465. 

McNeil,  190.    Maddra,  478,479. 

Mallory,  138,  240,  208,  286,  287, 
295,  306,  318,  324.  330,  334, 
349,  373,  413. 

Maltbie,  317,  406. 

Manchester,  54,  64, 107, 284,288, 

322,  478. 
Mansran,  444. 

Marble.  296,  408,  409,  419,  420, 
424. 

Marcum,137.     Mars,  229. 

Marsh,  x,  63, 90, 97, 102, 103, 109, 
114.  159,  170,  180,  212,  234, 
237-239,  250,  256,  317,  465, 
468,  478. 

Marshall,  45,  50,  53,  94,  95,  150, 
151,159,  173,  188,  192,193, 
195,  199,  200,  207-209,  213, 
221,228,230,288,  307,321, 

323,  327,  332,  333,  336,  369, 
416,501,514. 

Martin,  327,  465,  476,  477,481. 

Marvin,  270,  411. 

Mason,  264.      Mather,  296,  386. 

Mathews,  341.     Matson,  396. 

May  bee,  273. 

Meachnm,  170,  243. 

Mead,  266,  305,  334. 

Meeker,  100.     Meekin,  16. 

Merriarn,  320.     Meigs,  162. 

Merrill,  15,  39,  100,  238,  268, 
408 

Merriman,  194.      Merry,  41. 

Miles,  187,  319,  357,416,  453. 

Millard,  317. 

Miller,  39,  52,  53,  205,  241,  249, 
274,  288,  304,  306-309,  320, 
329,  373,  380,  382,  391,  392, 
403,  404,  409,  411,  483,  484, 
501,  513,  516. 

Milliman,  470. 

Mills,  77,  140,  150,160,165, 167, 
182-184,  192,  207,  212,  226, 
230,271,272,281,283,  297, 
321,  344,  349,  393,  394,  465, 

Miner  (Minor),  80,  105, lf)7,  108. 
123-125,  131,  132,  134,  139, 
143,150,159,165,171,  179, 
187,  202,  205,  211,  212,  219, 
234,  235,  240,  249,  325. 

Mitchell,  2<)9,  226,  258,  320,  400, 
401   404,  413,  516. 

Monel,  314      Monroe,  431. 

Monson,  171.     Mooney,  469. 

Moore,  11,  68,  156,  170,  209, 
227,  236,  286,  307,  325,  344, 
352,  395,  409,  465,  468,  476, 
478,  488,  520,  522. 

More,  302. 

Morgan,  110,  422,  500,  512. 

Morley,  428.     Morris,  163,  478. 

Morse,  226,  396,  403,  463. 

Mott,  ix,  17, 29,  36-41,  59,  76,  82, 
83,  85,  87,  108,  112,  132- 
134,  143,  159,  161,  162,  165, 
197,  200,  213. 

Mudge,  270. 

Mullen,  444,  466.  472. 

Munger,  181,  248. 

Munro,  315. 

Muusill,  41,  57,  59,  78,  93,  111, 
127,  144,  149,  192,  195,  201, 
202,  231,  241,  321. 


630 


INDEX  OF  NAMES 


Munson,  91,  151,  155,  19S,  235, 
215,  299,  3ol,  318,  376,  330, 
331,896,411,412,  436,191, 
507. 

Murdoch:,  318. 

Murray,  51,  107,  125,  131,  137, 
ITS,  103,  !'.).->,  -jo.i,  218,  223, 
231,  230,  210,  100,  408, 160. 

Nash,  69,  112,  119, 156, 170-173, 
181,  218,  211,250,515. 

Neal,  37,  237.     Nearing,  111. 

Neth,  33.     Nevin^,  135. 

Newell,  89,  102,  103,  185,  263. 

Newman,  454,  453,463,478  ,486. 

Newton,  246,  396. 

Noble,  17,  312,  372,  408. 

Norcross,  293. 

North,  50,  101,  114,  126,  127, 
129,  131,  137,  110,  113,  152, 
159, 172,  171, 188,  234,  240, 
256. 

Northrup,  393,  409. 

Northwav,  136. 

Norton,  x,  2'!, 71,  96,  120,150-152, 
154,  150,  170,  180,  201,  210, 
228,  233,  234,  257,  263,  264, 
272,  279,  287,  298,  305,  320, 
329,331,333,331,335,  336, 
401,  408,  413,  428,  489. 

Oakley,  61,  228,  299,308,  3S5. 
Ogdeu,  509.     O'Gormau,  444. 
Olcott,  16.     Olmsted,  16. 
Orr,  311,507.     Orton,  293. 
Orvis,  131. 

Osborn,  338,  380,  384,  414. 
Overton,  476,  4/9. 
Oviatt,  289.     Owen,  404. 

Packard,  465,  468,  474. 

Page,  153,  403,  453,  474. 

Palmer,  59,  61,  76,  83,  85,  89, 
101,  109,  113,  135,  139,  159, 
160,  162,  165,  188,  281,  283, 
305,  308,  323,  334,  319,  351, 
461,1)3-171,  181,  404,517. 

Pantry,  16,  41,42 

Parcels,  211      Parkant   169. 

Parke,  302, 103,  427,  434. 

Parker,  203      Parks,  336 

Panuele,  130. 

Parsons,  125,  147,  163,  320,  330, 
310,  350,  352,  414,  451,  489. 

Partridge,  305,  478. 

Patterson,  ix,  388. 

Patton,  214. 

Payne,  227.     Peake,  393. 

Pearson,  357,  453,  466 

Pease,  49,  50,  202,  272,  336,  378, 
423,  470,  474,  473,  483,  494. 

Peck,  315,  307,   423,   466,  468. 

Peet,  327. 

Pellett,  15.  16. 

Pendleton,  174,  465. 

Percival,  21,  154. 

Perkins,  303,  333.     Perret,  65. 

Perry,  175,  332,  390,  427. 

Persons,  341,  376,  507. 

Pettibone,  103,  253,  257,  312, 
317,  356,  453,  472 

Pettit,  476. 

Phelps,  15,  29,  61,  99,  100,  123, 
181,200,218,231,232,  234, 
237,  217,  301,  322,  310,  319, 
352,  355,  376,  391,  410,  436, 
437,454,433,480,  515,521. 

Phillips,  135,  174,  230,  274,  375, 
376,  330,  419,  151. 

Phippenny,  237.     Pickett,  57. 

Pierce,  95,96,  299, 310,  333,  335, 
339,339,415,478. 

Pierpont,  291.     Pierson,  452. 

Pine,  476. 


Pinney,  176,  232,  320,  409. 

Pitkin,  15,  17,  28,  32,  77,  341. 

Piatt,  57,  60,  61,  73,  85, 103,  126, 
135,  112,  151,  157,  159,  165, 
18  >,  181,  105,  203,  217,  218, 
220,  226,  250,  511. 

Plumb,  310.     Phuumer,  370. 

Poisson,  16.     Polk,  132. 

Pomeroy,  358. 

Pond,  177,  101,  325,  337,  407, 
465,  489. 

Pool,  473.     Porson.  162. 

Porter,  15,  16,  51,  117,  160,  180, 
225,  2  Jl.  239,  255,313,358. 

Potter,  73,  83,  111,  143,  157,160, 
165,  220,  250,  280,  270,  281, 
233,  281,  200,  203,  358,  369, 
378,  351,  463. 

Pratt,  15,  16,  71,  1"0,  175,  226, 
211,283,320,335,  381,  332. 

Preslier,  463,  465. 

Prescott,  271,292,  291. 

Preston,  17,  33,  33,  38,  40,  42, 
50,  74,  76,  85,  87-89,  108, 
loo,  113,  126,135,  135,  113, 
147,  150,  162,  163,  165,  186, 
211,217,226,211,331,  176, 
477,481. 

Price,  167,  175,  196,  465. 

Priest,  59.  73,  126,  135, 165,  217. 

Prince,  367. 

Prince  (Negro),  144,  146,  162. 

Proper,  460.     Prvor,  187, 189. 

Putnam,  151,  161,  320,  490. 

Quigley,  470.     Quinn,  444. 

Race,  374.     Rainsford,  197. 

Rankin,  478. 

Ranney,  416, 420,  426,  513. 

Ransom,  374. 

Raymond,  177,  271. 

Reed,  151,  230,  337. 

Reeve,  63,  124.     Reidv,  489. 

Reynolds,  111,  329, '  408,  476, 
477. 

Rhodes,  207. 

Rice,  230,  235,  308,  457,  520. 

Richards,  110,  241,  303,  513. 

Richardson,  111,  407,  471,  478. 

Riley,  101,  200,  201,207,226. 

Rising,  331,  339. 

Rohbins,  86,  83-90,  109,  167, 
182-185,  212,  233,  236,  233, 
243,  201,  292,  476. 

Roberts,  15,  20,  65,  67,  86,  88, 
89,  102,  103,  109  113,  127, 
150,  152,  159,  162,  165,  174, 
175,  135,  240,  285,  333,  334, 
369,  408,  463,  465,  468,  474, 
478,  481. 

Robins,  17,  369. 

Robinson,  187,  188,  212. 

Rockwell,  58,  105,  106,  108,  113, 
123,  131,  132,  150,  228,  265, 
288,  208,  303,  312,  316,  319, 
321,320,330,334,335,  311, 
312,  35S,  359,  333-372,  375, 
377-379,  330,  392,  393,  396, 
401.  4'3,  408,  409,  411,413,  I 
415,  413-42),  425,  426,  428, 
461,  454,  457,  494,  500,  507, 
508,  5^9,  510,  513,  514,  516.  | 

Rodman,  470. 

Rogers,  160,  105,  214,  279,  2S3,  \ 
284,  300,  358,  476,  478,  481. 

Rood,  98, 196,  375. 

Root,  16,  19,  119,  124,  234,  235, 
331. 

Roraback  (Roherbacher,  Rohra- 
bacher),  272,  374,  400,  406. 

Rose,  326,  469. 

Rossiter,  70. 

Kowe,  476,  478,  481,483. 


Rowley,  97,  101,  120,  160,  162, 
183,  200,  210,  220.  228,  240, 
241,  263,  266,  267,  276-279, 
281,  283,  284,  305,  318,  320, 

322,  323,  330,  334,  358,  375, 

385,  301,  307,  106,  409-411, 
415,  422,  425,  426,  470,  479, 
433. 

Royce,  181. 

Rugg,  94,  96,  110,  120,  157,  176, 
187,  188,  232,  332,  180,  476. 

Russell,  16,  192,  211,235,286, 
200-204,  297,  303,  317,  357, 
380,382,330,453,466,501. 

Rutherford,  99. 

Sacket.  297,  309. 

Sage,  55,  138.  171,  195,  246,  324, 

311,407,465,476. 
St.  Clair,  469. 

St.  Francis  d'Assissi,  444,  488. 
St.  Margaret  of  Cortona,441, 188. 
Salter,  370. 

Sanderforth,  107.  108,  125,  171. 
Sauford,  54,   62,  116,  292,  337, 

378,412,440. 
Saxton,  185,  217. 
Schermerhorn,  196. 
Schmidt,  489.     Schofield,  146- 
Schovil,  144,  146,  162,  190. 
Scott,  117,  478. 

Scoville,  226,  317,  395,  399,  406. 
Serimgeour  313.  Seaman,  464. 
Sedgwick,  16.  38,  51,   71,   161, 

190,  231-286. 
Selden,  72,  414.     Senior,  328. 
Sexton,  287. 
Seymour,  11,  12,  15-17,  55,  150, 

214,  228,  230,  324,  374,  403, 

476,  477.  509. 

Shattuck.  145,  278,  285,  308, 
328,374,411. 

Shaw,  207,  208. 

Sheffield,  307. 

Sheldon,  145,  240,  297,  327,  328, 
330,  346,  347,  386,  392,  400, 
404. 

Shelley,  476.     Shelton,  373 

Shepard,  16,  161,  168,  265,  266, 
268,  270,  304,  329,  370-373, 
388,  401,  513,  516. 

Sheridan,  473. 

Sheriden,  444 

Sherman,  57,58,  131,  162,167, 
382,  303. 

Short,  430.     Shortman,  271. 

Showers,  187. 

Silliman,  501. 

Simons,  175,  354. 

Simonson,  279,  434. 

Skinner,  16,  68,  155,  185,  340, 
365,  393,  304,  407,  427,  464, 
468.  475-477,  483. 

Slack,  474,  481. 

Slocum,  216. 

Smalley,  348. 

Smith,  15,  22,  41,  53,  60,  67,  76, 
93,  101,  109,  126,  135,  141, 
147-15<i,  153-155,  157,  159, 
181.  162,  164,  135.  172,  176, 
178,  182,  192,  217,  226  -231, 
231,  235,  210,  216,  255,  264, 
266-268,  271,  273,  274,  281, 
283,  286,  287,  292,  293,  296 
-293  301,  305,  306,  313,  318, 

323,  324,  320,  337-339,  344, 
346-310,  351,355,  365,374, 

386,  301,  303,  305,  396,  423, 
427,  440,  451,  465,  468,  476, 

477,  494,  499,  509. 
Smollet,  501.     Snediker,  465. 
Soper,  44,  45,  59,  273,  302,  314, 

329,386.413,425,  515,517. 
522. 


INDEX  OF   NAMES 


631 


Spaulding,  176,  246.  I 

Spencer,  16,  53,  60,  65,  68,  69,  ! 

73,  74,  93-98,  135,  143-145,  ! 

152,  154,  159,  160.  164,  165. 

177,  179    190-192,  226,  239, 

284,  285,  288,  299,  305,  311, 

322,341,  377,  380,394,397, 

415,  416,  439,  440,  451,  509, 

513. 
'Sperrv,  433.     Spicer,  225. 
Spring,  304. 
Squire,  374,  509. 
Stabell,   144,  252,  270,301,321, 

391,  476. 
Stack,  175. 
Staneliff,  154, 160. 
Stanclift,  61,  159,  160,   287,  288. 
Staudley,  9. 

Stanley",  50,  187,  221,  370. 
Staunard,  60,  73,  74,  82,  85, 125, 

135,  159,  161-163,  165,  192. 

228,  329. 
Stanton,  233,  278,  328. 
Staples,  341. 
Starks,   54,    67,   205,   206,   216, 

228,  234,  476,  478,  481. 
Starkweather,  67,  204-206,  237, 

241,  249,  307. 
Starr,  88,  89, 135. 
Stearns,  290.     Steele,  282. 
Steese,  391.     Stetson,  393. 
Steuben,  176. 
Stevens,  73,  110. 
Stevenson,  130,  133,  165. 
Stewart,  465.     Stickney,  517. 
Stillman,  291. 
Stone,  171,  234,  322. 
Stonernan,  104. 
Storer,  145,  240,  400. 
Stow,  150. 

Stowe,  291.     Strickland,  375. 
Strong,  108,  124,  176,  205,  214, 

241,  283,  298,  396,  403,  463, 

489,  515,  522. 
Stuart,  374. 
Sumner,  396,  461. 
Swain,  234. 
Sweet,  54,  59,  72.  74,   94,   108, 

123,  130,   133,  135,  160-162, 

165,  168,  172,  207,  226,  231, 

234,  239,  274,  281,  288,  289, 

329,  333,  347,  380,  338,  401, 

417,  465. 
Swift,  ix,  47,   50,  162,  220,  246, 

259, 3  '3,  320. 

Talcott,  9, 12, 17,  56,  424,  425. 

Talluiadge,  317,  395. 

Tayler,  16. 

Taylor,  105,  135,  167,  192,  201, 

214,  259,  339,  348,  409,  427- 

42J,  434,  469,  518,519. 
Teeter,  476,  477,  4S1. 
Tencellent,  470.     Terrill,  478. 
Terry,  470,  471, 521.     Tew,  215. 
Thayer,  62,  413,  426,   430,  499, 

503. 
Thompson,  33,  69,  96,  150,  153, 

159,  160,  181,182,229,289, 

314,  318,  416,  458,  511,  520. 
Thorburu,  411. 
Thorne,  469,  481. 
Thornton,  515. 
Thorp,  35,  215,  463. 
Thrall,    52,   93,   101,   102,   136, 

155,  197,  193,  217. 
Tibballs,  64,  65,  105,  203,  225. 
Tiler,  173.     Timpson,327. 
Todd,  118,  239,  445. 
Tolles,  207,  324. 
Towne,  246.     Tracy,  152. 
Trafford,  187. 
Treat,  228,  268,  287,  305,  306, 

369,  428. 


Trenck,501. 

Trowbridge,  204.     Trull,  203.]  j 
Trumbull,  11,  13,143,501. 
Tucker,  16,  62,  68,  82,  85,  135, 

143,  159,  165,  201,  232,  240. 
Taller,  150,  151,  156,  171,  253. 
Turner,  144,  180,  265,   293,  478. 
Turrell,  406.  426. 
Tuttle,  55,  72,  240, 275,  277, 300, 

301  303,  332,  339,  390,  414, 

474,477,  481. 
Twiss,  474,  475,  481. 
Tyler,  33,  164,  432,467,  468,  522. 

Utley,  211. 

Vaill,  331. 

Van  15ureu,461,  462. 

Van  Deusen,  476. 

Van  K leek,  313. 

Van  Oustrom,  465. 

Vaughn,  474.     Veber,  465. 

Vidcto,  109,    113,114,   135,  139, 

159,175,231. 
Vogel,  463.     Voorhies,  54. 
Vore,  302.     Vrooman,  65. 

Wade,  59,  73,  102,  109,  115, 116, 

126,  135,  154, 157,  159,  165, 
171,  177,  180,  207,  218,  226, 
228,  23  ',  245,  259,  337,  513. 

Wadsworth,  15,  16,  107,  125, 
299,309,333,465,  478. 

Wakefield,  227,  325,  367,  409, 
410,  415,  419,  439,  440,  445, 
469,  512. 

Walker,  357,  453,  465. 

Walter,  107,  13'},  148,  159-162, 
165,  275,  276,  281,  283,  285, 
300,  327,  346,  380,  386,  517. 

Ward,  53,  100, 150, 153, 154, 157, 
159,     204,     205,    320,    321, 

4U-  % 

Warner,  228,  403,  463,  476. 

Warren,  228,  463. 

Washington,  143,  428,  431,  501. 

Waterman,  306. 

Watson,  16,  275,  368,   399,  397, 

398,  4(35,  478,  479,  481. 
Wattles,  329.     Waugh,  313. 
Weaver,  272,  328,  518. 
Webb,  64. 

Webster,  16,  139,  467. 
Wedge,  187. 
Weed,   281,  333,  342,  351,  378, 

435,  454,  500. 
Weirs,  420.     Weiss,  469. 
Welch,  231,  321,  338,  342,  402, 

410,  434,  451,  465,  473,  481, 

489. 
Weld,  162.     Welles,  413. 
Wells,  15,  16,  28,  117,   194,  197, 

207,211,  365. 
Wentworth,  338,  412,  434. 
Wenzell,  476,  477. 
Wesley,  502. 
West,  154,    157,  159,    160,   162, 

289,  297,  318,  325,  330,  378, 

335. 
Westcott,  289. 
Westlake,  99,  138,  226,  240,  275, 

278,  319, 327,  328,  380,  336, 

401,407. 
Wetherby,  453. 
Wetmore,  x,  23, 41. 45, 47, 53, 57, 

66-70,  76,  83,  85,  88,  89,  94, 

98,111,  112,  119,   124,126, 

127,  129,  13),  135,  139,  141, 
143,  147  154,  159,  164,  171, 
186,  187,  194,  201,  203-205, 
210,  212,  224,  226,  223,  233, 
258,  272,  325,  326,  378,  389, 
434,  445,  454,  479,  489,  500, 
521. 


Whaples,  16. 

Wheadon,   110,    136,    194,    195, 

211,  213,  236. 
Wheeler,  45,  100,  152,  192,  207, 
269,272,  287,  294-208,298, 
299,  304,  319,  322,  326,351, 
353,  373,  378,  379,  38n,  399. 
408,  412,  465,  469,  478,  479, 
481. 
Wheelock,    138,  464,  468,  478, 

519. 
Whiffler,  472. 

White,  105,   111!.    154,    157,  159, 
175,  232,  238,  241,  328,  328, 
331,  332,   33.1,  340,  385,  394, 
476,  478,  518. 
Whitford,  281,  3u6,  347. 
Whitehead,  465,  469,  476,  477. 
Whiting,  15,  60,   71,   112,  114, 
131,  137,138,  159,   171,  175, 
211,241,  246,255,  258,268, 
273,  284,  286,  287.  309,  319, 
327,  331,330,  333,334.400, 
404,  409,  410,  415,  42J,  434, 
451,  507,  515,  516,   518,  519. 
Whitman,  58      Whitmore,  190. 
Whitney,  28. 

Whittlesey,  341      Wicker,  424. 
Wilbraham,  399. 
Wilbur,  465. 
Wilcox,  72,    137,  184,  216,  226, 

233,  329,  377,  451,  514. 
Wilcoxson,    57,   105,    108,   123, 
125,  135,  141,  143,  144,  159 
102,  164,  215,  218. 
Wilder,  139,  410,  414,  427,  434. 
Wilkes,  234. 

Wilkinson,  65,   66,   77,   83,   85, 
87,  123,  135,  159,  161,  162, 
165,  168,  175,  201.211. 
Willard,291,310. 
William  and  Mary,  10. 
Williams,  15,   16,  55,  115,   116, 
118,  239,  295,  296,  299,  331, 
39 i,  399,  407,  414,  419,  440, 
463. 
Wilmoc,  270. 

Wilson,  29,  44,  53,  226,  228.  231, 

265,  266,  272,  237,  302,  317- 

319,  323,  337,  412,  413,  415, 

416,  422,  449,  515. 

Witherspoon,  501. 

Wood,  155,  314,   328,  384,   411, 

426,  476. 
Wolcott,  153,  209,  327,  332. 
Woodall,  385,  457,  521. 
Woodford,   23,   53-55,   70,   174, 
286,  288,  379,  383-391,  401, 
410,  414,  419,   423,  425,  426, 
476-478,  481,  488,  494,  600, 
521. 
Woodruff,  52,  105,  107,  130, 133, 
135,  144,  146,  150,  159,  161, 
202,  270,  272,  295,  299,  319, 
360,  376,  378,  385,  403,  419, 
423,  426.  465,  476,  489,  607, 
508,  513,  514,  521. 
Woods,  111,  293. 
Woodward,  68,  327. 
Woodworth,  215,  268,  274,  350, 

351-354,476. 
Wooster,  162   307,  315. 
Worthington,  332. 
Wright,  29.  53,  85.  97,  110, 135, 
*  139,  147,  160-164,  171-173, 
175,  202,  207,  226,  263-265, 
281,  283,  292,  302,  318,  320, 
330,  334,  346,  347,  355,  366, 
380,  386.  414,  478,  479,  481. 
Wyllys,  25,  230,  283. 

Yale,  29,  410. 
York,  489. 
Young,  105,  106. 


ERRORS   AND    CORRECTIONS. 


The  Compiler,  being  disqualified  by  inexperience  and  defective  eyesight  for  proof-reading, 
assigned  that  special  duty  to  other  hands,  and  only  read  over  the  proof-sheets,  without  comparing 
them  with  the  copy.  A  subsequent  revision  has  revealed  a  list  of  errors  which  is  here  given  with  their 
corrections. 


Page  12,  Line    3, 

for  1773         read  1723. 

Page  290, 

line  22. 

for  Nov.  12,  read  Nov.  22. 

"     21, 

"     15, 

"    quantity      "     quality. 

"    291, 

"      6, 

for  (daughter  of  ?)  read  He  was. 

"     34, 

"      3, 

"    long            "    large. 

"    292, 

"    33, 

"    Sept.  11,  read  Sept  18. 

"      " 

"     39, 

"    Concator     "     Concolor. 

"    294, 

"    17, 

"    1827            "     1847. 

"    37, 

"    33, 

"    1653            "     1753. 

"    298, 

"     5, 

"     Nishus        "     Nisus. 

"    41, 

"    21, 

"    Coventry     "     Country. 

"    302, 

"     7, 

"    1781            "     1791. 

"     41, 

"    38, 

"    1754             "     1764. 

"    302, 

"    24, 

"    Sarah  Vare  read  Sarah  Vore. 

"    45, 

"     16, 

"    1788            "    1782. 

"    3(3, 

"    21, 

"    73                  "    78. 

"    46, 

"      5, 

"    Chamery,    "     Chauncey. 

"    303, 

''    33,34,  for  January  "     June. 

"    46, 

"     22, 

"    Jan.             "      June. 

"    305, 

"     5, 

for  Treal              "     Treat. 

"    50, 

"    17, 

"     Henry         "     Harvey. 

"    305, 

"    23, 

"    statute           "     statue. 

"     51, 

"    39, 

after  1784,    insert    Mary    Led- 

"    313, 

"    23, 

''     Wargh           "     Waugh. 

yard. 

"    313, 

"    37, 

"     Schrimgeozir    read     Scrim- 

"     54, 

"    16, 

for  1838  read  1832. 

geour. 

"    56, 

"    11, 

"    Ason,  "     A  son. 

"    314, 

"    11, 

"    Monsell  read  Monell. 

"    57, 

"    30, 

"    terms,   read   tours. 

"    314, 

"    27, 

after  Robert,  insert  "  And." 

"    75, 

"    15, 

"    1757        "      1767. 

"    322, 

"    11. 

for  Brown  read  Brewer. 

"    86, 

"    19, 

"    and         "      out. 

"    323, 

"  20; 

for  Higby  read  Higley. 

"    86, 

"     22, 

strike  out  wh. 

"    324, 

"    31, 

insert  b.  May  16,  1830,  and  for 

"    89, 

"    37, 

for,  these  read  their. 

m.  Dec.  16,  1830,  read  Dec.  13, 

"    91, 

"      2, 

'*    so           "    to. 

1846. 

"     97, 

"      8, 

insert  comma  after  Sarah. 

"    325, 

"    10, 

for  Hulsey  read  Halsey. 

"  100, 

"    43, 

for  VI  read  IV. 

"    329, 

"    12, 

"    1796         "     1797. 

"  102, 

"      2, 

"    May  20  read  May  23. 

"    332, 

"    33, 

"    hop          "     shop. 

"  111, 

"    37, 

"    1851         "     1852.    . 

"    333, 

"      1, 

"    1827,        "     1817. 

"  114, 

"    15, 

"    N.  J.        "     Conn. 

"    335, 

"    29, 

"    May   4,   1857   read   May   4, 

"  116, 

"     24, 

"    Booth,     "     Booge. 

1837. 

"  116, 

"    29, 

strike  out  July  15,  1811. 

"    336, 

"    13, 

"    April     read  August. 

"  119, 

"      4, 

add  Coe  (7)  after  Alanson. 

"    343, 

"    14, 

"    Bird         "     Baird. 

"  125, 

"      3, 

strike  out  W.  after  Zerviah. 

"    345, 

"      1, 

"    Lyman     "     Luman. 

"  125, 

"     14, 

for  Sept.  22  read  Sept.  13. 

"    351, 

"      1, 

"    Anstus     "     Austin's. 

"  130, 

"     28, 

"    abjurgations    read  objurga- 

"   363, 

"      8, 

"    a  nuisance  read  miasma. 

tions. 

"    367, 

"    37, 

"    Jan.  8,           "     Jan.  18. 

"  138, 

"      !' 

for  1785  read  1786. 

"    368, 

"    28, 

"    entirely          "     intently. 

"  138, 

"       "> 

"    1796      "    1794. 

"    368, 

"    42, 

"    1856               "     1836. 

"  138, 

"    16, 

"    Loritta,  read  Lorilla. 

"    368, 

"    43, 

strike  out  by  second  wife. 

"  141, 

"    38, 

"     by               "      to. 

"    383, 

"    19, 

for  saturnian  read  saturnine. 

"  142, 

"      4, 

before      forbearance      insert 

"    397, 

"    10, 

"    Sept.  11,      "     Sept.  1. 

proper. 

"    398, 

"    33, 

"    b.  Aug.  2, 1859,  read  b.  Aug. 

"  173, 

"     23, 

insert     after     and,     "  Reuben, 

2,  1858. 

who." 

"    403, 

"    17, 

"    Bunn  read  Bunce. 

"  195, 

"       9, 

for  John  Joes  read  John   Ives. 

"    414, 

"    12, 

"    Sept.   10,  1840,    read   June 

"  195, 

"    10, 

"    Laurence      "     Luman. 

23,  1857. 

"  196, 

"     29, 

"    June              "     January. 

"    419, 

"    35, 

"    Hulsey  read  Halsey. 

"  200, 

"      2, 

"    1797              "     1799. 

"    422 

"     1, 

"    XVIII    "     XXVIII. 

"  205, 

"     16-17,   for   New   Pultz,   read    New 

"    423' 

"      8, 

"    Dec.  25,  1865  read  April  2, 

Palte. 

1856. 

"  209, 

"    39, 

for  Newbern  read  Wilmington. 

"    423, 

"      9, 

"    Erase   "  He   died  June  16, 

"  224, 

"     25, 

insert  1801  between  paragraphs. 

1865,  aged  68." 

"  226, 

"     10, 

for  Levi  read  Zeri. 

"    424, 

"      6, 

"    1849      read  1847. 

"  226, 

"     33, 

"    Coe     "     Case. 

"    428, 

"    18, 

"    1830        "     1838. 

"  229, 

"     22, 

"     pounds  read  dollars. 

"    434, 

"    29, 

"    Stoves     "     Stores. 

"  231, 

"     19, 

"    1805    '•     1806. 

"    437, 

"    28, 

"    1854        "     1864. 

"  236, 

"      2 

"    March  16,  read  March  10. 

"    444, 

"     11 

"  Henricken,?-f«c/ Hendricken. 

"  248, 

"     19^ 

"    1858             "    1854. 

"    453, 

"    26, 

"    Cooky     "     Cooley. 

"  253, 

"    13, 

"     ("ineknot      "     Pine  knoll. 

"    462, 

"      8, 

"    April  4,  "     April  13. 

"  256, 

«;     28, 

"    Alexander     "     John. 

"    462, 

"    17, 

"    5th       '  "     14th. 

"  267, 

"    23, 

"    grantor          "     grantee. 

"    463, 

"    27, 

"    Day        "     Dayton. 

"  268, 

"    35, 

"    1784              "     1774. 

"    471, 

"    23, 

"    Feb.  24,  1864,  read  Feb.  20, 

"  271, 

"    31, 

"    Seloen           "     Selven. 

1864. 

"  271, 

"    33, 

"    Fvler             "     Fyla. 

"    471, 

"    38, 

"    Dec.  22,  1864,     "     Dec.  22, 

"  285, 

"      2, 

"    April             "     March. 

1863. 

"  286, 

"      1, 

"    lot                 "    plot. 

"    489, 

"    34, 

"    1872                     "     1871. 

"  287, 

"     o, 

"    June    13,    1838,  read   Jan- 

"   500, 

"    27, 

32,  for  Orion             "     Union. 

uary  13, 1838. 

"    500, 

•'    29, 

33,  "    Union             "     Orion. 

"  287. 
Page  288, 

"      7 

"    aged  36,  read  aged  66. 

"    515, 

"    12, 

for  Isaac                    '      David. 

line  35 

for  Bertrick  read  Butrick. 

"    516, 

"      4, 

"    1870                    "    1871. 

"    290, 

between  lines  3,  4,  insert  title,  1784. 

"    520, 

"      1, 

"    1868                    "    1858. 

University  of 
Connecticut 

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